A WORLD APART
For a truly Edenic South African holiday, go beyond the well-travelled wine routes and garden-variety getaways and detour off the N2 to the riverine hamlet of Vermaaklikheid. Part quiet, empty spaces, part farm-lover’s idyll … pure magic
Words Jillian Starke
Tourism and development along the Garden Route continue to increase at a heady rate, which is why you’re likely to let out a deep, slow sigh of appreciation as the gravel road corners atop a hillside viewpoint, with the handful of historic farmhouses that make up Vermaaklikheid scattered below. The denim-blue Duiwenhoks River slinks furtively through the valley, its Indian Ocean destination five kilometres away. ‘This is it?’ I exclaim incredulously to my travel companions, none of us having expected such a sparsely populated village scene.
Sixty years ago, Vermaaklikheid was a thriving farming settlement 300 km south-east of Cape Town, with grapes and vegetables vying for top spot. It had all the makings of a sustainable rural outpost – two schools, a post office and police station, and a butchery. The land was owned predominantly by white farmers whose smallholdings housed the local coloured labourers. But when the government introduced grape quotas, Vermaaklikheid was left out of the equation and most of the farmers moved to nearby towns in search of greener pastures. The schools and butchery (which didn’t comply with new health regulations) closed their doors. Only the labourers remained on the land.
Then, in the mid-Eighties, city dwellers looking for a retreat stumbled upon Vermaaklikheid and started buying up cottages and land, and building new houses. Although this stimulated economic growth, it also created a housing shortage as landowners were only too happy to sell off their land, as well as the farm workers’ cottages. A low-cost housing project has been implemented in the last decade to make provision for the dispossessed locals, but poverty and unemployment are still keenly felt.
Change in any community is inevitably met with mixed reviews. While the locals need industry and development in order to survive, out-of-towners want to preserve the status quo. The new managers of Duiwenhoks Restaurant (the only restaurant in the village) chat excitedly about their plans for expansion, which include opening stalls offering local produce and creating more rooms to let out in season. But for holidaymakers such as Irene Solomons, owner of the innovatively designed House of Eels, the village is fine the way it is: ‘It’s amazing. There’s absolutely nothing to do! Every day feels like a Sunday.’
Irene’s kids can play to their hearts’ content, without concern for speeding traffic and safely away from the grip of Xbox. Josie Borain, the iconic face of Calvin Klein in the Eighties, has been coming to the village since she was 10 years old. For her ‘the appeal lies in the fact that it is still untouched by the mayhem of my real world’.
The isolation experienced here seems to be the greatest drawcard, as another long-time visitor concurs: ‘Even in season it doesn’t get busy,’ says Andy Wright, who has a share in a house here and comes down with his wife and dogs as often as he can. ‘Nothing happens too fast in Vermaaklikheid. We always bring a puzzle and a stack of books and that’s how we spend our days. The dogs chase the cows, they love it (the dogs, that is). When the westerly wind blows you can hear the rumble of the sea in the distance, and on a still night the hooting of eagle owls.’
In the evenings, spent drinking good wine with great friends, Andy regales his listeners with legends of the valley, such as the acrobatic snakes found here. ‘If you chance across a puff adder in the veld, the puffy is more scared of you and bites its own tail, rolling off in a cartwheel,’ he says in all seriousness. But maybe that only holds true for the locals. I vow to wear shoes everywhere.
For those without a title deed or property share, accommodation can be found along the river as well as in the old farming areas slightly inland. We hop into a rowing boat to scout out Glory Be, one of River Magic’s self-catering cottages, accessible only from the water. Its lush riverside setting and cosy ambience are hard to beat, but as it’s been partially flooded after heavy rains a few days before our arrival, we are compelled to seek out drier land.
Our plucky Tazz navigates the steep road down to Oshoek, a family-run farm with a choice of three secluded self-catering holiday homes. Josie Borain’s father, Peter, bought the smallholding in 1972 and is a gregarious authority on the area. He tells us that the name Vermaaklikheid, the Afrikaans word for ‘entertainment’, was coined by farmers who used to come here to shoot buck. Luckily they must have missed a few, and their fleet-footed descendants can still be seen around.
Our chosen abode on Oshoek farm is Peter’s Place, a charming thatched house next to shaded forest and close enough to the water’s edge to hear the tidal Duiwenhoks River lapping the sandy banks. Unlike city living, where quick preparation and hurried consumption tend to be the order of the day, meals by the river are an unrushed affair. Relaxing at a wooden picnic table in dappled sunlight, below a canopy of acacia trees, everything seems to taste that much better.
Sunset – best viewed from the upper deck – casts shades of bronze and purple on the hills opposite, mirrored by the water below which finally takes on the colour of the night sky, bejewelled by the Milky Way. And in the still of the night (still being a relative term for the cacophony of crickets and cicadas that resumes when the sun goes down), you will experience the ethereal peace of unspoiled nature.
Dawn breaks over the river with the base call of the Egyptian geese echoing from the hills, the swallows’ shrill whistle announces an in-flight feeding frenzy, and the cocky call of a rooster fills in the tenor notes. Wagtails dance along the water’s edge, picking out morsels from the muddy bank, from where a trail of fresh otter spoor heads into the bushes. Who needs a sweaty yoga studio for meditation? Here, all worldly distractions are silenced.
The integrity of this riverine village is evident in the homes that maintain the unique architectural heritage of traditional Cape thatched buildings, and the people who act as custodians of the pristine land, willing time to stand still. Cape Town fashion designer Malcolm Klûk, who retreats to Vermaaklikheid whenever he can, says of the place: ‘It’s a secret like the one the hobbits follow. It feels like you have been taken through a portal into a different time.’
The best secrets are hard to keep, so forgive me for breaking the silence…
How to get there
Take the N2 from Cape Town and turn right 3 km before Heidelberg at the Witsands turn-off. After 6 km turn left on to the gravel road marked Vermaaklikheid. Drive a further 14 km then turn left at the T-junction, cross the river and turn right at the next T-junction – the village is 9 km ahead.
What to pack
Binoculars and a good bird book
Fishing rod and tackle – fishing permits are available at post offices countrywide
Insect repellent – there’s no malaria but mozzies are rife after heavy rain
Candles and lanterns – check whether your accommodation has electricity
Food for the duration of your stay – the Duiwenhoeks store (next to the fuel pump) sells basic supplies
Sufficient cash – there are no ATM or credit card facilities
If you can’t go without a cellphone, take a Vodacom sim card (it’s the only signal you’ll pick up, and only
in certain spots)
Gumboots for exploring along riverbanks
Where to stay
Glory Be 021 794 6294, www.vermaaklikheid.co.za/glory-be.php
Backtrack 021 794 6294, www.vermaaklikheid.co.za/backtrack.php
House of Eels 082 920 5183
Oshoek River Farm 021 790 5504, www.capestay.co.za/oshoekriverfarm
Kleinbegin Farms 082 497 3566, www.kleinbeginfarms.co.za/accommodation.htm
Duiwenhoeks Guest Cottages 028 713 2935
Attractions close by
Puntjie, for its unique kapstylhuise at the mouth of the Duiwenhoeks River
Stilbaai, to take advantage of its unspoiled beaches
Bungee jumping at the Gourits River bridge, 35 km west of Mossel Bay
Plenty of farmstalls en route, so stock up on delectable goods for your holiday