Ganora Guest Farm, Camping and Excursions

The guest house I stayed at was spacious with modern amenities. Dinner and breakfast was awesome; The owner, Hester was ever present and her staff were attentive to my needs. There is a fascinating fossil display, rock art tours and hiking trails.

We recently visited Nieu Bethesda and decided to stay at Ganora Guest Farm, conveniently located just outside town (about 8 km). Ganora is a working Karoo sheep farm but provides guests not only with a typical Karoo Farm experience where one can hike, mountain bike, bird watch stargaze and hand feed new born lambs but also some unique activities not often encountered. One of these is a fossil museum where the host shares his extensive knowledge about the ancient past of the Karoo. There are also guided walks to various of these fossil sites. Another surprise is the guided tour to a Bushman rock art site where the guide will point out some of the culture and beliefs of the Bushmen. Regarding Accommodation - We stayed in the Self catering cottage that was well equipped and comfortable. There is a fireplace in the lounge that served as well in winter as well as a convenient braai on the veranda overlooking the farm and the Karoo scenery. The farm was also the ideal base to visit Nieu Bethesda Town and the Owl House of Helen Martin. We were four adults and decided to extend our stay to two days.

When visiting anywhere near Nieu-Bethesda don't hesitate to grab the opportunity to stay at Ganora! What a special place on a working Karoo farm. Hester and JP are wonderful hosts - warm, kind , helpful and both have incredible knowledge of the surrounding area. The rooms are beautifully decorated, comfortable and spotlessly clean. The electric blanket and thick down duvet kept us snugly warm with freezing temperatures outside. The farm has various well marked walks of various distances. The cooked lamb dinner we had as part of a 60th celebration was incredible.... not to even mention the yummy desert. Feeding the baby lambs on our morning of departure was an added bonus for us city slickers. Visiting for only a weekend we had far too little time to explore so much more the farm had to offer! Thank you for the all round incredible visit Ganora!

Ganora Lodge is in a wonderful location, so unique with so much to do; from walks, fossils, bushman paintings, medicinal walks, the sheer beauty of the surroundings, fantastic food, ambience, hosts are amazingly friendly, go out of their way to help and are so knowledgeable . The rooms are beautifully stylish with original art by the hostess and meticulously clean and comfortable. We will be back for sure ! Ganora is a winner, unbeatable.

I've visited many times of the years and it's one of my favourite getaways. The accommodation, food and service is excellent. I highly recommend you also do the excursions on offer, especially the fossils and Bushman Rock Art. Thanks Hester, JP and team for your amazing hospitality. Looking forward to my next visit.

Ganora is your home away from home. No matter what your likes, Ganora has it. Your rooms are beautiful and luxurious, your camping area has all the amenities one needs. Hester, JP and their team do such an amazing job. The museum is filled with amazing items from the farm and there is so much to do.