Experiences & Activities

Staying with us at Karoo Ridge provides guests with the opportunity to take advantage of our unique experiences and activities. Guests can experience the breath-taking natural beauty of the landscape with freedom to explore the wilderness in a place of big skies, atmospheric rock formations, vast landscapes and free ranging herds of antelope.

Whichever lodge you stay at, you are guaranteed privacy and seclusion to immerse yourself in nature and in the landscape. Karoo Ridge is a place to recharge the body and soul and to relax and recover from our fast paced world. It is a place to reconnect with your family and friends in the great outdoors and for your children to experience nature, explore, and run free.

When you stay with us you can choose to do as little or as much as you wish; you can just float in the plunge pool, sit, snooze or read. You can wander in the nearby surroundings or take a map to explore one of the well-marked hiking trails. Alternatively you could spend the morning at the reeds, watching our amazing birdlife from the hide. Here at Karoo Ridge, there are herds of wild game with no large predators. The entire conservancy has well mapped tracks, so providing you have a vehicle with good ground clearance, you can explore and drive yourself wherever you wish. The tracks are also suitable for mountain bikers. The spectacular landscape is an inspiration for artists as well as photographers.

If you would like to learn more about this extraordinary wilderness, the game and how we are working to protect the environment join us for one of our activities. Activities are available as full day and half day as outlined below. Booking is essential.

Half-Day Activities

Rate R1500 for 2 adults and children

Guided Game Drive

We can take you to lesser-known parts of the conservancy to explore the veld, ecology and geology of the area and show you our projects for managing the environment. We can show you the different herds of game as well as our Nguni and Ankole cattle and explain how they work together to improve the terrain.

Guided Conservation Walk

If you prefer to walk you will be able to learn at close hand about the extraordinary Karoo vegetation and its inhabitants including the insects, reptiles and mammal life. We are happy to take children out for nature walks without their parents but please ensure they have sensible shoes, sun hats, sun cream and water. We will adapt the walk for them and can spend time hunting for bugs and looking for tracks.

Night Drive

Our experienced guide will take you out to spot the nocturnal animals (springhares; bat-eared foxes; aardwolf, aardvark) and of course, the incredible stars.

Guided Tour to Bushman Paintings

Learn more about the original inhabitants of the Karoo and why and how they painted. There is walking involved.

Sundowners

Come and join us for a sundowner at one of our breath-taking spots. This is easy to arrange at short notice. Come hear more about the area, it’s significance and history, and why we are here.

Clay Pigeon Shooting

We allow guests to shoot a variety of calibres from a .22 up to big game calibre at targets, followed by clay pigeon shooting. A box of shot gun ammo and clay pigeons are provided for each guest. Feel free to enquire about seasonal stalking.

Full Day Activities

Rate R3000 for 2 adults and children (includes guide with open game viewer and picnic lunch)

Join a Conservationist for the Day

Why not learn more about what we do at Karoo Ridge Conservancy, and spend a day with one of our experts to experience nature conservation in action? We will tailor your day to your interests and your particular family circumstances.

At Karoo Ridge Conservancy we restore and protect the natural environment while running a working farm. Conserving biodiversity is essential to healthy ecosystems allowing plant and animal species to thrive. The greater the number of species the more sustainable the environment becomes and the better it supports the well-being of people. After all, nature is our foundation.

Karoo Ridge Conservancy supports a vast spectrum of wildlife and you will be able to see first hand what we are doing to restore and protect this part of the Karoo. We will show you how we manage our natural resources to create a sustainable landscape. Depending on the time of year there are opportunities to see Karoo flowers and shrubs, nesting birds or migrations or to spot calves and other young animals being born. Or we could show you how to track kudu and shy mountain reedbuck? At different times of the year it may be possible to help with vegetation surveys, cattle tagging and tortoise identification. We would love to share it with you.

Guided Hiking into the Suurberg Mountains

Full day hike up into the Suurberg mountains. A reasonable level of fitness is required as well as decent hiking boots. The highest peak reaches 2 075 metres. We usually make an early start to avoid the heat of the day. There are no made paths and the hike entails rock clambering and adventure. (Not normally recommended for children)