National Heritage
This is the land of the springbok, South Africa's national emblem. Once so abundant in this region that herds took three days to pass from sight, these agile antelope are still to be found on the local farms. The springbok is not the only object of national heritage.
A township walkabout tour of Umasizakhe is available. The Old Mission is today a new cottage industry, practising the traditional arts of spinning, weaving and knitting. The Hester Rupert Museum has a fine collection of contemporary South African art including oils and watercolours by the town's resident artist, Edward Speirs, whose studio in Cradock street is open to the public.
Graaff-Reinet has more protected historic buildings than anywhere else in the country. Cradock Street alone has more than fifty; most are private homes. Then there's the Graaff-Reinet Pharmacy, a relic of the Victorian apothecary with his stone jars and dispensing bottles inlaid in gold. Not forgetting Reinet House, the Graaff-Reinet Museum, which was formerly the Dutch Reformed Church parsonage built in 1812, a fine example of a Cape H-plan house.
The Dutch Reformed Church, built in 1886, was modelled on Salisbury Cathedral and is one of the finest examples of gothic architecture in the country.
Out of Town
Out of town on a private farm is the most extraordinary of Graaff-Reinet's national monuments. The Kalkkop impact crater was formed some 200 000 years ago when a meteorite smashed into the Karoo, leaving behind a 640 metre wide crater. Over the years, limestone deposits have filled in the hole but the circular impact ridge is still visible.
Floriskraal dam, 20 kilometres south of town is scenically set amongst the hills and caters to all manner of watersports. And if you have any energy left, the 80 kilometre Karoo Marathon is run in September.
Karoo Nature Reserve
This almost 14 500 hectare reserve around Graaff-Reinet covers mostly hilly terrain in the foothills of the Sneeuberg Mountains, offering a postcard view of the town nestled in a bend of the Sundays River.
The fluctuating waters of Van Rhyneveld's Pass Dam allow watersports upon occasion and there are hiking trails of varying duration through the semi-arid landscape dotted in rare Cape Mountain Zebra and Cape buffalo, antelope and ostrich and springbok, of course. But it is the Valley of Desolation that visitors usually come to see.
The pillars of eroded stone, which stretch across the Karoo plains are awe-inspiring, as is the view from above if paragliding from Uitkyk Peak. There are no overnight facilities in the reserve unless you are on a pre-booked overnight hike.