Helen Martins' Owl House, often cited as South Africa's finest example of outsider art, is an extraordinary, other-worldly home of concrete and ground glass sculptures. Her creativity conjures up an array of emotions: from wonder to excitement, curiosity and sadness.

Built in 1905, the Dutch Reformed Church of Nieu Bethesda is the grandest edifice in the village, with its long gothic spire soaring towsards the dazzling blue sky. A decline in the town resulted in a dwindling of the numbers of the congregation. The church has not had a permanent minister since 1961. A Sunday service is performed by a minister from Graaff-Reinet.

There is some fine wooden carving on the old church pews and the original chandeliers are quite unique. The antiquated carbide gas generator for the gas lighting is no longer operational, but once a year, early in December, an evening Christmas service is held with conventional gas used to light the lamps.

The church has been recently renovated and is now available for weddings, conferences, workshops, exhibitions, etc. The church can be viewed by arrangement.

Nieu Bethesda has a working network of furrows, with water supplied daily from a spring on the plateau above the village. Residents channel water into their gardens using smaller gated funnels. Visitors can hike along the furrows up to the spring.

Opposite the Owlhouse, a bridge crosses to the west bank of the river, where the original water mill still exists. The water mill was erected in 1860 by Mr B.J. Pienaar, on the original farm, Uitkyk. The original wooden waterwheel was later replaced by the existing metal one.

Graves date back to the late 1700's and the Anglo Boer War. A number of old graves have tombstones made from local rock slabs. The oldest is dated 1786.

Horse riding is offered at several places in the village.

The area around Nieu Bethesda is good for either a leisurely ride or a challenging ride for serious mountain bikers. If you’re feeling lazy, hire a bike from the Outsiders B&B and cruise around the village. Alternatively, wake up early to conquer one of the two mountain bike trails in the area: Compassberg and Ganora.

The residents of the Nieu Bethesda township, Pienaarsig, have turned to crafts to earn a living. Crafters include felter, wire workers and sheepskin slipper makers.

Following the tradition of Helen Martins, there are several artists who have found their muse in Nieu Bethesda and established their studios in the village.

If, on your ambles around Nieu Bethesda, you feel the need for a break, drop into one of the village coffee shops for a drink and a chat. The Karoo Lamb is diagonally opposite the Owl House and you can watch the traffic of cows, donkeys, dogs, cats, geese and the occasional people go by. The Village Inn is in the same street and you can either sit in the inn’s cosy interior of soak up the sun in the peaceful back garden.

Visit our Eating page for more information.

The Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre depicts the setting in the area around Nieu Bethesda 253 million years ago during the Permian Period. The centre showcases the fossils found both in Nieu Bethesda and in other places in South Africa. The fossils date to a time 50 million years before the age of dinosaurs when the continents were merged in a supercontinent called Pangea.

A visit to the Fossil Exploration Centre will be a journey back in time to a world with unfamiliar plants and animals. There are life-size models of prehistoric animals that roamed the area and illustrations of the landscape without grasses, flowers, mammals and birds. This was the time when mammal ancestors called Therapsids were the dominant species on earth.

Gather a colourful perspective of village life. Jakob van Staden has lived in Nieu-Bethesda all his life and has extensive knowledge of the area. He offers twenty minute guided donkey cart tours during which Jacob will share his knowledge of the history of the town and will tell you about his days as a student and how he started his business.

The area around Nieu Bethesda boasts around 280 bird species including water birds, mountain birds and several species of raptor and other birds of prey. Be on the lookout for the Blue Crane, South Africa's national bird.

The Sneeuberg Brewery and deli is essentially a one-man show and the beer and cheese served here are made by the owner. Even the coffee is roasted on site.

The beer is free of preservatives or additives using only malt, hops and natural spring water. There are three difference ales: the crisper more bitter Karoo Ale, the slightly sweeter Honey Ale and the smoky dark Roasted Ale.

