A leisurely drive to the Waterval Country Lodge in the Waterval Forestry Plantation (aprox 2 hours where John and Jenny Ingram are there to welcome you. En suite bedrooms with a verandah. Take a dip in the spring fed pool on a hot day, or laze with a good book in their delightful shady garden. There is also outside living, in luxury tented ensuite accommodation, king size beds, electricity, hot / cold showers, loos. Superb country cooking.
Tulbagh, ten minutes away has the third oldest church in SA now a Museum, well worth a visit. Wine tasting in the Drostdy Wine Celler, riding, tours in the mountains and picnic lunch and a swim in the waterfall pool. |
Bushmans KloofBushmans Kloof is the ultimate escape and the brain child of Bill McAdam a Capetown businessman. He came to this area to pursue a dream to find a hideaway for himself and his family and has ended up with the most delicious, delightful, delectable, different
Game Park I have ever seen. Luxury personified - ten thatched double lodges, bathrooms ensuite, plus a homeymoon lodge, all superbly positioned and elegantly appointed. Sitting room, library, bar, small shop, sauna, natural rock swimming pool. Gourmet meals in the air conditioned dining room or outside round the camp-fire. Game drives, guided rock Art tours (Bushmans paintings on the rocks in the reserve), river walks, mountain bikes ( I biked, walked and talked to the animals in the park and they talked to me!), swim in the crystal clear rock pools. Sip your sundowners in a crimson sunset. Visit Cactus Canyon with 20,000 plants making this one of the largest collections in the world. Since 1992 Bushmans Kloof rebirth programme has brought in many species of wildlife back to the land their forebears once roamed in great numbers. Eland, Sprinkbok, Bontebok, Red Hartebeest, Black Wildebeest, Grey Rhebok, Burchell's, Zebra and Ostrich. In the flower season this whole valley is a carpet of colour. |
Lambert's Bay
An hour from Bushmans is Strassberger's Hotel, in the main street of Clanwilliam. The same family have run this small country hotel for over 50 years. A/C rooms with private bathrooms / showers. A cordon bleau chef and a wide variety of wines from the Olifants River Valley wine cellars. Swimming, sauna, squash, bowling and golf. Waterskiing, boating on the dam and fishing for black bass. Hiking trails and climbs in the Cederberg range. An excellent base for the flower season from July - September. A day trip, or stop over in Lambert's Bay, just 40 mins drive away. You can take a boat ride to see the seals, penguin's, Heavy side's dolphins, cormorants, sea petrel, albatross and terns, there are over 43 types of bird life in this area.
Not to be missed - the totally amazing gannet colony, with over 22,000 birds during the nesting, packed together in one small rocky area. A little smelly! Watch the pumping of diamonds out of the harbour, or take an all day fishing trip for Snouk and Hottentot.
P.M. a gentle walk in the desert, you might catch a glimpse of a bat fox. Sundowners and supper round a blazing log fire under a galaxy of stars. |
Last day. After a leisurely breakfast drive to the airport via Bains Kloof Pass.
A 18 km pass of unbelievable unspoilt beauty is your final reminder of how fortunate South Africans are to live in a country which is not only beautiful, with an exciting atmosphere of unspoilt wilderness, but which are happy to share with us.
A 18 km pass of unbelievable unspoilt beauty is your final reminder of how fortunate South Africans are to live in a country which is not only beautiful, with an exciting atmosphere of unspoilt wilderness, but which are happy to share with us.