Weekend getaway: Sleep in a cave
A group of friends from Oudtshoorn relax around the braai at Van Terrebert Cave.
A three-hour drive from Port Elizabeth, George or Plettenberg Bay brings you to a place where you can imagine life as a cave dweller in prehistoric times. Don’t worry, you don’t have to venture into the rugged Baviaanskloof mountains with a club to get your own dinner; you can just buy a braai pack or delicious chicken pie from Henriëtte and Boetie Terblanche.
Their farm, Rietrivier, is something special: “It’s as if we were meant to get this piece of land with all its caves,” Henriëtte tells me as I wait for my pie to defrost in her microwave.
With the caves (more overhangs than caves, actually) on the farm already, it was just a matter of time before they hatched the plan to close up the fronts to make “houses”. Your roof is solid rock, as are parts of the floor, but the caves are comfortably kitted out with beds, kitchenware, outside shower, flush toilet and even a fireplace.
There are five caves: Makkedaat, Van Terrebert, Dawid se Bak, Aalwynbak and Dassiebak. The bigger caves can sleep up to 10 people. Dassiebak is the “honeymoon suite”.
Aalwynbak, which is higher on the mountain than the others, has the best view. Its front end is open, so it’s best for a warm summer weekend. The others are built lower down the slopes, next to the Riet River, and are more sheltered.
The farm is perfectly situated for other Baviaanskloof excursions, such as an outing to Nuwekloof, just up the road. Rietrivier also has hiking trails, including a four-day hike on which you sleep in a different cave every night.
You can also do an hour-long hike with local plant expert Hans Jumat. Hans grew up here and
knows the medicinal properties of every plant. On the morning of our stroll, he has a little cough himself. “Flu,” he explains. “For flu you should take bergboegoe and wildeals, boil them together and then drink the mixture as hot as you can. But the ysterhout, ghwarrie and plum are my best medicine. You cook them and then drink it like Med-Lemon.”
Sounds good, I think, but then he tells me about the wondrous effect of boiled-up dried dassie pee on a urinary tract infection...
There’s also a mountain bike track and a 4x4 trail on the farm, and they offer donkey cart rides.
What makes a night in a cave special? It’s quiet here. You’ll hear the black-backed jackals moan and in the morning you’ll see fresh porcupine paw marks where they dug for bulbs. It’s almost like when you were a child and built a tree house – the mere fact that you’re in a cave makes it feel like an adventure.
Go! says: You’ll see what we mean when you lie in bed watching the candlelight flickering on the rock ceiling.
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