Things to Do in Adelaide

Lying on the edge of the commanding Winterberg range, Tsolwana Nature Reserve’s landscape is one of austere beauty. The climate can be extreme with greatly varying temperatures and unpredictable heavy summer rain storms with hail. In winter snow falls frequently and cold, wet southerly wind spells can cause wildlife losses, particularly in plains antelope species. Animals and birds to spot include ant bear, bat-eared fox, black backed jackal, black wildebeest, blue crane, Cape mountain zebra, mountain reedbuck, oryx, blesbok, Cape vulture, baboon, springbuck, dassie, eland, gemsbuck, kudu, lynx, mongoose and suricate. Tsolwana's friendly rangers take visitors on unique game drives, combining a 4X4 adventure with excellent plains wildlife viewing. There is also the option of guided or unguided hiking, horse riding, bird watching and rock art trips.

Bushman Sands Golf Course is conveniently situated near Shamwari Game Reserve and Addo Elephant National Park just 80 kilometres from Port Elizabeth. Designed by South African golfing legend, Gary Player, the 18-hole championship course lies on the banks of the Bushman's and New Year's Rivers. Characterised by undulating fairways and pot bunkers, this challenging but friendly Links course has some unique features. The first stroke is played over an active railway line. A double green is shared by the second and fifth holes, crossing the Bushman’s River and New Year’s River on several holes. The final hole finishes with a drive over a small cemetery in the centre of the fairway. Bushman Sands facilities include a halfway house, pro-shop and gents and ladies locker rooms with showers and steam rooms. This stunning property has had new life breathed into it with the rescue work done by River Hotels Team. The tar road is complete all the way from Port Elizabeth. So now the 100 kilometer trip is easy and without any stoppages or stone chips. The golf course is certainly in a fine condition.

The spectacular Great Fish River Reserve lies in the Great Fish River valley between Grahamstown and Fort Beaufort and extends all the way to the Kieskama River. This malaria-free destination is still pretty much off the major tourist radar, offering visitors an awesome wilderness experience. The typical Eastern Cape succulent bushveld and rocky terrain provides the prefect habitat for black rhino, Cape buffalo, kudu and hippo. Not only is it a haven for all shapes and sizes of wildlife, the reserve has several historical sites and offers outstanding safari and wildlife adventures. Visitors can choose numberous ways to experience this rugged wilderness including exciting walking and hiking trails, day and night game drives, picnics on the riverbanks, bird watching trips, birding from a waterside bird hide and visits to the fabulous Adam Krantz viewpoint.

Malaria free and home to an impressive diversity of animals, Bushman Sands Game Reserve boasts wonderful Big 5 wildlife viewing opportunities. Situated on 40 square kilometres of former farmland, the reserve has reintroduced animals that once roamed here over 200 years ago. Lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, elephant, rhino, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, zebra, giraffe, hippo, kudu, eland, springbuck and waterbuck can all be found. Sunset cruises on the reserve’s large dam present perfect opportunities for spotting wildlife such as elephant and antelope. Other things to see are the Bushman rock art paintings that date back thousands of years.

Home to an abundance of wildlife, the Kamala Private Game Reserve offers an attractive safari experience in an area of extraordinary beauty in the Eastern Cape. Visitors can choose from a mild to wild range of activities ranging from horse trails to zip slides over the gorge. The diversity of animal, bird and plant life as well as the stunning scenic variety all contributes to an unforgettable experience. Of course you can also kick back, enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing and luxuriate in the peace and tranquillity of this malaria-free, temperate environment.

Visit a rare Victorian amusement once considered 'The Magic Mirror of Life'. This unusual multi-storeyed 19th century Victorian shop and home is now a museum housing interesting displays, a Meridian room, an observatory and the only camera obscura in the southern hemisphere. Known for its identification of the Eureka in 1867, this house had a place in the identification of the first diamond that was found in South Africa, and a display on the ground floor tells this story. This connection with the Eureka prompted De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. to purchase and restore the Observatory in the 80s to commemorate the start of the diamond industry in South Africa. The Observatory Museum is part of the Albany Museum complex – www.ru.ac.za/albanymuseum. Weekdays 09:00 – 16:30 Saturdays 09:30 – 13:00.

The challenging six-day Amatola Hiking Trail traverses the Amatola Mountains through the most breath-taking landscape imaginable. The route rambles between indigenous forests and glades, grasslands and pine plantations. The trail starts at Maden Dam near King Williams Town and finishes at Tyume Forest station three km from Hogsback. The lovely little village of Hogsback is an ideal base and all that’s needed is an arranged transfer to the start of the trail. Most of the route passes through ancient indigenous rainforest with towering Outeniqua yellowwood, sneezewood, wild olive and lemonwood. Colourful fungi, orchids, watsonias, falling stars, and red hot pokers contribute to the enchanting forest scenes. Hikers have no shortage of cascading waterfalls and swimming pools to cool off in. Parts of the trail are steep and strenuous but the effort is rewarded by the magnificent views alone! The Amatola Mountain range is home to leopard, bushbuck, duiker, porcupines, bush pig, otters, baboons, and Samango and vervet monkeys. Birds you might see include Knysna turaco, Cape parrot, Cape sugarbird, crowned eagle, barbet, woodpecker, flycatcher, robin and black eagle. Look out for the giant earthworms! Overnight huts with bunks and mattresses, braai facilities, firewood, water and toilets are provided. The weather is extremely variable at all times of year and hikers need to be well-equipped for rain, snow and very hot weather. Not recommended for unfit hikers.

