Eco-estate

We are gentle on the natural environment, and our guests can feel proud that their carbon footprint is close to zero during their stay.

We source our electricity from both solar and hydro-generation—we are not connected to the national grid—and there is enough power to run your lights, your fridge, your microwave oven, and even your electric blankets. We do not suffer from 'load-shedding'.

Water comes from our fresh mountain streams—it is out of the rock for only five minutes when it reaches your tap—and you have no need to add anything, except perhaps a good whisky.

We heat your water with solar geysers, with gas geysers as a back-up, and you will cook on a gas hob.

Sewage is handled in a sustainable way with septic tanks and soak-pits.

We have eradicated all alien species on our property—including wattle, cotoneaster, bugweed, and gum—and our forests and grasslands are completely indigenous. Fire is managed on a cyclical and controlled basis.

We are even self-sufficient in honey and vegetables, and we have no fences on our boundary with the World Heritage Site, meaning that wildlife is free to roam.

Paul is an honorary officer with Ezemvelo/KZN Wildlife, as well as a leader of the local community, so we spread our conservation efforts beyond iKhayalamafu to the park and the rest of the Champagne Valley.

Having such a light touch on the environment is something of which we feel proud, and we are always glad to share our knowledge and experience with our guests.