Eco-Touring the highlands of South Africa in opulent comfort at Bushman’s Kloof
The Cederberg Mountains stand just a couple of hours north of South Africa’s fine port city, Cape Town. They are dry, but every year a few rains bring water to the area, just enough to wear down the bright red sandstones and sustain the antelopes and meerkats that thrive there. Thousands of years ago, the San people created vivid images painted on the rocks in the mountains. High in the valleys and ravines of this exotic range stands the Bushman’s Kloof, a dramatically isolated boutique eco-hotel.
Founded in 1991 by Bill and Mark McAdam, with the intent of creating a nature reserve and lodge in what had become overgrazed farmland, today the Kloof has reclaimed the region for the indigenous fynbos, or “fine bush,” as well as mountain zebras and caracals, a type of wildcat. Invasive flora and fauna were pruned away, and the deluxe resort now resides in a restored high shrub land environment. Since 2000, The Bushman’s Kloof has opened its doors to guests and lodgers, offering outstanding luxury accommodations in the heart of South Africa’s mountains and valleys. The unique botanic world of the Cederbergs has been deemed a World Heritage site by UNESCO, and the hotel also participates in the Agter-Pakhuis Conservancy project, working with local residents to reclaim the fynbos, and the Cape Leopard Trust, raising money for GPS collars employed in tracking the local species of hunting cats.
