IN OTHER WORDS

Dirkie & Rosie Visser, Buffelshoek Dirosie Lodge Dirkie: “There’s just something about the mountains – they make you feel small. We laid out our lodge so that guests can enjoy the view of the mountains. We want to share this beauty with them.” Reneé & Ben Schoeman, Blomfontein Reneé: “I love seeing our guests enjoying themselves over a wedding weekend. But when they leave, I enjoy the silence too. Many mornings I’ll just go stand on the stoep with a cup of coffee and soak up the silence.” Katrina & Anton Nel, Witmos Oxwagon Camp Katrina: “Ever since I was 14 years old, I wanted to marry a farmer. That way, I thought I’d always have fresh cream! Just the other day I opened the curtains, looked at the mountains and thought: How wonderful it is to live here with my husband. This is what I love about living on a farm.” Anton: “The big thing is the space. We are privileged to be here. When I get stressed out by business matters, I just take a stroll up the road for half an hour. The peacefulness you walk into is tangible; it’s real.”

Cindy de Wet, Mount Marlow “The farm has been in our family since the 1820s, which is quite a legacy. It’s a privilege to live here. I enjoy being surrounded by the mountains, which makes the farm feel like a haven. We love the veld, and having access to it. To be able to witness the miraculous recovery of the veld after a crippling drought is so inspiring. We don’t have the daily stress of traffic, noise and deadlines. Also, living out here, there aren’t as many distractions as there are in the city. We always have time for each other.”

Japs & Nicola Jordaan (and little Zeiss), Iceberg Lodge “We love raising Zeiss with the freedom of so much space. He can play outside without worries. We have fresh air and unspoilt nature and we rejoice in real things, like the joy of seeing a newborn lamb.”