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After breakfast perhaps you would like to explore Prince Albert ... Prince Albert is the definitive Karoo dorp: a living record of South African rural life over the last two centuries, during which well-watered orchards and colourful gardens have been patiently coaxed from the harsh African wilderness. Essentially a farming town, it is inhabited by people who live close to the earth. An excellent infrastructure and crime free environment preserves its history and natural beauty. There is a nameless quality of life here that has lured visitors from around Southern Africa and the globe to return to make it their home. Prince Albert and its surroundings offer attractions for everybody from hikers and bikers, to birdwatchers, stargazers and botanists. Artists & writers find themselves enthralled by the stark and dramatic beauty of the endless plains and the towering peaks. |
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Prince Albert is a small architectural gem. The last 150 years of South African rural history is captured in its 11 national monuments and eclectic mix of Cape Dutch, Victorian and Karoo architecture. More than anything else it is a place to slow down, forget the hectic pace of urban life and rediscover the bare essentials such as sunsets & thunderstorms over the plains, clear morning air & night skies crowned with stars. The high wide sky and broad landscapes have infused the community with a peacefulness and patience which has equipped them to endure past hardships and prepared them to face any eventuality. THINGS TO DO IN & AROUND PRINCE
ALBERT Prince Albert is filled with exciting
and interesting things to see and do. There is something for everyone. As
you will see, there is a lot going on here that is not always immediately
obvious to those passing through too quickly. So why not stay a little while
and surprise yourself? Hire
a Mountain Bike
We’ll
arrange transport to the top of the Swartberg Pass and you cycle down in time
for breakfast or late afternoon tea and cake. Or cycle round the streets to discover the town and all
its charms. Fransie Pienaar Museum R10
per Adult; R2 for children; next to Tourism Bureau This
cultural historical museum depicts the history of Prince Albert and the
district. Fransie Pienaar collected many of the historical items and the
collection is still growing, due to further donations from past and present
inhabitants of the village. It is now displayed in the house built by the
Haak Family in 1906, which also served as a hospital from 1952-1978. Hours:
Mon – Fri: 09:00-12:30 and 14:00-17:00 Sat: 09:00-12:00
Join
Ailsa Tudhope for a 90 minute pre-dinner walk around the streets of the
village, in the company of the Ghosts of Prince Albert. You set out at dusk
and wander the streets as darkness descends. The stories include ghostly
tales: some eerie, others amusing; and a few stories about individuals who
have left their mark here. Booking
is essential. Prince Albert Gallery Come
and visit the Prince Albert Gallery, at Seven Arches, across the road
from the Fransie Pienaar Museum. See a variety of paintings and sculptures by local
artists. Trading
hours: Mon – Fri: 10:00-12:30 and 14:00-16:00 Sat: 09:00-12:00 Astro
Tours Hans & Tilanie Daehne Tel: 072 732 2950 Star-gazing
has become the hottest and most fascinating activity on planet earth. The
observation of other suns and galaxies satisfies our inquisitive minds.
Hans and Tilanie Daehne of Astro Tours show the starry splendour over
Prince Albert to all star enthusiasts. Everybody admires the stars,
but if you know and understand what you see, star-gazing becomes a
fulfilling activity. Astro Tours takes you on a tour through the
celestial splendour of the Southern Hemisphere. Enjoy the celestial
“Big Five” of our dark sky in the Great Karoo. Available most
week-ends and during school holidays, booking is essential. SoetKaroo SoetKaroo
is a fortified dessert wine that comes from Prince Albert. The grapes are
grown in a vineyard behind a thatched 1841 Cape Dutch house situated in the
centre of town. It is one of the smallest registered wine estates in South
Africa! Let us phone to make an appointment for you. Guided Historical Town Walk
Prince Albert is architecturally a small gem, with 18 National Monuments (in town and the district) and a very well preserved mix of Cape Dutch, Karoo, Georgian, and Neo-gothic and Victorian buildings. How old is the town and why is it called Prince Albert? Do you know about the gold rush here or the ostrich feather market boom in 1891? Why not ask Ailsa on one of her guided walks around the town. Old Mill The
Albert's Mill wheel and millrace are accessible just outside Prince Albert on
the left-hand
side of the road towards the Mountain (before you reach the Pass turn-off). Bushman
