Things to Do in Central Karoo

Get the real Karoo farm experience! Magnificent views, bird-watching, horse riding, baboons and antelope to be seen. Bushman paintings are within walking distance. Group lunches or dinners can be arranged. The Weltevrede valley lies 25 km from Prince Albert and is surrounded by the Swartberg Mountains. Weltevrede is a working farm and the main crop is Adam's figs which are sun-dried. Visit during the harvesting and drying season (from January to May) and see how the figs are picked, processed and packed. The owners also grow oranges and naartjies and rear ostrich. Visitors are most welcome to view all the farm activities. Guided hikes over the Swartberg Mountain from the farm into "Die Hell" are on offer during the cooler months.

Beginners and experienced drivers will find plenty of thrills and pleasant driving on Bergplaats three 4x4 routes graded 2 – 3; all with stunning views of the Karoo. The game farm includes flat and plateau areas. There is an option of staying at a private bush campsite called Duikers Rest where there is a farm dam for a cooling swim. Firewood, ice and braai packs are available at the main lodge if booked prior to arrival.

Bergwater Vineyards are situated in the Prince Albert Valley, 20 kilometres from Prince Albert. The unique situation of the vineyards as well as the high quality of the irrigation water help to create excellent wines with a distinct taste.From the planting of the first vineyards in 1999, the owners aimed to farm in harmony with nature and to minimize all impacts on the natural environment. Vineyards were only planted according to the availability of irrigation water. No virgin land has been ploughed to plant these vineyards and only 70 hectares of the 3 000 hectare farm has been cultivated. Bergwater Vineyards are members of the Biodiversity Wine Initiative.Need to know? Bergwater Vineyards wine tasting and sales: Monday to Friday 09:00 – 16:30 and Saturday 10:00 – 15:00

Climbing 1000 metres in 12 kilometres, the Swartberg Pass is one of the steepest passes in South Africa. Running between Prince Albert in the north and Oudtshoorn in the south, the route offers spectacular views over the Little and Great Karoo.The road is not tarred and can be tricky in wet weather but you certainly don’t need a big 4x4 for the pass.Along with striking warped and twisted rock formations and interesting plant life, you will see some amazing drystone work supporting the picturesque hairpin bends. Master pass engineer Thomas Baines and his team of convict labourers took five years to build it in the late 1800s. Today it is a National Monument and largely unchanged.If you really fancy a challenge you could crank you way on the Swartberg Pass Half Marathon. The race route heads out of Prince Albert and into the Swartberg Pass, with sheer rock on both sides.

Situated in Seven Arches, a gracious Victorian building opposite the Fransie Pienaar Museum, the Prince Albert Gallery was conceived some years ago by local artists who needed a unique venue to show their work. In 2002, six artists elected to create the space and run the gallery and on 10 May of that year the first exhibition was opened.Since opening, the Prince Albert Gallery has held a variety of exhibitions by artists well known both locally and throughout South Africa. Alf Gundersen, David Goldblatt, Sally Arnold, Christine Thomas, Anne Kerr and her mother Erica Berry, installation artist Jo O'Connor, Richard John Forbes and painter Ben Coutouvidis have all exhibited in this space.

Overshadowed by the soaring peaks of the Nuweveld Mountains, the stark landscape of the Karoo National Park is once again home to endangered black rhino, buffalo, Cape mountain zebra and riverine rabbit. Large herds of springbok, 20 pairs of breeding black eagles, five tortoise species, small reptiles and a wide variety of endemic wildlife and succulent plants find sanctuary within the park. The stark beauty of the Great Karoo seems vast and unforgiving but sustains a fascinating diversity of life, all exclusively adapted to survive here. Towards evening the harsh sunlight slowly softens and washes the landscape with pastel colours, eventually deepening and setting the Karoo ablaze with magnificent sunset hues. Itchy feet? Walk the unique 400-metre Karoo Fossil Braille Trail. Specifically adapted for vision-handicapped visitors, you will discover funky fossils of mammal-like reptiles and interesting geology of the Great Karoo. Stroll the 800-metre Bossie Trail and check out the showcase of Karoo succulents including aloes, crassula, spiny klapperbossie and boegoekaroo. More energetic folk can lace up their boots for the 11-kilometre Fonteintjieskloof Trail.