Farm 215 - Nature Retreat & Fynbos Reserve

Farm 215 - Nature Retreat & Fynbos Reserve is one of the pioneers in sustainable hospitality in South Africa.

The guesthouse infrastructure has been designed to be compatible with the surrounding nature while working toward the conservation of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Guesthouse operations are done in accordance with strict “green” guidelines that include the use of solar energy, water recycling, the use of biodegradable products and land and fire management, and rehabilitation.

All meals at Farm 215 - Nature Retreat & Fynbos Reserve are catered for and included in your stay.

The private restaurant has folding doors which open over the whole length of the building to the wooden terrace in front. The dining area has panoramic views over the lake of Kraaiboschdam, surrounding vineyards and Overberg mountains that keep rolling on as far as your eyes can see. There is an indoor fireplace to keep you cosy.

Between meals, you can help yourself to whatever you want to drink and there is coffee and a wide selection of speciality tea available. If you wish, you can take lunch with you in a picnic basket on your day-trip.

The menu is tailored according to season and showcases delicious meals that include breakfast, lunch and dinner. Produce is sourced locally and is organic wherever possible. Practically all the vegetables, herbs, eggs and some fruit have come from Farm 2015 and meat is sourced from a neighbouring cattle and sheep farm.

Farm 215 is in the centre of the Cape Agulhas wine-region that lays between Gansbaai and Cape Agulhas and all the wines on the wine list include all the main grape cultivars that come from four local estates.

• Whale Watching
• Shark Cage Diving
• Beach Excursions
• Horse Riding
• Hiking

• MTB
• Bird Watching
• Forest Walks
• Wine Tasting
• Art Route Tours

Farm 215 - Nature Retreat & Fynbos Reserve can be found at the foot of Fynbos covered mountains in the middle of a pristine 800-hectare, private nature reserve with undisturbed views over the Agulhas Plains towards the ocean. The reserve is a Protected Area and a sanctuary for hundreds of rare, endemic and common fynbos plants of the Cape Floral Kingdom.

The mountain slopes of the reserve are covered with Overberg Mountain Fynbos, a vegetation type adapted to the near-desert situation of the Western Cape summers and its wet winters. The valleys and “kloofs” (canyons) that -right in front of your feet- suddenly and surprisingly cut deep into the land of farm 215, however, harbour a totally different natural world. Down there, water always flows abundantly. Next, to the streams, natural ponds and waterfalls, reed-beds, indigenous forest and thicket provide shelter for different species of antelope, resting place for baboons and hunting grounds for the cape clawless otter. Farm 215 has an extensive infrastructure of hiking trails and farm roads of more than 20 kilometres.

The water that comes out of the tap is sourced from high-up in the reserve and has the typical yellow-golden colour of the water from fynbos catchments, caused by tannins. The water source is in a pristine natural area and the water is not affected by any non-natural bodies. It is safe to drink and tastes fresh and delicious but there is always bottled (white) water in the room for those with a fear for natural water.

Farm 215 has been set up and is managed as a sustainable operation and is a Protected Area (PA) under the National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act.

• Cape Nature
• Walkerbay Fynbos Conservancy
• African Horse Company

• Trees for Tourism (South African Reforestation Trust)
• Fauna and Flora International