A wonderful long weekend of walking in the Karoo around Nieu Bethesda and wine tasting at the annual Stoep Tasting Festival in the streets of the village.

The 3 hikes we did provided exquisite Karoo views and the wide open spaces that we do not have in the city.

Anthony’s gentle and patient guiding allows everyone to enjoy the experience.

Well worth booking for.

Suzanne Poorter – JHB.

Having done several walks with Wide Open Spaces we had no hestitation in signing up for the Forest2 Coast Meander. Lovely accomodation, superb food, magical walks in the forest (with time to take photos en route) and great company were a recipe for relaxation while exploring Nature’s beauty. We loved it!

Anonymous (April 2024)

We have just been on the Stoep Tasting and Hiking adventure in Nieu Bethesda. We stayed on an operational sheep farm which has been on the family for generations. Each day we went on a lovely hike, each one different to the other in the stunning Karoo countryside. The first night we had sundowners in the middle of the veld where we saw the most magnificent sunset I have ever seen in my life. The Canyon hike was memorable with the black eagles (Verreaux’s) soaring effortlessly above us with the backdrop of the orange, craggy cliffs. We then had the afternoon to taste delicious and high-quality wines and had enormous fun and banter. The whole weekend was catered for by Judy and Howard Sheard from Weltevreden Farm. It was delicious home-comfort food that we ate ravenously after all the hiking. Ant and his colleague, Colleen, were expert guides/organizers attending to our every need and the weekend worked like clockwork. We met lovely people, made friends and felt we would love to sign up for another similar weekend in the not too distant future.

Margot Edwards Glynn – May 2024

The entire experience from booking to our transfer back to George was easy. Anthony kept us updated from step one on the weather in Herold, to what is recommended to bring on our journey.

Our trip started at the Outeniqua Railway Museum to catch the Powervan up the Outeniqua Mountains. Our group got off at the top and then leisurely walked up the Montagu Pass, in the Outeniqua mountains and then via Bushmen Paintings to Herold Wine Estate.

The terrain was moderate, with beautiful flora and breathtaking scenery. We had a break at the top before heading down to Herold Wine Estate.

Anthony is an exception guide who knows the history and area very well and explained the different flora and fauna. He ensured that the pace was comfortable and that we took time to take in the beauty of our surroundings.

Anthony gave us the option to walk an additional one kilometre to view bushmans paintings. This was worth the time.

We ended our walk with lunch a wine at Herold Wine and then were collected with a shuttle to take us back down to George.

I would definitely recommend Wide Open Spaces and will be booking my next walk/adventure in the very near future.

Anthony is a knowledgeable tour guide, who has an affinity with the environment, and is familiar with the terrain.

He is able to keep a hiking group together, by ensuring that laggards, are not left behind, and that the hikers in front stick with the group.

He is able to guide and warn us when faced with danger, such as a disguised hole, a fallen tree trunk, or insects that are not innocuous. I am comfortable and feel safe with his guidance.

As a keen hiker, I am interested in the environment, especially plants, and Anthony is able to disseminate his knowledge of plants, and also how plants fit into the cycle of nature.

Ian – Randburg, Johannesburg

What a wonderful walk through the Outeniqua Mountains above George.
The pace was perfect, allowing time to stop and take photos of the wonderful Protea and fynbos surroundings. Our guide, Anthony was gently encouraging and made the uphills easy to achieve. He also had a good knowledge of the flora, fauna and history of the area.

I felt energised and relaxed by the experience, and the cosy meal and wine at Herold Wine Farm rounded the day off perfectly.

Trailblazer

The experience is one I can suggest as a must do. Ant is such a great host and the walks diverse and simply arrived and left two different people. I highly highly recommend it.

Caroline K – Johannesburg

Ant hosts a beautiful 3 day walk through the verdant forests of Harkerville and Kranskop. We were treated to sightings of a myriad of flowers, trees and all the pretty botanical life in the forest biome. We saw evidence of boar and Knysna bushbuck. The trees were alive with birdsong (and an occasional glimpse of the songsters). At the end of each day the meals were delicious and beautifully presented, and the beds comfortable. A repeatable experience. I’m totally in love with these forests!

Janet – Randburg

Anthony is an incredible guide. He has curated a magnificent hike through scenic mountains. His historical knowledge and expertise on the diverse flora was educational and added to the immersive experience of this fairly challenging hike if you are not prepared. The Herold Winery at the end was the perfect topper to the beauty of the mountains as the food and wine experience was wonderful. The Herold Wine Tour is not to be missed if you are in the George area.

Gil – Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Myself, my husband and two friends joined Anthony from Wide Open Spaces on his guided walking / hiking trail to Herold Wines in November 2023.

The first part of the tour was enjoying the Outeniqua Power Van from the George Transport Museum. This was a 1-hour trip on the old railway line into the Outeniqua Mountains. The views were spectacular and the commentary was both interesting and informative.

