Cape Town - At the portal to the fabulous Prince Alfred Pass, which carries traffic from the coast to the Karoo, and vice versa, lies a slice of mountain splendour which locals claim is one of the last true bits of wilderness that remain in the country.
To pinpoint it on a map, take the R339 out of Plettenberg Bay or Knysna. At the junction where the roads from these two towns join, before climbing the pass, a small road wanders off towards a plantation of mainly wattle trees.
It might not look particularly inviting, but it hides a secret. Beyond the wattles, over the Keurbooms River, is a tiny kingdom of fynbos, guarded by the ramparts of the beautiful purple-blue Tsitsikamma mountains. If remoteness, peace, birdsong, a backdrop of mountains, the distant murmur of a river, gentle days and silent nights appeal, this is for you.
Rather than approach from the coast, I had come down the Prince Alfred Pass and, on the insistence of people I had stayed with there, was now headed for Takamma.
Owner David Mostert and one of his sons were waiting at the R339 junction to escort me into the valley. About 10km along the road, my bakkie was parked at a safe location, and I was transferred to the Mosterts’ 4x4.
After crossing the Keurbooms, we began climbing steadily. The air grew cleaner. You could smell the fynbos.
You might think I am monkeying about, but along the way we diverted to see a “baboon-friendly” place taking shape. I had already heard about 70-something Neville Ledger, who sounds like a cross between a maverick and a recluse. He is the talk of the valley. “He is a real man,” said one rugged type admiringly as he downed a beer in a bar.
Amazingly, Neville, who I never met, has designed his home to encourage baboons to clamber all over the top of it. Now he is building something similar for tourists, and David took me to see the concept, as yet incomplete.
It will consist of a double-storey house and several small cabins enclosed by bowed wooden arches that form a giant cocoon overhead.
Apparently this will be covered in diamond-mesh, on top of which will be placed brush, while branches from surrounding trees will be trained to grow through and over the mesh.
The idea is to create a playground for the baboons. They will be free to scramble over this giant cage and, in a reversal of roles, the humans will be trapped inside.
All along the road are marvellous vistas (you can see Plett on a clear day) and at the end of the winding road – the last eight kilometres of which were cut by David himself, in the tracks of a former overgrown road – lies Takamma, which was built by David and his three sons over five years.
All out of wood, scalloped and carved, it is a real Hansel and Gretel affair, like something out of a fairy tale. It’s located on a hilltop above the Palmiet River, which threads its way far below, on its way to join the Keurbooms.
There is a choice of accommodation – in the main house or in one of the cabins or tents with nearby ablution facilities in the fynbos.
Up at the main house, the deck on one side overlooks the gorge below. On the other, a deep veranda, with comfortable couches and chairs, is the ideal spot to sit and soak up the view of the mountains and forests.
The Eden to Addo Trail (which will ultimately link the area between the two, enabling elephants and other animals to move through freely) passes here.
David, Neville and Barry Rae, the owner of Keurbooms River Game Trails at the head of the valley, all subscribe to this protected area.
“This means there will be no commercial development in this area,” said David, “protecting it for future generations”.
Elaborating on the project, he said the last kudu had been hunted in the valley in 1986 and it was hoped kudu would return to the area. “On the one side of our house you find the forest birds. Move to the other and the fynbos birds predominate,” said David.
After a walk in the fynbos, his wife, Pauline, settled me with a cool drink, on the deck overlooking the Palmiet River. Birds at the feeder and vying for a drink from the sugar-water bottle, strolling rock pigeons, and a family of partridge, all added their own charm.
The deck area is also home to the outdoor bar and braai facilities. Self-catering guests have the use of the family kitchen, but are welcome to take meals with the family, on request.
“They eat whatever we are eating that day,” said Pauline.
One of their other sons does all the adventure activities such as abseiling, kloofing, kayaking and hiking with the guests.
David spoke about the World Wide Fund for Nature alien vegetation clearing project. “They will be checking out how this affects the flow of water in the Palmiet stream, which starts on our farm,” he said. “As the Palmiet runs into the Keurbooms, it could mean an increased water supply for Plett.”
The felled wattle is also turned into charcoal, to raise funds.
Youngest son Lloyd took me for a walk down to the valley, to a sandy beach and a deep pool in the river. He also showed me how they had enhanced the home of a crag lizard in the garden, and created a pretty rock and fynbos pool that can be used for swimming.
Tucked into my comfortable bed, I listened to the sound of frogs. At around 6am, rain thundering on the roof warned that it would be impossible to get out along the slippery road, but this was no hardship.
The Scrabble board was fished out and the Mosterts, it seems, have many tales to tell.
As sunset announced itself each day, it was difficult to decide whether to sit on the deck and watch the sea mist roll in from the coast or on the veranda facing the mountain, where rising mist meant the indigenous forest slopes were wreathed in ghostly white, with just the pine trees peeping out on the top of the ridges. It looked like a breathtaking Chinese painting.
If You Go...
While a 4x4 is preferable, high clearance vehicles can get through to Takamma, and the family are prepared to fetch people in Plettenberg Bay, if necessary.
Contacts: Takamma 072 581 0838; e-mail: [email protected]; Neville Ledger 044 752 8003; Keurbooms River Game Trails 082 462 1863. - Sunday Tribune