Escape to a tranquil Karoo homestead
Bordering the 121 000 ha Swartberg Nature Reserve, near Prince Albert, 22 Degrees East is a gorgeous Karoo farm stay.
There is something irresistible about spending time with family or friends at a hidden getaway in the middle of nowhere. Country living feeds the soul and slows us all down to sanity.
When the current owners of 22 Degrees East Klein Karoo farm stumbled on a 2,200 ha (somewhere between De Rust, Klaarstroom and Meiringspoort), the land was temptingly raw and beautiful but the farmhouse derelict.
Fortunately, these were not any owners. The farm ‘lucked in’ to a couple both passionate about giving the farmstead, built in 1825, a 21st-century refurbishment, and she, Marielise van der Merwe, is an architect. They included a glass and aluminium wing, but retained its authentic framework that spoke of a time when buildings and their foundations were made to last a century. ‘We were determined to keep its soul,’ she says: so they retained the yellowwood flooring, ceilings and an Aga stove, which in homestead terms is the core of the house that remains warm day and night. This is where bread is baked to crustiness and lamb with rosemary, drizzled with olive oil, slow-bakes to perfection. There is also a modern kitchen designed to open to a generous living space.
Find inspiration in a heritage home
Miraculously, the owners have modernised the one area where South African homes miss the mark. They have double-glazed the windows, shielding the homestead from fierce Karoo summers and icy winter evenings. Your experience in any season would be temperate inside the homestead while looking out on a snow-capped Swartberg or in the shade of the verandas with the farm spread around you, merinos, springbok and oryx grazing on the sweet Karoo fynbos or drinking at the dam.
Deepening the connection to this remarkable environment, the farm managers are both Field Guide Association of Southern Africa accredited guides. Guests are welcomed on arrival and invited to tailor their stay by choosing a daily two-hour experience, whether a guided game drive, a walking exploration of the veld, or focused birdwatching.
It is a rare opportunity to learn directly from passionate custodians of the land, and an especially rewarding way to spark curiosity and wonder in children, who quickly become absorbed in tracking, spotting and understanding the natural world around them.
One of South Africa’s most famous poets, the late C. J Langenhoven, author of the former national anthem, was a regular guest in his youth and if you should sit quietly in the depth of the stoep, you might sense some of the inspiration for his verse.
You could completely disconnect at this self-catering farm accommodation. But then again, there is the world to embrace on your terms so there is Wi-Fi. (Peace in the homestead if you have teens in tow.) But try and get the family to disconnect.
It’s a fabulous stopover for travellers on their way from Gauteng to Plettenberg Bay via Oudtshoorn, only an hour’s drive away. Walks lead to spectacular outlook points and at night, nothing beats a Karoo indigo night sprayed with the Milky Way that seems to hang light years closer than anywhere else in the clear Karoo night.
If 22 Degrees East is unavailable to book, browse our other Perfect Hideaways in the Karoo.
What we love!
- Every road trip deserves a quality stop over and this deserves a few days to ‘decompress’ from city life. By the time you reach your holiday destination, you are rewired.
- The architect-owner has introduced wonderfully modern touches in furnishing, moving away from the traditional look and feel of a farm house and yet preserving its authenticity
- There are few places where antelopes are so habituated that you can sip sundowners while watching them graze metres from where you sit.
- Daily guided experiences with the farm managers, who are FGASA-accredited guides, offering game drives, walks or birdwatching. It enriches the stay immeasurably and is a beautiful way for children to connect with nature in a meaningful, hands-on way.
What you need to know…
- Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed on this working farm.
- Remember to bring mountain bikes with you for this stop over. Johannesburgers constrained by traffic and safety issues will relish the freedom of the many trails.
- There is a three bedroom, off the grid, cottage 800 metres from the farmhouse. The cottage has an outdoor boma and firepit area, as well as a small round, elevated dam style pool.
- If your route takes you near The Hell, this is an isolated valley with spectacular photographic opportunities.
Reviewed by Les Aupiais
Edited by Amanda Perkins