No street lights and cloudless skies in Nieu Bethesda allow the Milky Way to dominate the night.

Compassberg (2502m) is the highest peak in the Sneeuberg range and second highest in the Eastern Cape. It takes four to five hours to climb to the top and descend again. The base of the mountain is a forty minute drive from Nieu Bethesda.

The mountain offers different degrees of difficulty, depending on your route. The walk up the northern slope is not hard and the way is marked with piles of stones. From the top, the koppies roll beneath you, Graaff-Reinet sits in the distance and on a clear day you can see up to 20km from the coast.

Come prepared! Compassberg is extremely exposed to the cold Karoo winds. Always take water and more clothes than you think you need.

You will need permission from a landowner to climb Compassberg. Your place of accommodation in Nieu Bethesda will provide contact details.

A half-day hike along the canyon will take you from Ganora Farm to De Toren, offering the opportunity to experience the Karoo's wildlife at close quarters.

The Canyon is a stunning natural phenomenon that runs from Ganora farm to De Toren, a few kilometres from Nieu Bethesda.
The half-day hike will bring you close to the Karoo's wildlife; you could see anything from otters and tortoises to buck and Black Eagle nesting sites. The walk runs beside a water furrow. Horse-riding down the canyon is another option.

You will need permission from the landowner to hike the canyon. Your place of accommodation in Nieu Bethesda will provide contact details.

Ganora Farm runs guided hikes to rock art sites. The rock art found here in San and Khoi shelters date back 10 000 years. This is evidence of Later Stone Age people, possibly the area's earliest inhabitants. Rock art were not depictions of everyday life but are are an insight into the spirituality of the people who drew them.

The Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre offers half-hour guided tours to the Gats River bed to view fossils found there. The fossils date back 253 million years in the Permian Period. Walk back to the centre over a historical foot bridge.

Hike along the water furrows to the natural spring that is the Nieu Bethesda's water supply.

Camdeboo National Park covers an awe-inspiring landscape of ancient rocks, of vast and timeless Karoo landscapes. While here, explore a wildlife refuge on the shores of a picturesque lake. Situated on the outskirts of the charming and quaint town of Graaff-Reinet, in the crown of the Great Karoo, you’re experience the tranquility of nature seldom found elsewhere.

Mountain Zebra National Park, situated about 12 km from Cradock, was proclaimed in 1937 to save the endangered Cape mountain zebra. Today, the national park seeks to conserve the unique biodiversity of the area and provides a haven for over 370 zebra, black rhino, buffalo and antelope such as eland, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, gemsbok and mountain reedbuck.

Graaff-Reinet is the fourth oldest town in South Africa, having been established in 1786. The town sits in a bend in the Sundays River in the shadow of the Sneeuberg Mountain. Graaff-Reinet falls within the Camdeboo National Park. Much of Graaff-Reinet still has the feel of a 19th century town with some streets restored and as many as 200 buildings declared as national monuments.

Take a two hour trip up the Loodsberg Pass in an old railway trolley. The route ascends into the desert mountains, passing the occasional sheep farm and solitary windmill. The tour can accommodate up to six people. Bookings are essential.

At Ganora Farm there are fossil beds dating 240 million years, Bushman etchings and Boer artifacts. Horse-riding, mountain-biking and bird-watching are all possible.

Cradock is a 19th town on the banks of the Greak Fish River. The site of the town was coveted by both the Boer settlers and the Xhosa as good grazing grounds for cattle. Today, Cradock is a typical Karoo farming town with a number of historical attractions.

Karoo Cats is a conservation program near Cradock that aims to create public awareness of the plight of small cats through research, public awareness and education.

The last hippo recorded in the Karoo was 250 years ago. P.C Ferreira's dream has been to bring them back, specifically to the Karoo Gariep Conservancy. In December 2006, three hippos found a new home in a hippo pool on the New Holme farm in the Hanover area.

Visit the website www.karoogariep.co.za for more information.