Joalani Guest Farm

Once traipsing through the scenic Three Sisters region is dispensed with, make immediate tracks for Beaufort West: it’s the largest town in the Karoo, and a top jumping-off spot for further exploration. You could sign up for a historical walking tour, donkey cart tour or fossil excursion, strap on your helmet for an adrenaline rush on the Hillandale MTB route, and pay a visit to the Christiaan Barnard museum (to learn more about the world’s first human-to-human heart transplant), before heading out of town to Karoo National Park for hiking trails, birding safaris and the chance to spot zebras and lions. Craving more urban escapes from the desert? Pile into the car on a trip to Richmond (50 minutes away) for mountain biking routes, the Richmond Horse Museum and a poke around the Modern Art Project gallery, or venture to Hanover instead (an hour’s drive) for more mountain biking routes and museums. After something different? Head out to Driekoppen Farm to visit some weirder exhibitions: the Rugby Addict and the Spider Lady (arachnophobes should prob avoid the latter…). For a day a little closer to home base, travel the 35 minutes to Murraysburg village, where you can spend a few hours fly fishing with the Sneeuberg Aquatic Conservancy club or stay in the car for the spectacular Sneeuberg Scenic Route.