Suikerbossie Guest Farm, Koue Bokkeveld, Western Cape

Place: Suikerbossie, Kouebokkeveld

Closest Town: Citrusdal (30km, but not easily), Ceres (90km)
Facilities: Rustic, eco-friendly ablutions, basic camps, some fully equipped
Water: Situated right on the a river
Surroundings: Spectacular Koue Bokkeveld
Turf: Mostly lush grass, sandy at Waterfall Camp and Kuil Camp
Distance from CT: 209 km
Privacy: Limited campsites, fairly close proximity to neighbours, but not destructively so
Highlight: The setting, peach-picking in March, lounging on tubes/butterflies/explorers on the river, the nibbling fish
Cost: Varies per camp (have requested rates for September 2011)

Contact: Karin 0229213537
GPS Coordinates: -32.657876, 19.256973
 

Walking on the Farm

Afternoon mission

Rustic shower with a brilliant view!

Ghoeboontjie Camp

Grass behind Ghoeboontjie Camp

View of the Koue Bokkeveld

Suikerbossie ‘Canyon’

Lounging on the river

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Suikerbossie is spectacular! While it’s a slight mission to get to via Citrusdal without a decent set of wheels, the alternative 3 and a half hour drive via Ceres is well worth the effort, especially for a long weekend.

Picking Peaches

Not only is the setting beautiful, the campsites are varied and particularly well kept. Rustic shelters are provided at all sites, with some a little better equipped than others. The camp we stayed at, Ghoeboontjie, could be considered a slight cheat- it comes with a caravan and outdoor kitchen which is fully equipped. We did however still sleep in tents, so consider it facilitated camping. The advantage: forget that frantic packing.

The whole experience felt slightly surreal the first time a group of us visited. It was picture-perfect – a little like being on the set of a motivational lifestyle AV for a Nivea ad campaign or on the South African version of Dawson’s Creek. We spent hours innocently lounging on tubes or floating toys, playing cricket on the lush grass and telling ghost stories around the fire as the sun sank below the mountains.

Tarzan Swing

The second time we visited was slightly different. It was still cheesy and pretty and liberated, except that a couple new permanent camps had been erected, one of which was on our chosen camping spot from last time. Also, two camps down, a large and eccentric Gay and Lesbian army had settled, spilling out of their camp’s corner and taking over most of the riverfront and cricket pitch with parked cars and a dedicated shrine honouring  a horny adult version of a Ken doll. We had fun and quickly got over the shouted ratings  every time we launched ourselves off the Tarzan Swing into the water, joined in the festive late-night song singing and tolerated some very unashamed perving. Admittedly though, the campsite wasn’t quite as tranquil as it had been before.

To be honest, I’d limit the number of people per camp to maintain a very unique vibe, but all in all, I’d still go back. You know you’ve found a perfect spot when you head home and feel like you’ve been away for ages…even if you did spend Saturday night singing Mika’s Billy Brown as an initiation in to the neighbour’s Crazy Camp.