Things to do in Somerset East

• Somerset East

Somerset East is a quaint and serene Karoo Heartland town located at the foot of the Boschberg Mountains.  Famous for the natural beauty and historic buildings, Somerset East was founded by Lord Charles Somerset in 1825.

The forested, mountainous backdrop creates a dramatic setting for the town (which is within sight of no less than 16 waterfalls). This is where you'll find the thickly wooded Boschberg Nature Reserve, with its popular hiking trails - including a 15 km circular route to an overnight hut at the summit of the mountain. As the Route's name suggest, Somerset East is an excellent bird-watching destination - other outdoor adventures include trout fishing on five local dams, as well as rainbow and brown trout fishing in the Glen Avon Waterfall pools, malaria free safari and hunting operations. The highly rated 9-hole golf course is said to be one of the most beautiful in the country.

Things to do in and around Somerset East

1. Wild Fly Fishing in the Karoo - Fly fish in the arid Karoo, somewhere you probably least expect it

2. Complete the Karoo's "Hobson's Choice" catching a Trout, Yellowfish and Bass over 30 cm on fly in one day

3. Horse riding in the Boschberg indigenous forest, one of the country's few Municipal Nature Reserves

4. Hike to the 90 meter high Glen Avon waterfall, a National Heritage Site

5. Come and "invent yourself" at the Walter Battiss Art Museum - one of South Africa's top abstract artists

6. Visit the Somerset East Museum which includes the Slagtersnek Rebellion Exhibition

7. Historical Farmstays on farms like Glen Avon Farm

8. Whiskey tasting in a century old church at Angler and Antelope Guesthouse

9. Visit the historic water mill on Glen Avon Farm

10. Bird watching - Somerset East has 329 birds listed umongst them the elusive Striped Flufftail

11. Look for Unicorns in the Boschberg - 18th Century explorers believed there to be unicorns in the Boschberg Mountain.  This fact has never been proved otherwise.