We offer comfortable accommodation in our attractive lodges with all modern conveniences. Guests have a choice of three comfortable lodges, each with their own special character and charm. Guests are treated to wholesome country cuisine, including delicious farm breakfasts, freshly baked bread and mouth watering venison dishes. Should you have any special dietary requirements, our professional catering team will be glad to be of assistance.
Mbila Bush Camp is modern but simple,uncluttered but comfortable. Comprising three self-catering cottages, tucked away next to the Mankazana River, under high cliffs with spectacular rock textures: Thekwane, a wooden tree house set high against the cliff with a white stinkwood growing through the bedroom and a natural cliff-faced shower, a delight for children; Ntini, a cozy en suite wooden cabin and Mbila, with its generous deck and large glass doors make sundowners a favourite time of the day. Interior fittings and furnishings are wood throughout and the thatched roof and stone floor lend the cottages a cool country aroma.
Mbila offers nature walks, plentiful bird life and for the more athletic, day-long hikes through a game farm. For the kids the natural river pool is long and lazy, the rocks are just made for hide 'n seek. Look out for leguaans, otters, ducks, small fish and frogs of many voices. Resident dassies, red rock rabbits and bigger game including black wildebeest, kudu, bushbuck, gemsbuck and letchwe roam freely. The bird-life is varied – a hammerkop nests above the lodge, and there are red-billed hoopoe, rock thrush and Burchells coucal.
Solar power lights the cottages and generous braai area. Hot water comes from well behaved gas heaters. The entire area is given a cozy unity by the screen of willow trees along the river, and high rock walls with startling lichens and creepers.
This magical place has been created with love and care, and if you appreciate simple holidays with more ambience than action, this is for you.
Mbila Bush Camp is serviced daily, providing a laundry service, fresh linen and towels and cleaning products. Wood is provided. Sleeps 10, children under 12 free of charge.
Please note cell phone network coverage is intermittent and unreliable.
Stanley Lodge, known affectionately by locals as the Grange, has recently been lovingly restored. Wide verandas wrap around the house with numerous cozy corners to enjoy a cup of tea and cake or a quiet drink whilst watching zebra graze on the lawn.
With stately proportions, the lounge and dining room are kept warm and inviting with a crackling fire in the grate. The generously large farm kitchen is fully equipped and a dream when catering for large families and crowds.
Four en suite bedrooms boast king sized beds or singles dressed in quality linen and luxurious down duvets. The bedrooms are spacious and comfortable with double doors opening on to a patio. The afternoon sun streams into the rooms in winter making them ideal for lazy afternoon reading.
Loungers around the swimming pool beckon and a fire pit is the natural attraction as the sun starts to set. Comforting sounds of owls and night jars are the perfect accompaniment to the array of stars in the night sky. The inside braai area is tucked behind the bar, enclosed on the veranda and is ideal for inclement weather and cooler nights.
Set in the heart of a game farm, soaking in the views, hearing the sounds of the bush and watching the various game are a given, but for the more adventurous walking, mountain climbing, mountain biking and fishing are a few of the sports on offer.
Soaking in a bathtub or curling up in a cozy sofa, savoring the memories of the day one can't help but enjoy the contrast of the majestic mountains and wild veld with the luxury of a stay at Stanley Lodge.
Reached only by a winding 4 x 4 track, Toppingvale lodge is for the adventurous and young at heart. Arriving at the lodge is like discovering a jewel. Nestled in the mountains with forest tumbling off cliffs, streams bumble past the lodge on either side, joining to form the Assegaai River which runs the length of the valley criss-crossing down to meet the Mankazana river.
This ancient treasure is guarded by Khoi-San Rock paintings, crowned eagles and yellowwood lined waterfalls. The shy bushbuck are frequent guests in the garden and family groups of mountain reedbuck can be enjoyed from the lodge.
Large sash windows frame the beautiful views of forest, mountains and valley floor, echoed by the views from the stone veranda which generously wraps around the house. The lounge and dining rooms are cozy, with aged wooden floors and log fires adding to the ambience. The Farm kitchen is fully equipped and inviting in itself with an old shop counter in the center, often the heart of the house.
Four en suites boast king size beds or singles. The modern country style bedrooms have large bathrooms with generous tubs for soaking and good showers. Beautiful views of the valley can be enjoyed from ones bed.
The plunge pool is fed from the mountain stream and offers welcome cool after a hike in the mountains. A fire pit and braai area are inviting in the evening where guests can exchange tales of the day whilst mesmerized by flame and night offerings.
Hiking, a walk to see rock paintings, mountain biking and hairy 4 x 4 trails will keep one busy while the abundant bird and plant life will keep those with quieter interests engrossed.
This self catering lodge is serviced daily, providing a laundry service, fresh linen and towels and cleaning products. Wood is provided. Sleeps 8, children under 12 free of charge.
Please note cell phone network coverage is intermittent and unreliable.