farm 215 | retreat accommodation in the overberg | sustainable tourism | western cape

farm 215
overberg
south africa
nature retreat & fynbos reserve

a 4-star country house on the "fynbos road" between stanford & cape agulhas - southern overberg - western cape

a sustainable operation

download the farm 215 green facts booklet [ 709 KB ]

The primary purpose of the retreat "farm 215" is the conservation of a unique piece of the Cape Floral Kingdom, it is an important local catchment area, a sanctuary of hundreds of common, rare, endangered and endemic fynbos species and a rare meeting-point of different vegetation-types. The reserve is a haven for numerous birds and animals. The guesthouse-operations have been made compatible with the surrounding nature and - ever so politely - guests are made sensitive to the importance of safeguarding the integrity of our natural heritage. Farm 215 is a pioneer in South Africa in sustainable tourism and responsible travel.

Farm 215 is the winner of the Cape Fox Award 2007 for best management of land in the Western Cape and is certified by Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa. Farm 215 has a conservation agreement with Cape Nature and is represented in the boards of the Overstrand Conservation Foundation and the Western Cape Conservation Stewardship Association.

The reserve

The 800 hectare private nature reserve of farm 215 is a rare and unique conservation area in the Cape Floral Kingdom. Common, rare, endangered and endemic fynbos-species crowd the mountain-slopes, wetlands and flats of the reserve. Ancient remnants of fire-immune Afro-montane forest hide in deep and steep "kloofs" (canyons).

Several fynbos-vegetation-types are represented in the reserve, including the endangered and ultra-endemic Elim-fynbos and vast tracts of Transitional fynbos. The reserve slopes up to a mountain catchment-area which slowly releases fresh water all year round, naturally filtered by an expanse of restios. All water in the reserve is safe to drink. The importance of the reserve is acknowledged by Cape Nature Conservation authorities who have entered into a conservation agreement with farm 215. Farm 215 will ultimately be combined with neighbouring properties into a conservancy.

Floral abundance

A full analysis of all plant-species growing in the reserve will take many years and is ongoing. Over 700 species are represented on farm 215, including 33 species of the protea family, 22 ericas, over 20 orchid species, 15 species of moraea, 11 species of gladiolus, 9 species of watsonia, over 30 so called "red-data species" (vulnerable or endangered). In 2007 a newly discovered aloe was described by Ernst van Jaarsveld of the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The Aloe juddii (or Koudeberg Aloe) has its known distribution in the reserve of farm 215 and two neighbouring properties.

Irrespective of the time of the year, there is always an impressive, often breathtaking, display of flowers and foliage. The first year after the Great Overberg Fire of 2006, geophytes (bulbs) have dominated the reserve in shameless riots of colour.

Flying, walking and crawling creatures

Fynbos is not commonly associated with the presence of a substantial number of birds and animals. However due to the different habitats (kloofs, wetlands, forest, scrub- and scree-land), animals and birds are abundant in the reserve. A large tribe of baboons regularly spends the night at the foot of a waterfall. Six different antelope-species are resident or regular visitors to the reserve. Bat-eared fox, genet, honey badger, cape clawless otter and mongoose regularly leave visible traces and we have rare evidence of leopard.

Some birds, from the small Malachite sunbird to the majestic Blue crane, are easy to spot, but patience is required to see the elusive Coogal or the rare Cape eagle owl. Lizards sneak around on the boardwalks and frogs provide continuous background-noise.

We limit the human impact on the reserve and will only compromise occasionally by re-locating a venomous snake from the terrace or a frog which has a too noisy nightly performance under the window of a guest-room.

Clearing of alien invasive vegetation

When the two farms (Koudeberg and Hartebeeskloof), now making up farm 215, were acquired 4 years ago, vast tracts of the mountainous areas were pristine and hardly infested with alien invasive vegetation. Parts of the lowlands and kloofs were however taken over by Bluegum, Port jackson, Accacia longifolia and Australian myrtle, which are detrimental to the indigenous vegetation and the water-levels. Alien clearing operations have re-conquered the lower ends of the main kloofs, Hartebeeskloof and Klipspringerkloof as well as a lowland swamp. The indigenous vegetation - as a result- has shown its remarkable rehabilitation powers.

As you drive through clean fynbos to the buildings on farm 215, you cannot imagine that - only a few years ago - this was a pine-forest. After clearing, the kloof-streams were transformed from a narrow trickle, revealing itself only in winter to a steady stream which flows even in mid-summer.

Fynbos rehabilitation

Where the seed-banks are still available in newly cleared land, we leave the rehabilitation to nature itself. In some places the soil has practically become sterile due to years of over-grazing or invasion of alien species. In these cases we do scatter appropriate local seed. In areas vulnerable to erosion we may speed the matter up by planting seedlings.

Reforestation

The Western Cape is not known for vast tracts of forest or woodland. Yet in the Overberg there are many "kloofs" (canyons) and other fire-protected spots where remnants of ancient indigenous forest (with quite a few tree-species descending from Gondwana land) thrives. Especially the lower ends of these kloofs have suffered the most of alien invasive trees. Appropriate areas cleared from alien vegetation in the reserve are re-forested with indigenous tree-species. This is a near-impossible task since tree-seedlings need the protection of surrounding forest to develop and a young forest will not be immune to fire. The first steps are however very promising and we will be walking under a 5 m high canopy of indigenous forest in twenty years that will be resistant to fynbos-fire in its own right.

Flower plantations

Only 7% of the reserve are established indigenous flower plantations which are harvested annually. Plants used are local species or sterile cultivars. Fungicides and herbicides are not used under any circumstances. Limited wild veld harvesting of selected species is undertaken on the basis of sustainable harvesting techniques as developed by ABI (Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative) and all organic material not required for the final product is cleared and left in the field.

Guesthouse operations

All guesthouse infrastructure is situated in a corridor at the foot of the reserve. The indigenous vegetation around the buildings is left untouched. A ring of flowering succulents have however been planted immediately around the buildings which function as natural fire-breaks. New buildings blend in with the surrounding landscape.

Solar-Power and - water heating

are the dominant source of energy in the new buildings with only back-up water heating for rainy winter days being provided by gas.

Only bio-degradable

detergents are used. Water is sourced from the mountain-catchment and filtered without the use of any chemicals.

Waste water

is filtered through sand-banks and routed back to the stream that originates in the same mountain-catchment where the guesthouse water is sourced.

No damaging chemicals

are used for the cleaning of the 25 m lap-pool. It is filtered by means of sand and salt only.

Waste is separated

and all glass, paper-products, plastic and cans are recycled. Biodegradable matter is recycled by the poultry. A minimum of rest-waste remains.

Local procurement.

We buy everything we need locally (a radius of 60 km around the reserve). Only if certain products cannot be sourced locally, will we look further than the radius of 60 km.

Wine is local and BWI.

Our wine list only lists local wines (from the Hemel en Aarde Valley close to Hermanus to Cape Agulhas) and most of our wines are made on vineyards which are members of the Biodiversity Wine Initiative.

Organic as far as possible.

We maximize the amount of organic produce used in our kitchen. Non sustainable food products are not part of our kitchen (such as -regrettably- most of the seafish).

Guests are part of the sustainable operation.

The income from the Guesthouse is by far the main source of funding for the reserve and for the extra costs involved with the sustainable and responsible management techniques and infrastructure. Without tourism a place like farm 215 could not function. Sustainable tourism is a double-edged sword.
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