Valley Three kilometers south of town on the tar road. Bushman museum, rock shelters and daily tours. 1,200 Ha Nature Reserve with game often sighted. Best hiking trails near town. Walk Bains’ original roadway to the Pass and see the 6km long stone walls built almost 200 years ago. Splash pools and rock pools. Ian & Barbara Uys Tel: 023 5411 322 or 082 452 8134 Massage Treat
yourself to a range of relaxing and rejuvenating holistic therapies such as
Aromatherapy massage, Shiatsu, Reflexology, Reiki and Polarity Balancing in
our calm surroundings. David
Blackie
– will work with you in the comfort of your guest room. He practises FAT
NAM RASAYAN – an experience of consciousness. Tourism
Office For
postcards, books, The Prince Albert Friend, olives, olive oil, dried figs,
fig jam, almonds etc. Please visit the Tourism Office. We also
offer the following office services: internet cafe, colour copying, faxing, scanning,
laminating etc. Tel: 023 5411 366. Bushman
paintings and Fossil
& Rock art Tour Judy
Maguire (palaeontologist) and John Begg (geologist) of Scholtzkloof Farm can
take you on a ‘fossil and rock art tour’ to see an archaeological
museum, fossils and a rare rock painting on their farm 10 km out of By
appointment only, visit fossils dated at 350.000 million years old
on a farm in the Weltevrede Valley. Precious Gem Collection To
view the spectacular private Barrella precious gem collection, please phone
Lydia. Cost: R5 per person. Gordon's
Koppie Ramble For the more energetic: this walk along the hill behind the village takes at least one and half-hours. There is a well-defined path, which is steep at times. Walkers should wear sturdy shoes or boots, sun block and a hat and carry water. The route offers spectacular views of the Karoo plains, the koppies, mountains and the little village of Prince Albert. Saturday Market Next
to the Fransie Pienaar Museum. Saturday
mornings find the people of Prince Albert at the market to sell their goods,
have tea and socialize. An interesting variety of local produce such as
home-made goodies, fresh vegetables and fruits in season, Karoo Lamb, etc.
are sold. So come down to the market and join the locals for a chat and a
look-round. Farm Visits and Nurseries Gay's
Dairy/Cheese Tours Gay's beautiful Guernsey cows produce an average 450 litres of milk a day for consumption in Prince Albert. Gay's Dairy also processes low-fat yoghurt's, cheese, amasi and fruit juices. Gay and her team have won numerous awards for their cheese including a bronze medal at the 2004 International Cheese Fair in London. The dairy is open from 07:00-08:00 and 17:00-18:00 daily including weekends. A must for those with discerning taste buds. Tours by arrangement. Bergwater
Vineyards Stefaan
and Heimie Schoeman's vineyards are situated
in the exquisite Kredouw
Olive Farm Kredouw Olive Farm
is situated at the foot of
the Kredouw Pass in the picturesque Prince Albert Valley, and boasts an olive press for the processing of cold pressed extra virgin
olive oil. This oil is extracted from a selection of five varieties of
handpicked Italian Olives, grown on the farm, and blended to achieve a
unique flavour. The farm shop selling olive oil, olive products as
well as almonds and other farm products has a viewing window for the press
and visitors are welcome to see the operation first hand. Olive
picking and pressing takes place from the end of March to the end of May. Weltevrede Fig and Fruit Farm 25km
west of Prince Albert on the Weltevrede road (turn off at the cemetery in
Christina de Wit street, near the old watermill). Sun dried Adams figs,
fresh oranges and naartjies. Farm visits during the picking and drying
season – January to April / May – can be arranged. Swartrivier
Olive Farm Situated 5 kms out of Prince Albert on the Leeu Gamka/Kruidfontein road. The Bothmas harvest between 50 and 80 tons of olives per annum. There are 3 000 trees, with Manzanilla and Mission varieties grown for processing and Leccino for oil. Twenty percent of their production is retained for local sales and processing, while 80 percent is sold to major processors in Cape Town. Tours and tasting by prior arrangement. Olienhof
Olive Press and Tree Nursery Essie Esterhuisen presses prize winning olive oil and grows olive trees. Pay them a visit to taste and buy their oil and why not buy a Prince Albert olive tree to take home as a reminder of the village! Renu-Karoo:
Indigenous Nursery and Veld
Restoration Dr
Sue Milton-Dean & Dr Richard Dean sell Karoo succulents, shrubs
and trees and indigenous seed for Karoo veld restoration and offer a Karoo veld assessment & specialist ecological assessment
service. Visit their nursery on the corner of Kerk and van Dykstraat
which stocks their wide range of indigenous plants. Ask us for more details Shopping in Prince Albert True Karoo Gallery A treasure trove of art and crafts created by Trudi, Ana Maria and other local artists and collectables from furniture to clothing sources by Yolande. Karoo Looms Karoo
