This Karoo photo essay explores a mountain region that seems to have passed out of national memory: the Sneeuberg Ranges. It is the newly named Great Karoo Wilderness, in which some 200 Sneeuberg landowners have signed up to form the largest Protected Environment in South Africa. The area holds a deep history of habitation and conflict, its own botanical species, and vast, folded mountain landscapes for city dwellers seeking fresh air and rediscover forgotten trails.
The Sneeuberg Ranges lie between the Eastern Cape Karoo towns of Nxuba (formerly Cradock) and Graaff-Reinet, stretching outwards as far as Nieu-Bethesda, Middelburg, Murraysburg and Pearston. This enormous arc of mountain massifs includes peaks among the highest in South Africa, like Compassberg and Nardou, many folded into the interior and only visible from certain angles. At its widest, the mountain system stretches some 200km between Nxuba and Murraysburg.
The Camdeboo National Park outside Graaff-Reinet and the Mountain Zebra National Park near Nxuba bracket the Great Karoo Wilderness, anchoring a spectacular, vast conservation landscape in the heart of the Karoo. The photo essay, published on January 16, 2026, highlights the region’s promise as a refuge for city dwellers with activities such as horseback journeys, wild fly fishing, single-track mountain paths, hiking routes and hideaway farm stays.
This High Country of the Karoo carries a deep history of habitation and conflict, its own botanical species and vast, folded mountain landscapes. Its geography resembles a crumpled piece of paper thrown on the floor, with high peaks and hidden valleys. For most South Africans, a Sneeuberg experience is a travelling treasure hidden in plain sight.
