On a River String

Farm stays Keurbooms Valley Farm stays Keurbooms Valley Today’s environmen- tally aware farmers offer visitors more than just cuddly creatures to pet. Marion Whitehead found a farm stay with a difference in the Garden Route’s Keurbooms River valley. Green pearls on a river string The Egyptian geese are more skittish than the blesbok. The vigilant parents shep- approving nod from connoisseurs of just that – you wait while owner Ingo to move between the new Garden herding five goslings along the wall the slow food movement. It’s tucked Vennemann goes to scoop your order Route National Park (Wilderness, of the trout dam below my chalet let into a bend of the Keurbooms River from the tank of eating-size brown Knysna and Tsitsikamma), Soetkraal out an urgent warning honk as I go outside De Vlugt, a sleepy village on or rainbow trout. Nature Reserve and Baviaanskloof out onto the deck to admire the Prince Alfred’s Pass which connects ‘In nature, things take time,’ says Wilderness Area. run the farm and guest accommoda- INSET TOP: Mareeán van Rooyen has fun view. Frogs pick up the chorus and Knysna with the Langkloof. Young Ingo. He and his wife, Naomi, are These farmers have diversified into tion of four timber chalets and four camping in one of the blesbok go back to mowing the trout in the hatchery thrive in spark- founder members of the Middle tourism, giving visitors a glimpse into tipis. Apart from fishing, hiking, the tipis at Outeniqua lawn under pecan trees freshly ling mountain water and practically Keurbooms Conservancy, a group ‘green’ life on the land. At Outeniqua birding and mountain biking, you Trout Lodge. INSET ABOVE: Owner decked in new green leaves. Beyond tap-dance on the surface of their pool of landowners in the area working Trout Lodge, the dirty water from the can go kloofing up the Kwaai River, Ingo Venneman them the lazy brown Keurbooms for a breakfast feeding frenzy that with nature for mutual benefit. It’s hatchery is used to generate hydro- a tributary of the Keurbooms. It’s an demonstrates how ABOVE: Horsing River is trying to work up some enthu- doesn’t include growth hormones. an ecologically interesting region as power before being filtered naturally ideal spot to lose track of time. to lure trout from a about in the pecan dam’s deep waters. orchard at Outeniqua siasm for its grand entrance into the The lucky ones are released into a number of biomes meet here: through a system of dams and reed Trout Lodge. sea at posh Plettenberg Bay some dams on the farm to lure catch-and- renosterveld, fynbos, valley bushveld beds, then returned to the river. Pastoral pleasures RIGHT: Alert bonte- bok and geese are 60 kilometres away. release fishers, while the balance are and riverine forest. It’s also a vital Ingo says they’ve been off the grid De Vlugt is the village where Thomas part of the farm’s The pace of life at Outeniqua Trout sold from the farm office, either link in the envisaged Addo to Eden for 10 years and, together with a solar Bain, the great pass builder, stayed security system. Lodge is the kind that would get an smoked or fresh. And fresh means wildlife corridor, allowing animals panel, generate enough electricity to when he was working on this daunting 72 FEBRUARY 2010 GETAWAY GETAWAY FEBRUARY 2010 73 road in the 1860s. He started on the obliges and scatters feed for them. The Knysna side, widening old elephant calves take it as a signal to nurse, creat- ‘I have everything I want,’ he declares, ‘a pretty, dark-haired wife, tracks through the forest, then moved ing a happy, pastoral scene. his camp to De Vlugt to tackle the a Land Rover, a piece of veld and my Swiss army knife’ poort, the steepest and most challeng- Pioneering route ing section of the pass to Avontuur on Katot Meyer was lying under his Land Route 62. It’s a scenic delight, with Rover one Friday afternoon when narrow mountain pools to plunge into CapeNature phoned to ask if he’d rocky terrain at five kilometres an I want,’ he declares, ‘a pretty, dark- The steep track down to the river is along the lower reaches and views all take a problem caracal on his farm. Of hour in his Land Rover Defender. haired wife, a Land Rover, a piece of freshly bulldozed and tricky. Once at the way to the sea at the top end. course he said yes. Pietersrivier Farm, The terrain pushes vehicles to their veld and my Swiss army knife.’ the bottom, we follow a hiking trail Instead I drive upstream along the back along the valley towards De limits and about 21 per cent get along a tributary. Emerging onto the edge of the Keurbooms River along a Vlugt, has achieved the highest con- stuck. On the other side of the moun- Game for anything rocky Keurbooms River bed strewn valley which gradually widens to allow servation status CapeNature accords tain, our wheels spin in a mud hole The next day, I follow the river south to with large boulders, we come upon for farmsteads and small orchards. At privately owned property. nicknamed ‘Ironman’ since one chap, Keurbooms River Game Trails where dramatic cliffs where the river has Williamsburg Mountain Reserve, the Another founder member of the who insisted he could handle anything the river carves an 11-kilometre S-bend carved its way through a geological most westerly member of the Middle conservancy, Katot is passionate about solo, bogged down there. He had to through this 4 000-hectare former fault in its bid to reach the sea. Keurbooms Conservancy, owner Nigel the environment. Chatting to him at hike out for help, leaving his wife and hunting farm. As manager Hennie A deep, dark pool broods at its Williams has created a 4x4 playground his Rondekop Bush Camp beside a child with the vehicle. Fortunately, he Homann drives me across a network of base, inviting swimmers to join the ABOVE: Katot Meyer on the river bank amid the havoc dam, I jump at the chance to drive was fit, being an Ironman champion. game-viewing roads, we stop to watch dragonflies frolicking across the water. likes to keep things natural at Rondekop De Vlugt Tea Garden created by the last flood, with axle his William Burchell oxwagon track. ‘Do you do much maintenance on fat Burchell’s zebras grazing on new There’s a silence here that speaks of a bush camp. ABOVE twisters and deep sand. He puts his He believes it’s the only part of the the road?’ I yell as we tilt at an alarm- grass shoots in a recently burnt area place of great power. ‘It’s called Visgat,’ LEFT: The restored Sitting in the shade at De Vlugt Tea Hilux bakkie through a muddy ditch original 7 200-kilometre route taken ing angle. Katot shoots me a dirty and pass a charcoal-making kiln, part says Hennie, bringing me back to earth cottages on Williams- Garden sampling Annelize van burg Mountain with 40-degree sides just for fun before by the famous naturalist – in his spe- look for suggesting altering a national of an innovative project to turn with a bump. Reserve are popular Rooyen’s milk tart and feeding we visit his bush camp further along cially adapted kakebeen ox wagon treasure. ‘I leave it as natural as pos- thickets of unwanted alien wattles into Arriving back at my chalet at Oute- with birders and crumbs to the bantam chickens the riverbank. Williamsburg is popular from 1811 to 1814 – that is open to sible,’ he replies, ‘but I do fix a bit of a value-added product. niqua Trout Lodge at dusk, I’m greeted 4x4ers. OPPOSITE cheeping hopefully beside your TOP: Hennie Homann with birders, mountain bikers and 4x4 the public. erosion here and there.’ Hennie reckons the two Kruger by a familiar honk. But there’s just of Keurbooms River table, you’ll notice all the locals enthusiasts who have access to 32 kilo- You can hike or mountain bike At the halfway mark is a pioneer orphan elephants that were relocated one Egyptian goose making a dash Game Trails at Visgat. wave and yell, ‘Hello Annelize!’ as metres of mountainous tracks, graded the 10-kilometre circular track over campsite amid a grove of tall trees in to the Knysna forest and absconded across the dam with a single gosling. OPPOSITE: The house they drive past. She’s the heart of at De Vlugt where between three and five. the mountains, or drive it if you’re a cool kloof. Refreshment is provided from there made themselves at home The rest of the family is nowhere to Thomas Bain lived this tiny settlement and her gentle humour lightens the day. We pass two renovated Cape cot- an experienced group of 4x4ers. by nature: clear mountain water on this farm, noshing large quantities be seen. Have they fallen victim to a while constructing Her one-room, brightly decorated farm stall is packed with tages and a trout dam on our way to ‘You’ve got to have a proper 4x4 to scooped from the stream. of wattle before they were recaptured marauding otter? Perhaps a sharp- the steepest section jams, jellies, pickles and preserves she makes herself. Her of Prince Alfred’s see his herd of Ngunis. As soon as they do this – low range and diff lock,’ Saying goodbye afterwards, I note five years later.

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