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26/10/2026
🌿 RANGER DIARY Spring is officially in full swing at Elandsberg Nature Reserve, and some of our feathered friends are taking "nesting season" to a whole new level!
While some birds stick to traditional twigs and trees, one ambitious Cape Wagtail decided to upgrade to a waterfront view from the plush inside of a bright green kayak at our boathouse! Talk about location, location, location! 😎
Currently courting, nesting, or welcoming new arrivals around Bartholomeus Klip:
Blue cranes
Cape wagtails
Namaqua doves
Ostrich
Pied avocets
Secretary birds
Western barn owls
📸 ranger Keeley
25/10/2026
🌿 RANGER DIARY It’s often hard to remember what it’s like to spend time at BK and Elandsberg if you haven't been here for a while. The air, the light, the sounds, the flavours ...
We asked our rangers to try and distill the BK Experience into a couple of snapshots. Here are the truly unique BK experiences Keeley came up with:
📸 Farm sheds and sunset
📸 Gemsbok / South African Oryx
📸 Smoke and Fire open-air cooking
📸 Gershwen driving the quad bike with Abbie and Flek, the sheepdogs, doing their job herding the sheep
📸 Almonds in flower
📸 Sheared sheep and a sunset
📸 Quagga against Limietberg
📸 Cloud, mountain, moon
📸 Keeley
14/10/2026
RANGER DIARY 🌿 When you take a guided drive through Elandsberg right now, you’ll catch plenty of newborns frolicking amid the herds, including bontebok and springbok. Look up, and you’ll see the birds put on a show of their own, busy with courtship displays, gathering nesting materials, and filling the air with vibrant calls.
This week, ranger Esmeralda explored Elandsberg alongside a guest armed with a serious camera lens. Here is a look at what was on her radar:
📸 Booted Eagle (Dwergarend)
📸 Malachite Sunbird: Not just a treat to look at; many of our local plants rely heavily on them for pollination!
📸 Spiny Agama: This curious little reptile sat patiently, posing like a total professional while we snapped a few shots ;-)
Come experience the season for yourself:
* bartholomeusklip.com/sleep/
* bartholomeusklip.com/day-trips/
* bartholomeusklip.com/cycling/
📸 Esmeralda
06/10/2026
Weekend plans? Here’s a thought…
Join the BK team and Leeuwenkuil w**emaker Pieter Carstens on Friday 9 October for another very special Smoke & Fire pop-up. This time around in the gardens at the Main Farmhouse.
Expect plenty of fire, smoke and seriously delicious braai bites, paired with beautiful w**es from just around the corner. Because really, viva the Swartland! 🍷🔥
It’s the kind of evening that feels wonderfully local: good food cooked over fire, great w**e from our own corner of the Cape, crisp Elandsberg air, and plenty of stories, laughter and conviviality around the table.
Want to make a weekend of it? Stay over at Bartholomeus Klip, either full-board at the Main Farmhouse or self-catering in one of our private farmhouses: bartholomeusklip.com/sleep/
BOOK NOW: [email protected]
INFO: bartholomeusklip.com/events/smoke-fire-pop-up/
Bartholomeus Klip **e
10/09/2026
Nowhere else on Earth. Literally. 🌍✨
Spring at Elandsberg Nature Reserve isn’t just a flower season - it’s a masterclass in biodiversity. Out of over 840 plant species found here, some occur nowhere else on the planet. Their scientific name says it all: elandsmontana, uniquely rooted in Elandsberg soil.
Ranger Esmeralda recently headed out into the veld with her camera, capturing some of our most remarkable floral treasures and the clever ways nature keeps them thriving:
🌸 From the striking Moraea tulbaghensis (Rooiflappie) and iridescent Moraea villosa, to the exceptionally rare Moraea elandsmontana - found only right here at Elandsberg.
🪲 Baeometra uniflora (Kewerlelie), seen here cradling a fuzzy monkey beetle dusted in pollen. These flowers evolved specifically to welcome beetles looking for food and shelter, turning them into unwitting pollen couriers.
🐦 Microloma sagittatum (Bokhorinkies / Buck Horns) produces copious rich nectar to entice sunbirds. Their long, curved beaks pe*****te the tight blossoms, lifting pollen sacs on their tongues to carry to the next bloom.
Towering gracefully above the low-growing renosterveld is the Black-headed Heron (Swartkopreier). Unlike typical waterbirds, these patient terrestrial hunters stalk through the open grassland, freezing dead-still before striking at grasshoppers, lizards, and field mice.
🌼 Experience it before the season ends:
Book your guided nature drive, lunch & stay: link in bio
www.bartholomeusklip.com
[email protected]
📸 Ranger Esmeralda
08/09/2026
Smoke & Fire with Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards | 9 October 2026 🔥
For the upcoming edition of our Smoke & Fire pop-up, we are opening our table to Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards on Friday, 9 October 2026.
