Trekking up a mountain and cherry-picking in season are only two of the many things to do in the ‘mini-Serengeti’
Jean Spear
‘There’s Chester Williams and Brendan Paulse of our springbok herd,” points Willie Nel, owner of Moolmanshoek, a luxury new guesthouse and adventure farm in the Eastern Free State.
Nel has affectionately given the two springboks these names because they are black instead of striped – a rare sight in the wild. Their colour is caused by a genetic mutation and Nel is hoping to interbreed them with the rest of the herd.
Surrounded by a circle of mountains called the Witteberg, Moolmanshoek traverses kloofs, forests, grass plains and sandstone cliffs.
The farm has its own “mini-Serengeti” and from an elevated position, one can gaze over the plains and watch herds of blesbok, black wildebeest and zebra, grazing and cantering across the grassy bowl.
The farm has been declared a national heritage site as it is home to two important and rare species of plants. The Cat’s Claw – a flower that has only been found in the wild twice since the beginning of the century – and bergbamboes, an indigenous bamboo that flowers only once every 75 years.
This is a sanctuary for nature as well as for people.
Moolmanshoek spans more than 3E500ha, and is made up from six original farms. Nel decided to turn the farm into a nature conservancy in the Eighties and changed some of the farm houses into base camps for hikes into the surrounding mountains.
He still farms sheep, but put the rest of the farm to grass in the Eighties.
Now, golden expanses of over 78 types of grass stretch as far as the eye can see with cabbage trees, ouhout and wild olive trees growing in abundance in the ravines.
Nel still lives with his family in the original farmhouse – a beautiful stone building that literally burns golden in the morning and afternoon sun.
Some of the back rooms have been converted into a restaurant, where guests are served farm-style food with class. Homemade koeksisters and coffee can be ordered on the traditional stoep, overlooking the farm.
The newly built guest house, which was opened at the end of last year, has elegantly decorated rooms with a glorious view of the highest mountain in the Free State – the Visierskerf – so named, because it resembles the sight in a rifle.
The massive sandstone cliffs on the Visierskerf are home to a pair of black eagles that you can watch through a telescope on the verandah of the main farmhouse. If you’re feeling really energetic and keen to see the birds closer up, a day-hike up the mountain takes you to a point above their nests on the cliffs.
The view from the top of the Visierskerf stretches as far as the Maluti Mountains on the border between the Orange Free State and Lesotho. Overlooking the cherry and asparagus farms and the tops of flat- topped sandstone buttes, the route will take your breath away, literally.
“Last week two 65-year-olds and a 70- year-old made it up and down in three hours,” says Nel.
Moolmanshoek is also earning the reputation as a popular 4×4 destination. Nel takes groups of vehicles on half- or full-day trips, which demand some pretty hair-raising technical skills. The terrain is challenging and after our organs were rearranged on the 4×4 course, we settled down to a delicious lunch in a cave further up in the mountains.
It is here that groups on weekend horse trails spend the night, under the protection of a massive overhang. Nel was transporting all the gear up to this overnight spot for a group of Capetonians and we had a good chuckle when we saw someone had bought a small fridge for their trip into the bundus.
“I guess he thinks he’ll plug it into his horse,” laughed Willie, looking at the plug.
What many visitors don’t realise is that the area is considered a holy place by the Basotho. When the Basotho first came to the area, they saw smoke rising from the ground and believed that their ancestors were responsible for fires within the Earth.
There were fires underground, caused when marsh reeds caught alight and the heat spread to their roots. Today, pilgrims are still attracted to the area and believe that a mixture of the soil and ash from the marsh and fountain water has healing qualities. They leave gifts for their ancestors and light candles on a holy rock nearby.
Known as “sangoma valley” by the whites in the area, there are numerous traditional schools on the farm. Traditional “universities” or initiation schools still teach Basotho customs to youngsters, mostly young girls who train at the fertility school in the shadow of the sandstone mountains.
One of the best times to visit Moolmanshoek is in autumn. Across the Free State, poplar trees turn to yellow and orange, like huge flames licking clear blue skies. And the weather is ideal for biking and hiking.
In October, the cherry season starts and Moolmanshoek can easily be included on the cherry route which goes through Ficksburg.
But if you visit, don’t bother bringing a fridge, especially if you’re on horseback.