There are still a few special places where you can slow down and reconnect with nature while keeping modern conveniences close at hand. Sometimes, just a hop off the beaten track, there’s a place where the pace of life is gentler, more authentic, and deeply beautiful.
At Mountain River House, as you laze on the verandah, you might catch a glimpse of a kudu passing by, or hear the lilting call of a fish eagle. Yet Calitzdorp is only 8km away, George Airport is just over an hour’s drive, and the internet speed here is impressively fast. So although you are surrounded by nature, that faster-paced world is close at hand when needed.
Mountain River House is aptly named and is built on the banks of the winding Gamka River within the Gamka Private Eco Reserve. The house rests at the base of a rugged, spekboom-covered hill and appears to float on a rock ledge. It has been thoughtfully designed to optimise views of the dramatically beautiful surroundings. You are right on the water’s edge, looking out over lawns to the river and the Swartberg mountains beyond, which provide an ever-changing natural theatre.
Bathed in light, the interior is open plan and unfettered, with a fireplace and feature walls in raw brick. Outside, rugged rock walls echo the natural surroundings and add texture to the sweeping deck and outdoor shower. A fishpond and succulent gardens complete the picture.
The deep, shaded verandah, with ceiling fans, is the place to be in summer. Throw open the double stack doors, laze on the couches, watch for otters in the river, read, nap, or prepare fire-cooked meals at leisure. That’s if you’re not fishing in the river, where you have over 40 metres of private, grassed river frontage, including your own jetty.
Or you could hike, mountain bike, or hunt for marine fossils which dot the area. Rocks here date back some 750 million years, lending this green corner of the Klein Karoo a palpable sense of antiquity, even the pool is fashioned from ancient rock. In winter, take a deep soak in the bath and gaze directly onto the magnificent stone wall outside.
Sunsets and star gazing
Mountain River House is beautifully compact yet offers a feeling of true spaciousness. You are in an area rich with wildlife, from eland, red hartebeest, and kudu to klipspringer, duiker, caracal, jackal, bush pig, porcupine, and occasionally even Cape leopard. Birdlife is plentiful throughout the valley.
And if you can bear to leave your country idyll, do explore the Klein Karoo’s award-winning ports and wines from noteworthy estates just down the road. Though you may find you prefer to save this for the journey home, as once you and yours settle into this retreat, it can be hard to leave.
Edited by Colleen Ogilvie