Get active outdoors

Along with discovering the rich cultural and natural heritage of Bushmans Kloof, guest can take full advantage of the adventure activities on offer across this 7500-hectare reserve. Our experienced guides are always on hand to show you the ropes and the routes, but guests are also welcome to explore on their own.

While Cape Mountain Leopards have been recorded on the reserve, these shy predators are rarely seen, allowing guests to independently discover this pristine mountain landscape in complete safety, and at their leisure.

Tackle the trails

Whether you prefer two legs or two wheels, the tracks and trails across Bushmans Kloof offer hours of entertainment for hikers, runners and cyclists. Trails range in length and difficulty, ensuring there is an option for all fitness and experience levels. Mountain bikes are available, and maps of the well-marked trails are provided. Or, if you’d prefer some company, ask your guide to accompany you and lead the way. Backpacks filled with water and snacks can be provided on request.

Wild or mild?

• Bushmans Kloof offers a fantastic array of hiking trails. Meander through fragrant fynbos vegetation as you marvel at the sandstone outcrops sculpted by millennia of wind, sun and rain. Take your pick of these well-marked walking trails...
• Mountain Trail: An accessible walk traversing the ridge just across the Boontjies River from the lodge. At a gentle pace the trail should take no more than two hours.
• Ravine Trail: For more adventurous hikers, the Ravine Trail begins alongside the Walled Garden, and follows a circular loop through dramatic Cederberg scenery. Hikers with severe vertigo should approach the trail with caution, as the path includes some steep and exposed sections. Allow up to three hours to complete the trail.
• Crystal Pools Trail: A guide is recommended for this walk, which traverses a more remote section of the reserve. Look forward to dramatic rock formations, cascading waterfalls and the chance to swim in the waters of a pristine Cape mountain stream. To make the most of your time at the river, picnics can be arranged on request. 

Have a paddle
The tributaries of the perennial Olifants River flow through the sandstone formations of the reserve, delivering crystal-clear water to our large earthen-walled dam. Here canoes are available for guests to paddle and swim beneath the bright blue sweep of African skies.

Fly-fishing
The rivers and dams of Bushmans Kloof are home to the endemic Clanwilliam Yellowfish (Labeobarbus capensis), highly prized by fly-fishermen for putting up a vigorous fight. All fly-fishing equipment is provided, and fishing is strictly catch-and-release.

Take aim
Spend the quiet afternoon hours honing your accuracy as you put bow to string on our archery range. Our experienced guides are on hand to introduce you to the finer points of the sport. Alternatively challenge friends, family and other guests to a game of croquet on our expansive lawns.

Restaurants

Bushmans Kloof is the home of authentic Cape cuisine. As a Relais and Chateaux property, we have exceptionally high standards with regards to the quality and creativity of our cuisine. The organic garden provides the kitchens with fresh, robust produce, while indigenous fynbos adds a distinctly ‘Cape’ dimension to a fusion of innovative and traditional fare. Our passion for service and hospitality ensures every meal is a special experience.

Our award-winning wine list offers a superb variety of South African wines, French Champagnes and Cognacs. The jewel in the cellar’s crown is our superb Bouchard Finlayson selection. Guests are invited to visit the cellar to make their choice. Our accomplished Chef is adept at creating menus for a range of dining experiences, from romantic picnics, to high tea, or a traditional South African braai (barbeque).

For private dining, order a romantic dinner for two in your room, or indulge in a culinary feast on your patio. Room service may also be enjoyed on the Manor House Deck or poolside. Special dietary requests are easily catered for on request.

Restaurant Serving Times

 Breakfast 08:00 to 10:00
 Lunch 13:00 to 14:30
 Dinner 19:00 to 21:00
 
Wood and Ice Purchases

 Wood and ice can be purchased and collected from Reception. Deliveries are not possible.

The Spa | Fitness

Bushmans Kloof’s award-winning state-of-the-art spa promises a natural journey to wellness. It is a spa getaway unlike any other, with signature experiences and unique facilities such as the Crystal Steam Room and Riverside Gazebo. Though the environment here is therapy in itself, our spa is the focus of the abundant, natural healing energy of the area. A peaceful sanctuary where you can surrender to the ancient mystical powers of the African landscape, rejuvenate the senses, replenish the spirit and achieve deep inner harmony and well-being.

