Take an unforgettable road trip in the Great Karoo

SStand still in the Matjiesfontein military graveyard and try to hear the strains of the lone Highland piper, who is said to be playing Scotland the Brave for all time.

Head for the mountain settlement of Nieu Bethesda in winter time (May to August) and hunker down with a Karoo Ale at the Sneeuberg Brewery.

Share a traditional Karoo supper at the Victoria Manor Hotel in Cradock, where you can also watch the supremely fit canoe paddlers compete in the Fish River Canoe Marathon.

Go on a book safari in the Northern Cape town of Richmond, where the printed word still rules.

Stride the streets of Colesberg on a walking tour of this Victorian-era town and venture out on the Gariep Route, staying over at the most eccentrically stylish hotel in the region.

Enjoy a Saturday night cabaret in the Karoo Theatrical Hotel outside the mohair town of Steytlerville, and be entertained by a concert pianist and an exotic singer named Dame Layla Lamborghini.

Sit with astronomers on a hill outside Sutherland, home of the Southern African Large Telescope, and relish the heavens above.

Visit the seven radio dishes out at the Square Kilometre Array near Carnarvon and imagine the day when more than 2500 of these wonderful techno beasts will be swaying in unison, listening to the universe.

Hear all about the endangered riverine rabbit in Loxton; join the Nama Riel dancers at the Williston Festival in the Upper Karoo; and drive to Calvinia to catch the seasonal display of spring daisies, perhaps the greatest free show on Earth.

HHave a sundowner with your favourite person at a spot overlooking Graaff-Reinet and the Valley of Desolation, giving you an eagle’s-eye view of the vastness of the Karoo.

Go fossil fossicking in the Karoo National Park outside Beaufort West, and antique-chasing in a specialty store in Willowmore before entering the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, famous for its mountainous, rugged terrain and adventure tourism activities.

Enjoy Prince Albert, gateway to the Great Karoo, at Olive Festival time, and listen to the happy gurgle of the water furrows as you sit on your stoep (verandah) on a warm summer’s evening.

And then turn your car around, grab the road map and choose a different route all together...