🍷 Est. 1693, Leeuwenkuil is one of the oldest w**e farms in the Swartland. Led today by 7th-generation Willie and Emma Dreyer, alongside w**emaker Pieter Carstens, their w**es are crafted with wild fermentations that celebrate the raw, honest soul of the Swartland.
🧑🏻🍳 Pair those w**es with Chefs Louise Gillett and Christo Pretorius’ signature farm-to-fire-to-fork, smoke-kissed dishes, and you have an evening which feels like pure magic. More details on theme and venue to follow.
📅 Friday, 9 October 2026
📍 Venue: Elandsberg Farms
💌 Seats are limited, bookings essential: [email protected]
ℹ️ Information about past events: bartholomeusklip.com/events/smoke-fire-pop-up/
**es **e **e
01/09/2026
RANGER DIARY 🌿 Here’s what caught Ranger Keeley’s eye this week:
🌼 A peacock moraea, tucked in the fynbos, built to attract just one rare pollinator.
🐢 A leopard tortoise, unbothered, taking its time to cross the grass.
🦌 A red hartebeest playing hide-and-seek (found you!).
🐦 A secretary bird, spotted through a pair of binoculars.
🪺 A Southern masked weaver keeping busy.
🌸 Bokkie baroe (Cyphia volubilis).
🌺 Erica plukenetii, known as hangertjies ("small charms or pendants") ... you can easily see why with those gorgeous, pendulous tubular flowers!
🌺 A delicate spikelily standing out in the veld.
🌼 A long rush iris adding a splash of spring color.
🌿 A sundew flower—a carnivorous plant balancing insect traps with attracting pollinators.
🌸 Serruria candicans (Shiny Spiderhead) visited by a shaggy monkey beetle pollinator.
🪴 Pyjama bush / Eight-day healthbush: medicinal and beautiful.
🌾 And a Leucadendron, showing off its majestic shapes and colours.
As the farm settles in for the evening, a quiet falls over the valley. Just an ordinary day out here in early spring.
Come join us for a drive, settle in for lunch, and stay the night at the Farmhouse to experience it all firsthand.
📅 www.bartholomeusklip.com
📧 [email protected]
📸 Keeley
26/08/2026
Some things are worth reading over coffee. ☕
Our newsletter just went out! 📬
🌸Ranger sightings, seasonal specials, what's blooming, what's cooking at the Conservatory, and upcoming events, all in our new feauture.
Missed it? You can still subscribe so you're on the list for next time - and catch up on this issue online.
👉 Subscribe: www.bartholomeusklip.com/newsletter
👉 Read this issue: https://www.bartholomeusklip.com/?na=view&id=111
25/08/2026
Nature puts on quite a show at sunset. 🌅
Right now, the reserve's veld is dotted with delicate wild irises and the unmistakable Peacock Moraea - its dark, eye-like petal markings evolved to attract exactly the right pollinator. 🐝
🌼 Blink and you'll miss it; these blooms only last a few weeks each spring.
The best way to catch them? Join one of our expert rangers on a guided Land Rover drive through Elandsberg, then relax over lunch at the Conservatory. Stay the night in our Victorian Farmhouse and you'll be first out at sunrise for round two.
📅 Book your drive, lunch & stay: link in bio / www.bartholomeusklip.com
📧 [email protected]
📸 .gregor
Address
Elandsberg Nature Reserve
Hermon
7308
To get to the Elandsberg Nature Reserve in Hermon, there are a few options for transportation.
If you are taking public transport, you can take a train or bus to the nearest town, which is Wellington. From there, you can take a taxi or hire a car to drive the remaining distance to the nature reserve.
If you are driving, take the N1 highway towards Paarl and then turn onto the R44 towards Wellington. Continue on this road until you reach Hermon and then follow signs for the Elandsberg Nature Reserve.
Once you arrive at the nature reserve, there is parking available on site.
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What people say
Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse is a luxurious and exclusive lodge located on a working sheep and wheat farm in the Elandsberg Nature Reserve. The elegantly renovated Victorian farmhouse boasts only four bedrooms and a suite, ensuring that guests receive personalized attention from the friendly staff. The food, prepared by chef Louise Gillett and her team, is renowned for its quality and taste.
In addition to the farmhouse, there are two separate houses suitable for self-catering families or groups of friends. Each house has its own swimming pool, and food and farm produce can be ordered and delivered.
Guests can enjoy guided nature drives in an open Land Rover, explore the reserve on foot or by bicycle, or take in the magnificent scenery from a kayak on the farm dam. Riebeek Kasteel, with its quaint restaurants and art galleries, is only a 20-minute drive away.
Overall, Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse offers a luxurious full-board or self-catering farm stay experience in a stunning natural setting.