We then disembarked and hiked 9kms through the Outeniqua Mountains to Herolds Wine. The trail was relatively easy (with the exception of one steep down, cross the river and then up again), the scenery was breathtaking and the company, exceptional.

We then indulged in a delicious lunch and a cool refreshing drink (or two) at Herolds Wines, before our transport arrived to drive us back to George.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the entire day and I would recommend it to anyone!

Michelle Lutener (Sedgefield – November 2023)

Thank you for a most enjoyable Outeniqua Walking Experience, the friendliness and excellent hosting. You went the extra mile even with the inclement weather experienced. It was such an enjoyable time

Gail Slater (Port Elizabeth – May 2023)

I really enjoyed the Outeniqua Walking Experience and hope to do another walking experience with Wide Open Spaces soon. Thank you Anthony

Beatrice Simpson – (Port Elizabeth – May 2023).

I had the pleasure of doing a half-day hike at the Ubuntu Wildlife Sanctuary with Anthony from Wide Open Spaces. The landscape welcomed us with it’s beautiful flora and fauna, explained by Anthony. It was a hot day, so we paused at times in the shade with two highlighted breaks, one in a cave and the other at a spring. The cave was extraordinary for its paintings, and there was a nest of a honey badger, which was a first for me being from Europe. Later we rested and had a little snack by the spring pool, watching frogs, birds and red dragon flies. Such a soothing beautiful natural environment! Such a fun and interesting learning experience, as Anthony was very knowledgeable about the environment. The final highlight was towards the end of the walk when we got to see the majestic predators, lions and tigers, of the sanctuary. All in all a wonderful, perfect, unique experience and day for me! Thank you Anthony, Ian and the Ubuntu team. I can recommend Wide Open Spaces at any time!

Anke Zeller (Germany March 2023)

The Karoo Walking Experience is a unique experience in the most magnificent part of the Karoo. Anthony gives a special personalisation to it and makes every day interesting.

Annette Hieber (Johannesburg – August 2022)

Thank you Anthony for curating a truly beautiful Karoo walk for us. It was SO much fun, but also served to “ground us”. Wide Open Spaces describes not only the majestic mountains, fragrant and medicinal Karoo plants but also the other species that opened up new spaces in us, for rest and restoration.

Janet Peace (Johannesburg – August 2022)

Thank you Anthony. The Stone Folk Karoo Walking Experience was fantastic in every respect – it exceeded my expectations.

Keith Trowbridge (Johannesburg – August 2022)

The Outeniqua Walking Experience was indeed a great experience. The food was great, the trails were fantastic and the organisation was wonderful. I will definitely recommend WO Spaces to family and friends and looking forward to doing another walking experience with WO Spaces.

Gareth Griffiths (Cape Town – April 2022).

I found the Outeniqua Walking Experience a most enjoyable experience. It was well organised, the attention to detail was exemplary and the food was delightful.

Duncan Mackintosh (Cape Town – April 2022)

If your idea of a hiking holiday is missioning up mountains on meagre rations and resting your weary limbs on a bunk bed, then the Karoo walking experience run by Wide Open Spaces is not for you. But if you are looking for that special combination of time outdoors, some cultural experiences and good food, then this is the trip for you. The promotional material is spot on, this is an opportunity to experience the Karoo, not try to conquer it, although you may leave a little piece of your heart behind. Friends thought we were crazy to go walking in the Karoo in the middle of summer (9 – 14 Feb) As luck would have it, the Karoo had never looked greener. Yes it was hot, but a cool swimming pool, and cold beverages await at the end of a walk. Guide and host Anthony is both discerning and accommodating, and will amend walks according to weather conditions and walkers’ fitness levels. We did all the activities listed, but if you didn’t feel like a museum or book shop visit in Nieu Bethesda you could visit a local establishment and chat to the locals instead. If I had to choose the best experience, it would be the sunset bush braai, where a table is laid in the middle of the veld, and you feast on lamb, braai broodjies and the most sublime melktert I have ever tasted. (Yes there is salad as well, and snacks). Stars and silence complete the picture. Give the Karoo a chance. You won’t regret it!

Helen Nevin (Cape Town – February 2022)

An absolutely fabulous walking and cultural experience in the Karoo near Nieu Bethesda. Check out Wide Open Spaces for more information. Anthony offers excellent service and superb organisation . Great walking, great accommodation and really good food!!!

Rossana Giammartini (Cape Town – February 2022)

I have been walking with Anthony for more than a year now. It started being a little more serious when a group of us did a fairly rigorous 4-day hike and he advised us that we needed to train. Thank goodness for the training sessions, which were in fact lovely Saturday and Sunday morning walks around suburban Johannesburg with coffee or breakfast and great company. We continued our weekend walks after the 4-day hike with great results in terms of laughter and fitness. My very sore lower back is a thing of the past and I look forward to lots of interesting adventures with the intrepid leader.

Carol Alexander (Johannesburg – October 2021).