Graaff-Reinet is one of South Africa's great Karoo towns: whitewashed houses, wide streets, church spires and dry mountains pressing close around the grid. Founded in the 18th century, it has a depth of built history that most small South African towns cannot match, but it never feels like a museum set. It is still a working town in the middle of sheep country.
The real punch comes just outside town at the Valley of Desolation, where dolerite columns rise above the plains of Camdeboo National Park. Go near sunset if you can: the Karoo opens out below you in huge, dry folds, with Graaff-Reinet sitting green in the basin.
In town, the Reinet House and Dutch Reformed Church give a clear sense of the old Cape frontier. Graaff-Reinet works as a strong overnight stop between the coast and the interior, but it rewards a full spare day.