Grootbos Private Nature Reserve

At a Glance

This nature preserve and five-star lodge, about a two hour’s drive east of Cape Town, is a hit for active types who long to explore South Africa’s great outdoors.

Indagare Loves

The incredible eco-success story behind the family owned property
The fact that you can explore the great outdoors without the threat of wild animals (there’s no game here)
The wonderful naturalists and guides on staff
The variety of activities, from swimming and boating to riding and hiking

Review

God’s Window, the highest point of Grootbos, a nature preserve and five-star lodge, makes you ponder the question: How far is it possible for the human eye to see before the curvature of the earth begins to interfere? The property comprises about 5,000 acres of pristine wilderness, and from God’s Window you can see virtually all of it, as well as all the way to Cape Point (60 miles to the west) and De Hoop Nature Reserve (60 miles to the east): a magnificent sweep of mountains, foothills, valleys, rivers, ocean and dunes.

The local landscape, known as the coastal fynbos, looks low and scrubby from above, like the moors. But up close it’s a beautiful tapestry of heather, grasses, and shrubs in celadon, lemony green, red, rust, rose and taupe. Part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the fynbos is extraordinarily diverse, comprising more plant species than there are in the entire Northern hemisphere. And the preserve at Grootbos is particularly rich, including five species that are found nowhere else on earth.

Happily for the world, this incredible landscape is in exactly the right hands. Grootbos (pronounced HROOT-boss), which means Big Bush in Afrikaans, is owned by the Lutzeyer family. Brothers Michael and Teritius are passionately involved with every aspect of the place, especially preserving the indigenous flora. Michael first bought the property in 1991 as a simple farm, then gradually began adding lodging and taking guests. Today there are 27 suites spread among two marvelous lodges (Forest Lodge and Garden Lodge) and a series of cottages strung along the hillside. There is also a private six-bedroom villa. The architecture is modern and stunning, making the most of the views, which are so open and vast, it’s hard to capture them in pictures.

One of the best things about Grootbos is the superb staff, particularly the naturalist guides, who accompany you on fantastic adventures that might include hiking, horseback riding along the beach, or just barreling around the property in a Land Rover. One morning, we did a boat excursion, and saw a bride whale breaching (Walker Bay is one of the top whale watching sites in the world), great white sharks, endangered African penguins and hundreds of seals. In the afternoon, we hiked through the Milkwood forest and had sundowners atop God’s Window.

Grootbos is a gorgeous setting, but it does not have game, which some people see as a drawback. I think it’s actually a distinct advantage, and makes it a wonderful destination to combine with a few nights in a game reserve. Going on safari is unforgettable, but you are sitting in a car for six or seven hours a day, which can get uncomfortable after a while, especially if you are used to being active. At Grootbos, the lack of dangerous animals affords you freedom of movement: you have an opportunity to be outdoors all day long swimming, boating, riding and hiking, without having to worry that a leopard might pounce on you from a nearby tree. If you have kids, it will be the part of your trip where you can breathe a sigh of relief, let them run free and not have to be watching them like a hawk.

Before I went to Grootbos, I confess I didn’t quite “get it”. Why travel two hours from Cape Town to visit a nature preserve? But I must admit that Grootbos was one of the highlights of my entire trip to South Africa, in large part because it has so much soul. The lodge has a wide range of philanthropic projects, including a soccer field they built for the local community and an organic farm where locals are taught sustainable farming techniques and life skills, while also supplying the Grootbos chef with a steady stream of fresh produce. At lunch at Forest Lodge, the buffet had seven different salads, each one delicious and incredibly fresh. In subtle ways like this, everything works beautifully together, and you just feel good being there and being part of it.

Grootbos is an easy two-hour drive from Cape Town along the breathtaking Garden Route. Stop along the way at Betty’s Baie to see the African penguins, and at Hermanus for a leg stretch at the whale watching park.