Luxury Meets Prehistory in South Africa’s Karoo

Graaff-Reinet is a quiet town in the middle of South Africa’s Great Karoo. It’s surrounded by open land, dry air, and a stillness that makes time feel longer than it is.

The town’s newest addition, the Karoo Origins – The Fossil Center, has become a small but meaningful stop for travelers interested in the region’s ancient history. Just across the road, the Drostdy Hotel is the natural place to stay.

The museum focuses on the Karoo’s rich fossil beds and the Rubidge family, who have spent four generations collecting and preserving them. The story began in 1934, when ten-year-old Peggy Rubidge asked her father about fossils.

Not long after, they found the skull of Dinogorgon rubidgei on their farm near town. Since then, the family has collected more than 850 fossil skulls, of which over 100 are unique specimens. Many of them are now part of the new museum’s collection.

The space is small, and that’s part of its appeal. Visitors can walk through life-size reconstructions, read about the region’s paleontological history, and get a sense of how this dry landscape once supported early reptiles and amphibians. It’s clear and personal, not overproduced.

Beyond the museum, fossils are still found across the region. The Kitching Fossil Exploration Center in Nieu-Bethesda runs tours to nearby dig sites. Ganora Farm also opens its private collection and offers short walks to the property's fossil beds. These experiences make the science hands-on and connect it back to the land.

For scenery, the Valley of Desolation in Camdeboo National Park is a short drive away. Its dolerite cliffs overlook the plains and glow orange in the late afternoon light. The nearby Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve combines wildlife drives with guided fossil walks, tying together the area’s natural and prehistoric worlds.

The Drostdy Hotel, a five-star property in the center of town, is where most visitors end up staying. The building dates to the 1800s and has been restored with care; whitewashed walls, calm interiors, and courtyards shaded by old trees. 

Rooms are large and straightforward, and the on-site restaurant, De Camdeboo, serves local lamb and South African wines. The hotel is within walking distance of the museum, art galleries, and Graaff-Reinet’s main church square.

The Karoo doesn’t reveal itself quickly. It’s a region best approached slowly, with time to look and to listen. The Drostdy Hotel offers travelers comfort and a sense of place; the Karoo Origins Center provides context for the land around it.

Together, they turn Graaff-Reinet into something more than a stop between bigger destinations; it becomes a small, lasting point of connection.