The recuperative properties of hydrotherapy are numerous and varied, improving circulation and digestion and lessening pain sensitivity. We make sure to utilise the Cederberg’s gift of pure, natural water. Swim in the still waters of the dam, crystalline rock pools under cascading waterfalls, or in one of the four swimming pools dotted throughout our majestic botanical gardens. Let the millions of ions in these waters invigorate and replenish.

We offer a range of outdoor activities, as well as a convenient fitness centre for you to maintain fitness levels during your stay. Yoga and meditation are effortless in these serene surroundings. Centre and ground yourself in this spectacular environment. Yoga mats are provided in all guest rooms. Soothing, pampering treatments are complemented by a choice of Elemis, Dermalogica and of course our own unique B | Africa product range. All are specially designed to rejuvenate and replenish the body, mind and soul.

Here at Bushmans Kloof, we know that a deep and ancient pulse of life connects the earth and the plants and animals that thrive here. Our spectacular location and exceptional conservation efforts ensure a nature and wildlife getaway unlike any other.

Rock Art Excursions
Guides are available to take you on walking tours or drives of our spectacular nature reserve. Explore the wilderness in all its diversity. Enjoy ever-changing landscapes and some of the Cape’s most rare species that we pride ourselves in protecting. Sundowners and picnics are ever-popular, served at scenic spots throughout the drive.

In this extraordinary environment, there is much to be seen (and heard) after sunset. You may want to explore this dark world on an after-dinner drive under a canopy of stars. Enjoy unparalleled stargazing and spot elusive, nocturnal wildlife highlights such as the Aardwolf, African Wildcat, Bat Eared Fox, Cape Fox and Porcupine.

The World of Fynbos
The Cape Floral Kingdom (of which fynbos makes up over 80%) is the smallest of all plant kingdoms and yet has the highest concentration of species in the world.

The area sees 1,300 plant species per 10,000 km². To put that into perspective, the Amazon rainforest (fynbos’ closest rival) has a concentration of only 400 species per 10,000 km².

Nature Drives & Walks
Guides are available to take you on walking tours or drives of our spectacular nature reserve. Explore the wilderness in all its diversity. Enjoy ever-changing landscapes and some of the Cape’s most rare species that we pride ourselves in protecting. Sundowners and picnics are ever-popular, served at scenic spots throughout the drive.

In this extraordinary environment, there is much to be seen (and heard) after sunset. You may want to explore this dark world on an after-dinner drive under a canopy of stars. Enjoy unparalleled stargazing and spot elusive, nocturnal wildlife highlights such as the Aardwolf, African Wildcat, Bat Eared Fox, Cape Fox and Porcupine.

Organic Garden Tours
For gardeners, gastronomes and plant lovers, take a tour of our marvellous organic gardens. Abundant fruit trees, herbs and vegetables are grown seasonally and under scrupulous sustainable farming practices.

Our kitchen gardens are augmented by our Bushman gardens of indigenous species. Learn about the culinary and medicinal uses for these rare and unique treasures.

Botanical Highlights
The natural botanical richness of Bushmans Kloof includes more than 755 indigenous plant species.

These plant species are representative of three major vegetation types namely: Fynbos, Forest and Karoo biomes.

Bird life & Bird Watching
Avid birdwatchers will find themselves in a paradise of twittering, feathered creatures. Novice birders will enjoy the easy gratification of spotting many wonderful bird species on nature drives or from the comfort of the lodge or your own patio.

A huge diversity of birdlife is thriving once more, with 150 species from the great African Fish eagle to the jewel-like Sunbird. Keen birders may even spot a Black Harrier. A number of dams have been established around the lodge, and have been successful in attracting resident waterfowl.

Wildlife on the Reserve
Bushmans Kloof is a malaria and predator free area, ensuring guests are safe to experience our wildlife and herds. Only the rare and secretive Cape Leopard roams the most remote of our mountains.

