Things to do
Set your own pace
Laze in a hammock all day, or fill every hour on the farm, on the river and around Stilbaai.
On the farm
Right outside the door
- Swim, paddle, kayak or water-ski from the private jetty and slipway
- Take a sunset cruise on the Goukou
- Hook a bass in the private dam (catch and release)
- Hike from the river up to Riethuiskraal
- Watch bushbuck, duiker, grysbok, springbok and bontebok on the game-fenced farm
- Look for fish eagles over the dam and the river
- Mountain bike the farm tracks and gravel roads
- Fly across the dam on the foofy slide
- Feed the calves, chickens, turkeys and hand-reared lambs
- Walk the olive orchard, and taste oil pressed on the farm
- Horse riding for experienced riders
- Sundowners on the veranda
Guides
On the farm and around Stilbaai
On the farm
Largemouth bass fishing in the farm dam
Stonehouse Lodge has a large private freshwater dam with largemouth bass, a few minutes' walk from the houses. Guests fish it catch-and-release, and no licence is needed on a private farm dam.
On the farm
Bird watching on the Goukou
Yes. BirdLife South Africa records at least 230 species around Stilbaai, and a single summer day usually turns up about 90. On the farm, fish eagles circle the dam and the river, and the three indigenous canyons hold forest and fynbos birds.
On the farm
Hiking trails
Start on the farm: a trail climbs from the river up towards Riethuiskraal through fynbos and canyon. Around Stilbaai there are easy coastal walks to the Preekstoel rock and the tidal fish traps, and longer routes like the 11 km Noordkapper whale trail.
On the farm
Mountain biking
Yes. Ride the farm tracks through the olive orchard and out onto the gravel roads through the farmlands. Singletrack in the Geelkrans and Pauline Bohnen reserves is a short drive away.
On the farm
Paddling and boating on the Goukou
From the farm's private slipway and floating jetty you can swim, take out one of the farm's two kayaks, water-ski, join a river cruise or hire the speed boat with a skipper. The Goukou is tidal and navigable for about 15 km inland, down to the estuary and the sea at Stilbaai.
Around Stilbaai
Beaches and whale watching
Southern right whales come close inshore from June to November, peaking from July to October. Watch from the lookout above the harbour, Morris Point or the Noordkapper trail. Lappiesbaai, the main swimming beach, is ten minutes from the farm.
Around Stilbaai
Heritage, gin and day trips
Stilbaai sits in the Cradle of Human Culture. See the Blombos finds at the museum, the stone tidal fish traps at low tide, the tame eels at Palinggat and the fynbos gin at Inverroche. Further out are De Hoop, Bontebok National Park and the Grootvadersbosch forest.