Where the Karoo meets the Marshes

Share the stories of the past from the first Europeans moving onto the Seekoei river as farmers in 1730. Visit and see some Boer war history, see the rock engravings of the early San people. Hear the dreams and hope of restoration after our devastating past. Have sundowners with the only hippos in the northern cape and hear when, why and how they were extinct in the Northen Cape for 230 years. Learn about our three nonprofit organizations and their goals and visions for a better future. Learn how we use bees to feed street kids and clean up towns. Taste our honey. Experience our unique tourism products like the night drives seeking the Shy 5 (Aardvark, Aardwolf, Bat Eared Fox, Porcupine and Black Footed Cat) and our birding drives with 42 endemic Karoo bird species. Help as a citizen scientist, by collecting pictures and data from our Camera Traps and record the sightings on the Shy 5 night drives.

Day 1: 

15h00 to 16h00 – Arrive and settle in.

16h00 – Drive with our game viewer to see the hippos. Hear the story of the reintroduction of these hippos back to the Karoo after 200 years extinction. (feed the hippos) Enjoy sundowners on the jetty and your first course of your three-course meal. On this trip we also set trail cameras and weather station.

19h00 – Dinner at the lodge – enjoy our 400 bottle underground wine cellar.

20h00 – Meet the Shy 5, go on a shy 5 night drive and record everything we see as well as the weather

Day 2: 

07h00 – Meet for coffee and rusks in the dining room. Leave on an early morning birding drive for water birds. Collecting Trail Cam data as we go. Also look out for better and new Trail Cam set up spots.

10h30 – Breakfast at the lodge.

11h30 – Capture the trail cam and weather station data. Free time to relax or wander our trails 15h00 - Afternoon Birding Drive for plain birds. Set Trail Cams as we go. Stop on top of a koppie (hill) for sundowners.

19h00 – dinner at the lodge. 20h30 – Shy 5night drive.

Day 3: 

07h00 – meet for coffee and rusks and enjoy a walk to the pasture field. Learn and understand more of the farming enterprise, what and why we produce and what we believe is the future for conservation and sustainable farming. We also walk past one of our 10 Honey production stations. Hear the story of how we use bees to feed street kids lift them out of poverty and clean the streets of Hanover.

10h30 - Breakfast Free time. (optional: repair fences, clove the holes that wart hog and aardvark make)

15h00 – leave for 10km drive and 1 hour walk so see the Khoi engravings, listen to the stories of the devastating past and plans to shape a better future. Enjoy sundowners before we return after dark with the spotlight.

20h00 - dinner at the lodge.

Day 4:

07h30 - Enjoy breakfast Carry on with your journey. Or repeat the program.