Qwantani Berg and Bush Resort on the Sterkfontein Dam
It’s midweek, it’s winter and you want me to go where? is the retort to Adrian Rorvik as he tries to win over a dam convert
ICAN’T smaak a dam, especially in winter,” said Tanya. “This is not just any dam,” I replied. “It’s Sterkfontein.” Believing it’s special, I kept twisting her arm – and she thanked me for it afterward.
Qwantani Berg and Bush Resort was our destination, equidistant from Durban and Joburg (about four hours).
We cruised via Oliviershoek Pass, which is less hassle than Van Reenen’s Pass and prettier. Plus it takes you right around the vast, beautiful dam.
It was midweek, mid-winter and out of season, yet there were families, couples and pooches aplenty.
That says a lot about a place. Qwantani’s 53 self-catering chalets are perched above the shimmering dam on a slope that affords each unit magnificent views.
The chalets are all threebedroom, six-sleepers with two bathrooms, a TV with selected Dstv channels, a fireplace, a private braai area and a well-equipped kitchen.
And they are serviced except on Sundays and public holidays. Resort manager Shawn Mctaggart made sure we were settled in our unit and then it was time to explore.
You choose what you want out of Qwantani. If you want to chill – especially in winter – it’s perfect. You are in a 19 000 hectare reserve and very removed from all hustle and bustle.
If you want stuff to do, choices are exhaustive and as exhausting as you might like them to be. There is a daily entertainment programme with Jann Ludik in charge of children of all ages.
There are loads of mountain bikes for hire , two squash courts, tennis courts, adventure golf, horse riding, volleyball and trampolines.
If you’re a wind or kite surfer, when the high winds blow they will take you on a joyride across the vast expanse of water, spanning about 7 000ha. In summer add any number of other water activities and, of course, fishing.
Sterkfontein Dam, the third biggest in South Africa, ranks as one of the finest yellowfish hot spots in the country, since the clear water allows excellent sight fishing.
There are also large numbers of sharptooth catfish, as well as common carp. That clear water is generally so clean that it’s safe to drink, let alone play in or on.
In the reserve you will find yellowwoods in the kloofs, springbok on the plains, black wildebeest, blesbok, mountain reedbuck and eland on hikes and walks, plus 230 recorded species of birds, including the Cape vulture and the bearded vulture.
It is green and lush in summer but in winter it is starkly beautiful, with many a cliff and cave to admire or explore.
Qwantani has conferencing and wedding facilities and the La Vita Spa is popular with brides-to-be.
Tanya enjoyed one treatment after another as she and petite, but strong spa manageress Portia Mafane bonded while I was out on a barge cruise with Jann and getting the lay of the land and waters.
It was lovely to see families enjoying the outdoor facilities – moms and dads swaddled in layers and kids typically barefoot.
The fresh air whet my appetite but no culinary urges, so we tried out the Marshall Eagle Restaurant in the main building one evening for some home-style grub – not that I would attempt such delicious lamb shanks.
The roomy bar and the lounge are alongside and this where the wi-fi is strongest, though some chalets are in range too. But why would you want it, unless, like me, you have the odd work wrinkle to iron out?
There’s a shop if you’ve forgotten anything and, thankfully, petrol and diesel as the nearest towns – Clarens and Harrismith – are almost 50km away.
Our two nights were less than I would have liked.
Packing and getting on the road again was a bind after such relaxation, though the road through the reserve was pretty.
We took an age to get around the dam and reluctantly picked up speed again.