With great excitement and a full load of Kyburg Boutique Wine we are ready for another road-trip adventure. Leaving Johannesburg and heading to the Southern Drakensberg for a wine delivery to Moorcroft Manor Boutique Country Hotel, in Himeville.
Our first destination will be Clarens, a small town situated in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains, 340km south from Johannesburg. Clarens offers beautiful natural surroundings, wonderful hiking day trips, pristine dams, rivers and streams ideal for fly fishing and great water rapids for white water river rafting. Mountain biking is also popular with a sedate 11km village loop or more technical rides with long climbs to the top of the mountains.
read more: http:// https://www.clarensxtreme.co.za/
The small town offers many different little art galleries, coffee shops, bookshops and restaurants. During a longer stay, one can include a visit to the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, 20km east of Clarens. The mountains were formed from compacted sand dunes, 190 million years ago. Go for a hike or take a drive along one of the mountain loops and you might see wild animals. Enjoy the view of the layered surrounding mountains.
read more: https://www.getaway.co.za/travel-ideas/places-to-stay/best-cottages-clarens/
As we leave Clarens we drive along the vast range of the Drakensberg mountains. The mountain range stretches for 245 km and forms a natural boarder between the western reaches of KwaZulu Natal and the Kingdom of Lesotho. It’s spectacular natural beauty of golden sandstone, soaring basalt buttresses rising above pristine steep-sided valleys, rocky gorges and high rolling grasslands.
The Drakensberg offer good conditions for walking and hiking. We suggest a hike to the Amphitheatre, a crescent shaped massif of sheer basalt cliffs, and a visit to the Tugela Falls. The Tugela Falls plummet nearly 947m in five clear leaps, making it the world’s second highest waterfall. The Tugela Falls occasionally freeze in winter, creating dazzling columns of ice. The nearby Giants Castle Nature Reserve is also worth a visit.
read more: http://www.nature-reserve.co.za/giants-castle-game-preserve.html
The Midlands Meander is a collection of arranged routes that offer visitors hospitality in truly beautiful surroundings. Good accommodation, fascinating local events, fabulous cuisine and restaurants, historic landmarks, wildlife conservation and arts and crafts.
read more: https://midlandsmeander.co.za/nique arts and crafts
One of the most remarkable stories of the Midlands Meander is the Ardmore Ceramics Art Studio, founded in 1985 by Fee Halsted. Today, almost 60 potters, sculptures and painters work alongside each other in a collaborative way, creating vessels of art showcasing figures of giraffes, lions, elephants, crocodiles and fish, frog and birds, beautifully painted with much details and patterns.
read more: http://ardmoreceramics.co.za/about/our-origins/
Nottingham Road Brewery Company is worth a visit. A thriving independent brewery situated in the heart of the Midlands Meander. Only the purest spring water and finest quality hops and malted barley are used to create lager beers of outstanding character with a smooth, well-rounded taste.
Lunch is at the Rawdons Craft Corner Tap Room & Gin Bar, a new addition to the brewery!
read more: https://nottsbrewery.co.za/
Should you be travelling in a 4×4 or you feel a bit more enthusiastic and would like to grab your bicycle (and enough to drink and eat for a 5 hour ride) take a ride from Nottingham Road onto the very scenic Lower Lotheni Road towards Himeville. The first 25km out of Nottingham Road are tarred, the rest is gravel road, running through lush farmlands along the foothills of the Drankensberg. You will be completely at peace and in nature, passing a few friendly locals and perhaps one other car in the entire 90km.
Moorcroft Manor Boutique Country Hotel, situated near the small town of Himeville, is our destination for the Kyburg Wine delivery with our loyal Red Pick Up ’53.
The inviting guesthouse has 12 elegantly appointed guest-rooms with beautiful views of the extensive manicured gardens and the mountains in the background and will be our home for a few days as we set off on our day trips. A hike in the nearby mountain reserve is first priority, followed by a guided tour to conquer the famous Sani Pass.
The restaurant at Moorcroft Manor is a landmark in the Southern Drakensberg. With a menu offering seasonal selection of wholesome, locally sourced ingredients prepared with care. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, this restaurant is popular with hotel guests, the area’s residents and day-travelers alike.
read more: https://www.moorcroft.co.za
Sani Pass was originally developed as a bridle path in 1913 and used as a route for the trade between South Africa and the Mokhotlomg, in Lesotho. The road is only accessible to 4x4s and in winter an icy layer covering the surface makes it especially treacherous. The route along the top, aptly called the roof of Africa, claims to be the highest road in Africa and third highest in the world. It peaks at a heady height of 3200m above sea level. Its rocky road that snakes up an increasingly narrow V-shaped valley flanked by towering buttresses and is the only eastern road access into Lesotho. On top of the Sani Pass we head to the highest pub in Africa (2863 m), where we enjoy a light lunch before our return.
read more: https://www.sanimountain.co.za/
Our final destination will be San Lameer Resort on the South Coast of Kwa Zulu Natal, a 240 km drive from Moorcroft Manor. San Lameer Resort is a 200 hectare nature conservancy, landscaped with 620 privately owned well-appointed villas, surrounding the challenging 18-hole Championship golf course. It has also a hotel, restaurant, two swimming pools, tennis courts and a 5 star spa. A beautiful never-ending “Blue Flag Beach” invites the guests for swimming, fishing, beach-walks or just to chill in the sun. The climate of San Lameer is pleasantly sub-tropical, with cool breezes from the Indian Ocean. It is a dream holiday location for golfers, beach lovers and families throughout the year.
read more: http://www.sanlameer.co.za
read more: http://southbroomgolfclub.co.za/
Villa 3009 in this estate sleeps up to 8 guests, with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, a kitchen, DSTV and free parking close to the villa. Villa 3009 is situated along the lagoon in the heart of the golf estate. The estate is a perfect holiday spoil for golf lovers and families. Take a walk through the estate, you may discover many different bird species and come across grazing impala and bushbuck.
There are many other wonderful golf courses in the area, our favourite being the Southbroom Golf Course.
Book Villa 3009
https://sanlameer.co.za/four-bedroom-standard
Book Airbnb Villa 3009
We look forward to you joining us for the next delivery of Kyburg Boutique Wines with our Red ’53 Pick Up. Until then…love from the Kyburg Team,
Tanja, Fred and Rosmarie
