overberg
south africa
nature retreat & fynbos reserve
- home
- a sustainable operation
- accommodation
- fynbos suites
- homestead rooms
- homestead suite
- bar & dining
- horse trails
- hiking trails
- flora & fauna
- fynbos
- fynbos & fire
- indigenous forest
- birds
- land-creatures
- overberg
- overberg towns
- overberg beaches
- whales & sharks
- baardskeerdersbos
- activities
- location
- rates
- press clippings
- guest reviews
- contact
- bookmarks
The mountain slopes of this 800 ha fynbos reserve are covered with rich and unspoilt fynbos, a vegetation type adapted to the near-desert situation of the Western Cape summers and its wet winters. The valleys and "kloofs" (canyons) that -right in front of your feet- suddenly and surprisingly cut deep into the land of farm 215, however harbour a totally different natural world. Down there, water always flows abundantly. Next to the streams, natural ponds and waterfalls, reed-beds, indigenous forest and thicket provide shelter for different species of antelope, resting place for baboons and hunting grounds for the cape clawless otter.
Farm 215 is a private and untouched place in the Southern Overberg, a region of the Western Cape that itself is only partly discovered by travellers to South Africa and visitors that enjoy hiking in South Africa. A feel of total tranquillity, solitude and distance from the daily world takes immediate effect once you start exploring the land. The sounds of nature are all that you hear and you do not come across any man-made structure.
Farm 215 has an extensive infrastructure of hiking trails and farm roads of more than 20 kilometres, which you can explore on your own or with our experienced guide, a botanical specialist, specialised in the fynbos of the Southern Overberg.
Some of the gentler hiking trails take you up to the mountain ridges allowing for stunning views of the Overberg mountains, the Agulhas plains, the estuary of Uilenkraalsmond, the vineyards surrounding Kraaiboschdam and the Atlantic ocean, guarded by the light house of Danger Point. Other hiking trails, less suitable for the fainthearted, take you down into the coolness of the kloofs where your feet get wet, navigation gets difficult and animals (unseen by you) watch you from the safety of their caves.
Due to dramatically different heights, different soil-types, shaded and damp mountain faces, dry and windy slopes and nature's generosity to the Overberg, the fynbos reserve of farm 215 boasts a multitude of different habitats and -hence- an enormous amount of different plant species. In the past, agriculture on farm 215 was restricted to a few suitable places. The largest part of this fynbos reserve has therefore always been safeguarded against the hand of man. We would like to keep it that way; only our guests and a restricted amount of permit holders have right of access to the reserve and clear rules of behaviour do apply. We do not allow guests to drive in the reserve, other than from the gate to the accommodation and back.
(Guided) hikes can take an hour up to a whole day. If you want to explore more of the botanical wonders in the close vicinity, we can arrange guided hikes in the Southern- most indigenous forest of the African continent on the other side of the valley, through the rare limestone fynbos on a nearby estate on the coastal plains or along the dunes.
Map
: a detailed map of the reserve of farm 215 of 800 hectares, showing hiking-trails, buildings, viewpoints and other features, can be downloaded from :www.themaps.co.za/download/maps/Walks/0afarm215.pdf [651 KB]
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