Cedar Peak Mountain Farm

Cedar Peak is a mountaintop nature farm perched 180 kms from Cape Town at the top of Dasklip Pass, about 10km from the entrance to the Groot Winterhoek Conservancy and its Jupiter landscape of weird and wonderful sandstone formations.. The farm also borders the well-known private nature reserve Beaverlac.

The farm looks onto several mountain ranges and down into the Olifantsriver valley where you can observe the twinkling lights of Citrusdal from the stoep at night. A large portion of the farm consists of table Mountain Sandstone rock formations. Their weird and wondrous shapes makes this farm a truly special place. As the last farm on a road to nowhere you can enjoy solitude and quiet.

Accommodation is in the form of an old four-bedroom, two-bathroom farmhouse with a massive stoep. The house is best tailored to four adults and a similar number of children, as there are two bedrooms with double beds, another with two singles and a fourth with a double bunk. The house is furnished with period Cape cottage furniture, among it some beautiful antique items.

The kitchen is fully equipped, linen and towels are provided, and the lounge has a large fireplace, with wood available.

The mountain is South Africa’s largest producer of the queen protea (Protea Magnifica) with 80 hectares under commercial cultivation. Other major crops are blueberries and raspberries grown by Dreammaker Fruits for export. The ugly large area of shade net that can be seen as you descend to the farm is located on one of their farms.

The farm grows some commercially planted King proteas and Amaryllis bulbs (sold as potted flowers), while edible crops include apples, lemons and peaches. Depending on the season, lemons and flowers can be obtained by arrangement with the caretaker, Mr. Sampson. Four types of olives have been planted as a test crop.

There are Duiker, Rhebok, Klipspringer, Mongoose, Rock Hyrax ("Dassies"), Cape Fox, Caracal, Spotted Genet, Baboons, African Wild Cat, Leopard, Porcupines and Otters. The Baboons, Rhebok and Hyrax are common. The chances of spotting the other animals are not good. There are 2 tame indigenous pigs that are happy to entertain your children (see photo page). The part of the farm that is not cultivated (approximately 290 hectares) consists of pristine fynbos and contains a wide variety of species of interest to anyone with an interest in the Cape Floral Kingdom. There are also yellowwood trees and wabome in the koppies. A few hectares of aliens remain - mainly pines - and are in the process of being removed.

One thing you've got to bring is your cozzie because the farm has a large dam fed by a tributary of the Ratels River. Unlike most farm dams the water in this one is crystal-clear and it has a small sandy beach with real beach sand! It's also large enough for canoeing (canoe provided) and wind surfing. Yellowfish are soon to be introduced, which can be taken on the fly - in the meantime neighbouring Berghoff and Beaverlac offer day fishing permits.

There are a number of paths including one leading through pristine fynbos to several rock pools and waterfalls. Some of the terrain can be rough so come prepared.

Likewise, the gravel roads cutting through the area offer gnarly mountain biking and great views; you're also permitted to ride your bike to the waterfall. A diverse variety of buck and other animals is common to the area, some of which you may well spot on your intrepid wanderings. Back at the ranch, while your kids exhaust themselves on the trampoline and Fido drifts off into canine dreamworld, you can light up the braai and settle down for a night under the stars. All in all, Cedar Peak is a pretty awesome spot.