Named after the famous 19th century artist, naturalist and explorer, Thomas Baines Nature Reserve is a great spot for a day trip if you’re visiting the Grahamstown area. It’s an easy 12-kilometre drive from Grahamstown in the direction of Port Elizabeth. Thomas Baines explored the region extensively and contributed a valuable record of the amazing plant life and wildlife that occurred here. The reserve represents three of the major vegetation types of the Eastern Cape – Grassy Fynbos, Valley Bushveld and Afromontane Forests. There’s so much to do here – game drives, canoeing, hiking, camping, picnics, bird watching; and sailing and bass fishing at Settlers Dam. Look out for Cape buffalo, eland, red hartebeest, bushbuck, kudu, oribi, aardvark, warthog, vervet monkeys, genets and numerous small mammals. Birders will find plenty to spot with 175 species of birds recorded in the reserve. Picnic sites, braai facilities and ablutions are available at Settlers Dam.

Situated in a stunning Eastern Cape landscape, Pumba Private Game Reserve is the perfect destination for a malaria-free African wildlife experience. In addition to leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant, guests of Pumba Private Game Reserve have the rare opportunity of seeing beautiful white lion. Visitors can discover Africa’s wildlife in their natural habitat by joining a birding safari, guided bushwalk, stargazing and game drives. There’s so much to see including lion, hippo, hyena, giraffe, wild dog, cheetah and numerous antelope species. The birdlife is phenomenal and will keep birders busy with over 300 bird species to spot. Guests at Pumba have the choice of staying in luxury at two unique five-star lodges. The Water Lodge is beautifully appointed on the shore of the Kariega Lake. Msenge Bush Lodge overlooks the waterhole on the Kariega River floodplain and boasts panoramic views of the Zuurberg Mountains.

Set on the southern slopes of the Bosberg Mountains, the Bosberg Nature Reserve is a popular destination for hikers. The densely-wooded nature reserve looms over the lovely dorp of Somerset East. The forest is characterised by lofty Outeniqua yellowwood, white stinkwood, Eastern Cape cabbage trees, wild peach and wild olive trees. Offsetting the forested area are the grassy plains of the Dohne sourveld as well as Karoo succulents and mountain fynbos. Wildlife you might encounter includes zebra, bushbuck, bush pig, baboon, rock hyrax, Vervet monkey, tortoises, frogs, snakes and lizards. Look out for the Knysna turaco flitting among the treetops. With more than 80 species of birds recorded in the reserve, twitchers have much to get excited about, particularly during summer or spring. Hikers usually take on the fairly strenuous two-day Bosberg Trail. There is also the far less intense option of the Bestershoek Trail and sedate strolls to the viewpoints over Somerset East.

One of the largest private game reserves in the Eastern Cape, the award winning Shamwari Game Reserve is a superlative safari destination for discerning guests. Boasting numerous high profile animals including the Big 5 and five of South Africa's seven biomes, the reserve is one of the most successful private conservation initiatives coupled with responsible tourism in Southern Africa. Shamwari is situated in luxuriant bushveld along the Bushmans River. Easily accesable, the malaria-free reserve lies halfway between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown. There are daily flights from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban to Port Elizabeth. It’s also an enjoyable drive from Cape Town along the beautiful Garden Route. Guests can choose from seven unique luxury lodges on this private game reserve.

Amakhala Game Reserve offers a wildlife experience that will inspire and revitalize your soul. Be captivated by the call of fish eagles echoing through the kloofs and the roaring of lion at night. Named for the stunning display of aloes proliferating in the malaria-free Zuurveld, Amakhala is home to the Big 5 and numerous animals. Visitors have the opportunity to spot lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, abundant antelope and birdlife. This breath-taking reserve also contains a prehistoric Bushman burial ground and some ancient dinosaur fossil sites. By staying at Amakhala you can have a quintessential African experience exploring the bushveld while on safari, walking, and river cruising or simply chilling with a glass of wine at one of the well-appointed lodges.

South African author, pacifist and political activist, Olive Schreiner, is best known for her novel, The Story of an African Farm. The book was first published in 1883 in London and quickly became a best-seller, despite causing controversy over its frank portrayal of freethought, feminism, premarital sex and pregnancy out of wedlock and transvestitism.The Schreiner House Museum is one of Cradock’s interesting and attractive historical buildings. From 1868 till 1870 it was home to Olive and three of her siblings. Her elder brother, Theo, was principal of the “Government Aided School” in Cradock at the time. The other two siblings were her elder sister Henrietta and her younger brother Will, later Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. Today the Schreiner House is a National Monument containing Olive’s personal library, exhibitions depicting her life and those of her siblings, and copies of all the books she wrote. There is also a bookshop selling a wide variety of books, including Schreiner’s most celebrated work, The Story of an African Farm, as well as other books by and about her.

Die Tuishuise in Market Street are fifteen beautifully restored mid-19th century houses with different styles of period furniture in each. Originally these houses were occupied by craftsmen who worked on wagons and with horses before the advent of the motor car. The intention is to convert the whole of Market Street into a tourist attraction, and to restore it and all the houses to their former glory, so that one maintains the historical heritage of this town. The restored houses serve as overnight tourist accommodation and are a major attraction in Cradock.

Situated on the banks of the Fish River, Inxuba Yethemba Municipal Park is an oasis of trees and flowers - a perfect spot to chill out in uncomfortably hot weather. The Park is a mixture of timelessness and modernity: beautiful gardens, shady trees, the Cradock Four Memorial, the Jurie Lombard Water Mill, plus a sports complex that could well be the envy of many a larger town. The sports complex features a swimming pool, tennis courts, a rugby field encircled by a superb synthetic athletic track which hosts events at regional and national level, a pavilion seating 2 000 and a caravan park with full facilities. The annual Hansa Powerade Great Fish River Canoe Marathon ends at the Park.