Who knew that one of my favourite spots would also be one of the closest to home? I enjoy my privacy but at almost every far-flung place I’ve been there’s someone staying alongside or nearby. Not at Rockwood Forest Lodge. Here you have a double storey wooden house in a forest glade, with a rushing stream below an expansive deck, and nobody, except Jabu Dlamini who services the place in the morning- and the security service clocking in at an electronic marker once a day- to disturb you.
“Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits”- widely (and erroneously) attributed to A.A. Milne- is the most appropriate, given that you are in your own 100 Acre Wood although, at 936ha, this wood is way bigger.
Turn up, drop in and tune out (or in?)
Self- catering Rockwood Forest Lodge, in the Karkloof Private Nature Reserve in Kwazulu-Natal’s midlands, is only accessible with a 4×4. If you don’t have one, no problem. Jabu will ferry you from the office on the farm Spiztkop, through several gates and over several watercourses into the reserve.
It’s rustic but four star. The little kitchen is well equipped and thoughtful extras one doesn’t normally find in self-catering spots are provided- seasoning, milk, oil, ground coffee, yummy biscuits and a bottle of red wine for example. Then there’s the Big Green Egg. This is not a braai (barbecue), it’s a very efficient cook’s delight and it’s worth working out how to use it to bake and much more.
Evening on the deck- Big Green Egg fired up
Forest Lodge won’t suit everyone. Activities and facilities are not “on tap”, nobody’s going to take your kids off your hands and you may not have cellphone/internet reception. Therein lies the charm. A complete break. Privacy, enveloped by nature.
In the heart of the second largest indigenous forest in South Africa, the lodge sleeps six (eight at a pinch) in three bedrooms with three bathrooms (well, two baths, one shower). Very large windows without bars afford lovely forest views, the babbling brook is a constant soundtrack for relaxation in the greenish light and, if the weather turns or you tire of the water music, there is DSTV, a blu-ray player and some discs and an iPod docking station/music system in the very comfy lounge, with its fireplace and never ending wood supply (Spitzkop produces firewood).
A few days here is simply the perfect way, in the perfect place, to unwind. I’ve been twice and loved every part of each experience, from just sitting on the deck listening to the rushing water below, to the plectranthus-lined walk to the waterfalls, with crowned eagles overhead.
The peace of the forest wraps itself around the place, providing friendly seclusion. Food for the soul.
If noonoos bug you the forest is not for you (nor is Africa really, especially KwaZulu-Natal). On a forest walk the lead hiker does a Gandalf impersonation, waving a staff to clear spiders’ webs, while the supplied Peaceful Sleep came in handy too. Oddly enough, almost no mozzies around the lodge, so we only used it on our walks. My brother played Gandalf and added a jig- hilarious to watch- since a couple of horseflies found his legs very tasty. They left the rest of us alone.
Goudini Falls
Aside from a shortish hike to Goudini Falls 1 and 2, we checked out the dams on the farm, well stocked with rainbow and brown trout. Bring your own rods and grab a life jacket from the office if using one of the canoes.
The whole area is a mountain biker’s delight, with trails ranging from easy enough for me to mistakenly head down in my 4×4 the first time I visited, to “Eish!”.
We also negotiated the long, winding, scenic 4×4 road to the eco-friendly Mountain Lodge, taking time out to enjoy a swim in the clear waters of the dams on the way.
If you alert the staff they will open a gate for 4×4 access to the nearby and highly recommended Karkloof Canopy Tour.
The Canopy Tour is a real treat, with wonderful views over the Karkloof Valley from the uppermost platform and zipline, and thrilling, staggered descents through the canopies of the indigenous forest. Here you can hope to spot the same elusive bird species to be found near the lodge, as well as Simango monkeys. Afterward, you can enjoy a supplied light meal and check out the photos from your experience, which you can buy on a disc. I’ve done numerous canopy tours and this one remains top of my list.
Apart from the Forest Lodge and the equally isolated Mountain Lodge, down on the flatland of the farm is the fabulous farmhouse and separate cottage, 25m apart. The farmhouse does not deserve its four star rating, or maybe a star fell off. It looks great from outside, but a whole lot better inside and is wonderful for families or groups, with a loft play area complete with foosball, pool table and much more- and there is playground with trampoline and swings close by and a private dam right outside. Five stars from me!
Check them all out here: http://www.rockwood.co.za/
NB: Competition start date to be confirmed. Entries not accepted until such time. We are giving away a two night self-catering stay for six in Rockwood Forest Lodge with champagne and chocolate picnic hamper and six Karkloof Canopy Tours, worth R10369. The prize is valid for six months from ?//. Drop us an email at rockwood@travelogue.tv and name the reserve in which Rockwood Forest Lodge is situated.
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For the better part of a decade I travelled hard, fast and continuously- chasing deadlines for weekly travel features linked to prizes. Not being quite a tourist, or on holiday, affords a different perspective, as does "speed dating" with owners and staff. Like in movies, associations and relationships are accelerated and in most cases I get a peek behind the scenes of the many wonder filled places I've been. Have a peek yourself.
