Activities

Helen Martins’ Owl House, often cited as South Africa’s finest example of outsider art, is an extraordinary, other-worldly home of concrete and ground glass sculptures. Her creativity conjures up an array of emotions: [...]

The Kitching Fossil Exploration Centre depicts the setting in the area around Nieu Bethesda 253 million years ago during the Permian Period. The centre showcases the fossils found both in Nieu Bethesda and [...]

The area around Nieu Bethesda is good for either a leisurely ride or a challenging ride for serious mountain bikers. If you’re feeling lazy, hire a bike from the Outsiders B&B and cruise around the [...]

The area around Nieu Bethesda boasts around 280 bird species including water birds, mountain birds and several species of raptor and other birds of prey. Be on the lookout for the Blue Crane, South Africa's [...]

Gather a colourful perspective of village life. Jakob van Staden has lived in Nieu-Bethesda all his life and has extensive knowledge of the area. He offers twenty minute guided donkey cart tours during [...]

Following the tradition of Helen Martins, there are several artists who have found their muse in Nieu Bethesda and established their studios in the village. Albert Redelinghuys Albert Redelinghuys is a Gauteng escapee who settled [...]

Felters A group of six enterprising women, led by Charlotte Malgas, have started a line of decor products. Woollen fleece felt balls are dyed and decorated with beads and binding tape to make colourful and [...]

If, on your ambles around Nieu Bethesda, you feel the need for a break, drop into one of the village coffee shops for a drink and a chat. The Karoo Lamb is diagonally [...]

No street lights and cloudless skies in Nieu Bethesda allow the Milky Way to dominate the night.

There is some fine wooden carving on the old church pews and the original chandeliers are quite unique. The antiquated carbide gas generator for the gas lighting is no longer operational, but once [...]

The Sneeuberg Brewery and deli is essentially a one-man show and the beer and cheese served here are made by the owner. Even the coffee is roasted on site. The beer is free [...]

Nieu Bethesda has a working network of furrows, with water supplied daily from a spring on the plateau above the village. Residents channel water into their gardens using smaller gated funnels. Visitors can [...]

Graves date back to the late 1700's and the Anglo Boer War. A number of old graves have tombstones made from local rock slabs. The oldest is dated 1786.

Opposite the Owlhouse, a bridge crosses to the west bank of the river, where the original watermill still exists. The watermill was erected in 1860 by Mr B.J. Pienaar, on the original farm, [...]

The Nieu Bethesda story began for me around 25 years ago. As a teenager in Johannesburg, I was captivated by the plays of Athol Fugard at the Market theatre. [...]