Join a conservation project and make use of a farm hut for free:
info@fynbosestate.co.za

School and university students are welcome to use the farm for appropriate projects:
info@fynbosestate.co.za

When on the mountain, especially in summer, fire is a hazard – so please be careful.

Enjoy the stillness of wild untouched mountain

Dragonridge, the long mountain running along one side of the farm, is readily accessible by high-clearance vehicles, or on foot. If you like your hiking a little rougher, you can take the more direct, scrambling route from the house to the top of Dragonridge. Alternatively, you can climb the beautiful – and wilder – Sonkop Peak.

Along the top of the mountains there is easy walking, with spectacular views of the Winterberge, the Franschoek mountains and Table Mountain. Shorter, easy walks will take you to any number of lovely spots – ‘Cathedral Rocks’ and ‘The Big Cactus’, for example – on the slopes of both Dragonridge and Sonkop.

Wherever you are on the mountain, you are likely to see eagles soaring, and many other varieties of birds and small game. During much of the year, various types of wild protea will be in flower, as will other types of fynbos, with an extraordinary variety of exquisite, often delicate, flowers. Nature lovers may be lucky enough to see buck, dassie, mongoose and suricate, or you may come upon a large leopard tortoise, colourful lizard or prickly porcupine.

For campers, the small wooden hut at the base of the mountain is a wonderful place to stay, and only a 6-minute walk from the farmhouse.

Conservation

The Paardeberg is a natural paradise, which we feel passionate about protecting and conserving. To this end, the farm is part of the Paardeberg Conservancy a conservation intitiative set up by some landowners in the area. We are also exploring with Cape Nature Conservation the possibility of returning indigenous game to the mountain.In addition to this, we have a number of ongoing conservations projects on the farm. These include the clearing of alien vegetation, the laying of walking and climbing trails, and bird and plant spotting for our bird and plant lists.

Resources for identifying and learning about birds, plants and animals are available in our library. Students wanting to use the farm for appropriate projects would be more than welcome. Botanists in particular have used the farm for student field trips.
People who wish to participate in any of the farm’s conservation projects are welcome to stay, for free, in one of our small wooden huts (as yet it has no facilities).