Looms produce a magnificent range of handspun, woven rugs in a
variety of sizes, designs & colours. They will make woollen rugs to
particular designs upon request. As a service to guests they pack and
post purchases abroad. Prince
of Africa: Cape Mohair products Do you know that 90% of quality
Mohair is produced in Cape Mohair Country and its the highest quality mohair in the
world! Visit Prince of Africa to
view the super-soft mohair blankets in a variety of colours and sizes;
comfortable mohair socks for all shapes and sizes; scarves; shawls and
beautiful hand knitted jerseys. Credit cards accepted. After hours
service call 023 5411 454. Open 7 days a week, 09:00 – 17:00 Lah-di-dah This
“fêncy padstal” has taken the term farm stall to new and exciting
heights. They offer typical farm stall fare: local jams,
chutneys, fruit and veggies in far from typical “plaas stal”
surroundings. The “fêncy” part overflows from the shelves:
gifts for any occasion including candles, teddies, gardening tools,
ornaments, brightly coloured Wellington boots, oil lamps, curtain tassels,
butterfly nets and much, much more…. Lazy
Lizard The
Lazy Lizard started as a bus terminal. Today it is a family owned
business, offering a variety of services from wireless internet
connection to coffee shop, bakery and delicatessen, curios and a health and
fitness centre. Come and visit Juan, Caryn and Alex, you won’t be
sorry. Trading
hours: Mon-Fri 07:00-18:00, Sat 07:00-17:00 & Sun 07:00-16:00 Gordon’s Drinkstore The smallest bottle store with the biggest range of South African wines and spirits, beers and soft drinks. A range of local wines especially for visitors to sample and enough ice in summer for everyone. As most restaurants in Prince Albert are not licensed, please remember to buy your crisp white or mello red wine from Gordon’s for dinner. Credit cards accepted. Trading hours: Mon-Thu: 09:00 - 18:00, Fri: 09:00 - 19:00 & Sat: 09:00 - 17:00. Where
to eat in Prince Albert Café
Albert Romy
& William Mathews - Situated next to the Tourism Office. Watch the
world go by at our pavement café. Great espresso and selection of
filter coffees. Offering breakfast, light lunches, snacks and teas.
Open 09:00 to 16:30. Closed on Mondays. Open for dinner on
Wednesday, friday and Sunday evenings from 018:30. Unlicensed. No
credit card facilities. Gallery
Café Brent Phillips-White - Seven Arches, Church Street. Open for dinner. The menu varies daily but certain dishes remain constant i.e. Kudu carpacio, lamb, chicken and vegetarian cannelloni. Booking for dinner is essential. Licensed. Credit cards accepted. Karoo Kombuis Denise,
Theuns & Michael - 18 Deurdrift Street –Bistro atmosphere, traditional
Karoo meals, very special hosts Theuns, Michael & Denise are former SAA
international flight attendants. Open every night except Sundays.
Booking is essential. Unlicensed, please bring your own wine. No
credit card facilities. Vegetarian meals by arrangment. Regret
no children under 10 years. Prickly
Pear Take away meals available. Delicious pizzas,
selection of burgers, sandwiches & vetkoek. Open daily from
07:00-22:00. Credit cards accepted. The Olive Branch Seasonal
flavours of home-grown herbs, fruit and vegetables cooked Mediterranean
style. Advance Bookings only. Licensed. Regret
no credit cards. The Swartberg Arms Steak House Chris
van Zyl - 77 Church Street, next to the Swartberg Hotel.
For the best ribs and pizzas in town. Open Monday to Saturday from
17:00 to 22:00. Closed on Sundays.
Fully
licensed. Credit cards
accepted. The Victorian Room at The Swartberg Hotel Enjoy
traditional South African fare. Dinner is served in the grand
Victorian dining room whilst breakfast and lunch are enjoyed in the
air conditioned Coffee Shop or alfresco on the shaded terrace.
Delicious buffet lunch served every Sunday from 12:00. Fully licensed.
Credit cards accepted.
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General information for Tourists: ABSA ATM – Available 24 hours per day. The BP National Garage is open 24 hours per day. The village has a small airstrip – contact us for information about the condition of the runway. We have a doctor and pharmacy and a small hospital. Climate: Mediterranean, dry sunny and bracing. Winter and summer rainfall 45 – 50 mm a year, mainly in April and November/December. Summertime highs average 35 deg C. Daytime winter lows 14 - 16 deg.C.
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Home Onse Rus Meals Relax at Onse Rus Tours & Activities History of the house Prince Albert The Swartberg Pass Gamkaskloof Rates & Bookings Contact us Directions to Onse Rus VIEW OUR ON-LINE VIDEO BY CLICKING HERE!
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The
Ghost Walk 