Bushmans Kloof today protects one of the largest private herds of Cape Mountain Zebra in the world, an animal saved from the brink of extinction. The Cape Mountain Zebra is identified by its bold black and white stripes, as opposed to its savannah-dwelling cousin, the Burchell's Zebra, which has brown 'shadow' stripes, and a creamy undercoat.

The wildlife reintroduction programme has also seen the return of the magnificent Bontebok, Red Hartebeest, Grey Rhebok and the Ostrich.

Smaller creatures such as the Bat-Eared Fox, African Wildcat, Cape Fox, Caracal (African Lynx), Cape Clawless Otter, Baboon, Rock Hyrax (Dassie), Klipspringer, Aardwolf and Aardvark also roam the plains and rocky outcrops of the reserve.

Anatolian Dogs
The TreadRight Foundation, a joint initiative between The Travel Corporation’s (TTC) family of brands, has partnered with leading active conservation organisations Cheetah Outreach and The Cape Leopard Trust to ensure local communities can protect themselves and their livestock from top predators responsibly and sustainably, while also helping protect one of Africa’s most endangered wild animals. Three Anatolian Shepherd dogs have been bought as livestock guardian dogs (LGDs), known for impressive speed and agility, loyal instincts and sandy colouring that blends seamlessly with the herds that the dogs protect. Guests can visit them on a nearby farm, with the opportunity to observe the dogs and meet the farmers raising and keeping them.

Landscape & Climate
Bushmans Kloof is a refuge of luxury within the untamed wilderness of the Cederberg Mountains, a range in the Western Cape with an area of about 100km2. The sparsely populated region is well known in South Africa for its spectacular natural features, Bushman rock art and jaw-dropping displays of colour in the flower season. The dominant characteristic of the geography is unusual sandstone formations and turrets. These contain bands of shale, rich in fossils, dating back to the Ordovician Period, over 450 million years ago.

Earth power and the therapeutic properties of fynbos flora are central to the Bushmans Kloof approach to healing and rejuvenation.

History of an Ancient Landscape
The Cederberg Mountains are over 500 million years old; they were already here when life first appeared on our earth. Once, water covered these plains. Petrified ripples of an ancient seabed remain shaped into the terrain. Now quartz and feldspar make up the sandstone of the Bushmans Kloof landscape.

Aeons passed, waters receded, and for millennia the red sandstone was eroded by winds and rain. Natural forces eroded the rock to create fantastical shapes and skyward pointing spires, like the fingers of long-dead giants.

Finally, the herbaceous fynbos of the Cape Floral Kingdom burst forth and flourished. Eponymous to the Cederberg Mountains, primeval African Cedars proliferated. Abundant herds and wildlife of all descriptions shared the land with an ancient people, the Bushman. They left us a legacy of mystical rock art depicting their dreamscapes, and the abundance of life surrounding them.

Sadly, the plentiful herds gave way to farms and agriculture, and the Bushman population dwindled to extinction. Yet, in homage to the beauty and enduring spirit this land has imparted to its inhabitants, Bushmans Kloof has a deep commitment to give back. We’re passionate about the protection and re-introduction of indigenous species, and our rigorous conservation practices have ensured our place as a South African Natural Heritage Site within the Cape Floral kingdom.

Climate
Summer days at Bushmans Kloof are very warm. Long, temperate evenings and early dawns make for wonderful relaxation and bird watching. Summer is very dry for the most part, but occasionally we’ll experience a spectacular afternoon thundershower.

Winter can be chilly, reaching very low temperatures at night; perfect for cosy, fireside evenings. The annual rainfall of low-lying areas in winter is 700mm, while higher peaks receive a dusting of snow.

Due to crystal-clear skies most of the year, Bushmans Kloof makes an excellent site for skywatching.

We have a range of transport options for getting you to Bushmans Kloof in the Western Cape with ease. The sweeping wheat-fields and aromatic citrus groves make for a gorgeous drive from Cape Town. We can also accommodate air transfers at our airstrip, affectionately known as Bushmans Kloof International.

