Few travellers through the relentless expanse of the Karoo take in much beyond the band of tar stretching, arrow-straight, ahead of them through the endlessness. Carefully planned pit stops segment most long-distance journeys as though to limit exposure to this realm of colossal skies fringed with arid mountain reaches. Yet the ancient land hides a treasure trove of rock art: the scorched peaks at its southern edge contain countless overhangs and caves lavishly decorated with hand prints, animals and strange creatures - half-human, half-fish.