Variety is in our Nature

Nestled quietly within the valleys and mountains of the Kogelberg Biosphere lies the Green Mountain Route. These local wine farms form part of the Groenlandberg Conservancy, comprising 34 000ha of this magnificent Natural World Heritage Site.

Your hosts are a cast of down-to-earth, unconventional characters who have chosen as their logo, the Strawberry Rainfrog, endemic to the Groenlandberg.

One winemaker will even spoil you with a homemade secret recipe from the organic foods in her indigenous garden.

Blending wine and biodiversity, vineyards and apple orchards share the landscape with fynbos and renosterveld. Visitors are taken on open safari vehicles to view these pristine displays and then taste the unique cool-climate wines from the slopes they’ve traversed. Also included is game viewing of eland, zebra, bontebok and springbok.

With 87 red data plant species and over 200 bird species identified to date, there is much to explore whether on quad or mountain bike or by foot. Sightings include Blue Crane, Nesting Black Eagle, Black Harrier and African Fish Eagle.

To date, 1 944ha of threatened vegetation has been conserved by the wine farmers. Paul Cluver Wines was one of the first farms in South Africa to enter into a stewardship contract agreement with Cape Nature to conserve the pristine habitat. Beaumont Wines have cleared alien vegetation from 3kms of the river frontage along the Bot River. Oak Valley Wines have identified red data species on their mountain slopes and Eikenhof, part of Elgin Vintners, has established 3ha of mature, indigenous forest.

Visit www.greenmountain.co.za

Situated on a mountain plateau 450m above sea level, and overlooking the
Atlantic Ocean, Iona also offers bass fishing in their 25ha dam. Look out
for fish eagle, spurwing geese and other waterfowl.

'Hoover' Beaumont, the guardian of the farm's waterways, is a formidable
fish. Over 19 years old, well over a metre long, he patrols the dam,
sometimes resting on the bottom rung of the jetty's ladder. Hoover was
plucked from the great green Limpopo River all those years ago while the
Beaumonts were on holiday and transported, using plastic bags and oxygen
blocks, all the way back to Botriver. He is great friends with the bass, the
turtles, and the Cape otter.

You'll think you're in another world, coming around the bumpy dirtroad
corner only to find the magical gardens of Goedvertrouw.

Elreida Pillman makes and hand bottles her own wine, but the treat is to
sample one of her organic meals straight from the garden! On the stoep or
inside by the fireplace, steeped in history, and full of unexpected
surprises, 'nothing fancy' as she puts it is something you long for long
after you've left the surreal Van der Stel Pass.

Pristine Fynbos with the backdrop of Vineyards on the mountain slopes

Oak Valley has over 4000 oak trees on the property and with only 35 hectares
planted to vines, there is approximately 500 hectares of pristine mountain
fynbos. Diverse farming activities include wine, cut flowers, apple and pear
production and beef cattle on sub-clover/grass pastures, not to mention
location for the latest Robbie Williams music dvd!