Road Transfer
Allow between two and a half to three hours’ scenic drive from Cape Town (270km) via the Pakhuis Pass (40km). Please note our gates close at 17:00

Guided Transfer Rates
Cape Town to Bushmans Kloof in a Mini Bus (7 seats):

Return - R 9 100 per vehicle
Oneway - R 4 550 per vehicle
(4 hour drive)

Chauffer Drive Transfers
Cape Town to Bushmans Kloof in a Mercedes VITO (maximum capacity, seven guests):

2020 prices:

One way - R 4 750 per vehicle
Return - R 9 500 per vehicle
(3 hour drive)

Self Drive - Car Hire
Should you wish to hire a vehicle and self drive to Bushmans Kloof, please click here for our preferred car hire company.

Air Transfers
Air transfers are available from Cape Town.

Private airstrip: 1200m gravel service - complimentary 20 minute transfer to the lodge.
Approximately 60 minutes' flying time from Cape Town International Airport.
Distance 117.6 NM, Co-Ordinates S: 32º 02' 00" / E: 19º 02' 32"
Flights quotes available on request, please contact us.

With 7500-hectares of pristine mountain wilderness waiting to be discovered, guests at Bushmans Kloof are spoilt for choice when it comes to filling their days. Enjoy a guided hiking trail with our expert rangers, or let the scenery roll past on an idyllic evening nature drive. The gravel tracks of the reserve are perfect for mountain biking, while the pristine mountain pools will tempt for a swim on hot summer days. Keen anglers can cast a fly for wily Clanwilliam Yellowfish, or simply enjoy a sedate paddle on the placid waters of the dam. Whether you like it wild or mild, Bushmans Kloof offers an unforgettable wilderness adventure.

Rock Art & Hertage

Tribes of the nomadic San people lived amid the sandstone outcrops of the Cederberg since time forgotten, daubing their culture, history and shamanic visions on rocky overhangs in paint of ochre, sap and blood. Today these ancient artworks, some dating back more than 10,000 years, are the highlight of any visit to Bushmans Kloof.  

Outdoor adventure

Two wheels, two legs or with a paddle in hand. There are so many energising ways to explore the reserve.

Feed your soul

Tap into the healing energy of this unique wilderness with an array of wellness activities.

Go wild

Discover the incredible ecological diversity of the 7500-hectare reserve on daily nature drives and guided walks.

Explore further

From wine routes to coastal villages, venture off the beaten track to discover the subtle charms of the region.

Wilderness wellness

Take advantage of our award-winning spa facility, where a serene world of meditation, wellness and rejuvenation awaits.

Memories to last a lifetime
Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat is the perfect choice for a destination wedding in South Africa. Combining five-star luxury lodge accommodation with a remarkable setting in the Cederberg Mountains north of Cape Town, Bushmans Kloof is able to cater for everything from intimate ceremonies with just the bridal couple, to glamorous gatherings hosting up to 48 friends, family and loved ones.

Our experienced wedding planners and hospitality team are available to guide couples through the entire wedding planning process, from menus to marriage licences, ensuring each and every detail is taken care of before your big day.

A wedding unique to you
Bushmans Kloof offers a captivating choice of locations for both the wedding ceremony and reception, with unforgettable venues to suit your inimitable sense of style. For intimate celebrations the candlelit romance of Kadoro, an historic cottage situated in a remote corner of the reserve, is ideal. Embers offers an extraordinary al fresco experience for larger groups, while Makana and The Homestead are elegant options for more formal celebrations.

However you choose to mark this milestone in your life’s journey, our talented chefs and welcoming team will make this a momentous occasion, with fine cuisine and gracious hospitality.

Destination weddings
Conveniently located just three hours’ drive from Cape Town, Bushmans Kloof offers the perfect destination for a wilderness wedding in South Africa. A member of Relais & Chateaux, the luxury lodge rests effortlessly in the untamed landscape of the Cederberg mountains, offering both African adventure and world-class comforts.

To help you plan your nuptials in this remarkable location, our dedicated wedding co-ordinator and hospitality team are available to guide you through curating every detail of a truly memorable wedding day.