Grootbos

Twenty-four hours after driving out of the Sabi Sands Reserve we flew out of OR Tambo for Cape Town!

Most people travel to the Gansbaai area for cage diving with Great White Sharks. We were there for the flowers. The second Mission in the series was a trip planned by Monty Don. Monty presents horticultural programs on BBC.

Our accommodation this trip is at a B&B in De Kelders called Crayfish Lodge. It is situated about 100m from the beach, and approx 60m above it. The views from every room were stunning; sunsets with a glass of red wine the order of the day!





A few kilometers back on the road to Stanford, high up on the hill is the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. This is where we spent the major part of three days. Just a few years after a huge bushfire the vegetation has bounced back. Many species of fynbos grow on the hills and in the valleys of this magnificent reserve.




Apart from the obvious floral attractions, Grootbos also has two social responsibility projects that they run. The first is a small college named Green Future – it takes in twelve students each year. They are taught life skills, horticulture and indigenous plant cultivation over the period. The college runs a wholesale nursery that sells plants promulgated by the students, the proceeds from this are used to finance the college.



A short drive away is a vegetable garden centre that employs eight women. They grow vegetables, keep livestock, maintain beehives, manage the worm farms, among other tasks. Produce is sold to restaurants in the area as well as the Grootbos hotel - the funds from these sales are used to sustain the project. There is a distinct taste that fresh, organic herbs bring to a meal. We tasted these each evening as we ate our way through five course dinners. My jeans may have shrunk while I was in the Western Cape!

We were lucky to spot some wildlife when walking around the vegetable gardens! The insects didn't stand a chance.

I will put together another blog on the marine side of this trip in the next week. Keep a look out for this.

Once again there is a more in-depth article on this trip on my wordpress blog.