Yurt in Botrivier

Discover the magic of Malachite Yurt Camp, a private sanctuary tucked between a breathtaking cliff-face and a gentle mountain stream. Perfect for small families, friends, or a romantic escape, this site features two camping yurts and kitchen cabin with indoor fireplace. Relax in your own private wood-fired hot tub, watch Black Eagles soar above, and let your dogs roam freely in the fully enclosed garden. Malachite offers an exclusive off-grid experience, perfect for enjoying the Nature Reserve. The space The Yurt Camp consists of two visually-separated, neighbouring sites that can be booked separately or together: Kestrel Yurt site and Malachite Yurt site. Each site has their own private facilities, including wood-fired hot tubs, bathrooms, kitchens with a small indoor fireplaces, and outdoor braai areas. Malachite is equipped for self-catering with solar power and phone-charging facilities, a gas stove top for cooking, a fridge, crockery, cutlery, utensils, braai facilities, firewood, firelighters, soaps, shampoos, salt and pepper. You need only bring your food and drinks! PLEASE NOTE: Malachite is for your private use. *There are no shared facilities at Southern Yurts SOUTHERN YURTS AND THE SURROUNDS: Southern Yurts is located on Diepklowe Nature Reserve, which is home to both a small olive growing operation and a nature conservancy. Guests staying at Kestrel are situated in the conservancy and have full access to the property during their stay. Malachite Yurt site is situated under the property's distinguishable ridge, with a gentle riverine area to the one side of the camp. Enjoy a walk through the farm's olive groves, only two minutes from the camp, or a longer hike along the beautiful Verraux Trail (1,5 - 2 hours long). For guests that would like to explore more of the conservancy, there are a number of hikes or trail running routes around the farm that give you spectacular views and expose an incredible array of flora unique to the region. Mountain bikers can cycle on nearby farms, with the most notable trails being on Beaumont (20 minute drive), Paul Cluver and Oak Valley (30 mins from Southern Yurts). When you want to be near the water, enjoy a light 15 minute walk to our dam - swim it's length, or enjoy a sundowner under the cool shade of the weeping willow. For bird lovers, the farm is a small oasis. Whether it's a rare spotting of our resident Moorhen or Coot on the dam, or a Verreaux Eagle soaring over the rocky cliffs above - there will be plenty of feathered reasons to bring your binoculars. If you're staying a bit longer and would like to discover the area a little more, there are a number of activities for all ages. The nearby highly acclaimed Cape Canopy Tours offers an exhilarating soar by zip line over the Overberg mountains. For wine tours, we usually recommend Beaumont Wine Estate or Luddite - they do wine tastings at their stunning farms in Botrivier, located +/- 16km from Southern Yurts/Porcupine Hills Guest Farm. If you'd like to go further afield, Oak Valley has a wonderful tasting room and restaurant (The Melting Pot) which serves tasty lunches and dinners (30 mins from the farm). There are numerous other tasting rooms and wine farms between Botrivier and Hermanus - we often recommend that guests who feel like exploring the greater Overberg region, drive through Botrivier and towards Hermanus for the day. Once in Hermanus you can visit the Country Market (Saturday mornings until 1pm) for some delicious freshly grown produce, homemade products and gourmet brunch/lunch. If you'd prefer to be next to the sea, Bientang's Cave offers a spectacular view! Tables are situated right on the rocks looking over the sea, and you can enjoy a local craft beer or glass of wine perfectly paired with a seafood platter. If you're lucky, you may even see whales (in season)! For more exciting activities in the area, from horse riding to whale watching, please contact us for more information. *SMALL CHILDREN (< 2 years) AND PETS ARE WELCOME, WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT - A SMALL ADDITIONAL FEE IS APPLICABLE. *Note for pet owners: this is a nature reserve and during spring and summer months there are ticks in the veld. Dogs: As animal lovers, we are pet-friendly (this must be pre-arranged/stated upon booking), but we do charge an additional cleaning fee of R100 per pet per stay, payable before arrival. This covers the unavoidable extra cleaning that our dear furry friends bring to the site. Pets are accepted on the condition that you bring their own beds, and that if pets are used to sleeping on the bed/daybed, that you bring a throw to cover the furniture/beds. You are responsible for your pets' and their health and safety. Guest access Private site