Bobbejaanskloof Private Nature Reserve in South Africa lies on a plateau at the foothills of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, on a working Nguni cattle farm, 18km from Plettenberg Bay. From the stoep (veranda) of the main house, there’s a wonderful view overlooking grassland, fynbos (small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation) and forests of yellowwoods, milkwoods, ironwoods, white pear, stinkwood and Scotia pines, out toward Formosa Peak and of course, the mountains.
The complex, which accommodates up to 14 guests, consists of a Karoo-style farmhouse and a separate cottage on a 150-hectare private nature reserve, nestled in a deep U-shaped kloof (a steep-sided, wooded ravine or valley) where extensive conservation efforts over the past 20 years have seen the restoration of indigenous flora and the return of animals such as bushbuck, porcupine, tortoises, storks, jackal buzzards, herons, ducks and baboons.
Here, we’re showing you the five-bedroom tin-roofed Farm House, with its washed bone walls and shuttered sash windows in a contrasting mahogany, its rustic ceiling beams running along latte ceilings where brass lamps hang and polished elephant-grey cement floors are strewn with seagrass rugs. Amongst this muted colour palette, there are cosy fireplaces, deep linen sofas and four-poster beds, wicker baskets and wooden bowls, raffia shades and rattan dining chairs—everything, an ode to nature in patterns and textures.
Outside, myriad bird species flock around the dams, fields and forests, and tiny bats can be found asleep in the eaves during the day. There are glimpses of giraffes, zebras, elands, springboks, wildebeests, and sometimes even elephants can be seen wandering along the gamefence of the Plett Game Reserve next door. Guests are encouraged to help themselves to produce from the vegetable garden, cellphone service is spotty, and at night, the sky is ablaze with stars.
