Facilities

 Accommodation | Communications | On-Site Activities | Off-Site Activities

 

Accommodation

Guest accommodation at Quaggasfontein comprises twelve double bedroom suites each having their own bathroom with a bath and /or a shower. (Fred and his family use three additional suites in the Manor House.)

Two guest suites - the Quagga Suite and the Gemsbok Suite - are situated adjacent to the Manor House and each have both a bath and a shower together with other facilities like heated towel rails and hair driers. The Quagga Suite has an adjoining room with two beds and is therefore suitable for a family with younger children, or the rooms may be used as “his” and “her” bedrooms. 

The Wildebeest Suite is midway between the Manor House and the Chalet, adjacent to the swimming pool and the pool bar/games room.  
 

Three suites – The Bontebok, The Springbok and The Steenbok – are in the Chalet, a self contained dwelling-some 70m from the Manor House. The Chalet has a fully equipped kitchen, lounge and dining room together with a patio and outside barbeque facilities. Suites in the Chalet are smaller than those mentioned above, but occupants do of course have the private use of the lounge and the patio together with the Chalet’s private garden.

Although the Chalet has full catering facilities, almost all guests staying in the Chalet always dine at the Manor House for purposes of convenience and because only part of the group is housed in the Chalet. On occasion, however, guests do enjoy catering for themselves and use the facilities at the Chalet for a barbeque or a traditional meal of their liking. In so far as is possible we will supply the ingredients should they be available in Colesberg.  

             

The remaining suites are in the Game Lodge some 4km from the Manor House within an area often frequented by all game species. This lodge has been restored with an emphasis on natural materials as far as possible and has magnificent views down Kudu valley. The lapa/barbeque area is some 10m from an oft-frequented water hole that is particularly popular with nocturnal species. Accommodation comprises a massive bar/lounge/dining area, a double kitchen and six en-suite double bedrooms, one having a small private garden and outdoor private jacuzzi. Small conferences (8 to 12 persons) are possible at this venue.

The Windpoort lodge is some 12km from the Manor House and has three double bedrooms and three bathrooms, together with a kitchen, dining room/lounge and barbeque facilities. This accommodation is used for additional catering staff when we host a party of guests that is larger than normal.

Communications

We have digital satellite television that enables you to keep in touch with world developments via CNN, CNBC (business channel), BBC, Sky News, and Bloomberg (business channel). GSM cell phone reception is good on most parts of Quaggasfontein but not at the Manor House as it is situated in an area that is somewhat lower than the surroundings. The fixed line telephone is perfectly adequate for sending and receiving faxes and for connecting to the Internet, albeit at speeds that never exceed 24 000 bps because of a radio link on the system. The download of large files from the Internet is therefore cumbersome but normal e-mail messages are not a problem.  

On-site activities  

When not in pursuit of that elusive photograph or trophy, you can participate in the following activities offered at Quaggasfontein:

 

 

      Ø  Game viewing from our helicopter is available as are helicopter flips to the surrounding areas.
 


      Ø  Join us on evening and after dinner game drives to view and photograph nocturnal animals such 

             as the rare aardwolf, aardvark and caracal. (Not for the faint-hearted in mid-winter).  

  

 

Ø Even if you dislike walking you will enjoy our game walks. The walks can be as long or as short as you wish: refreshments and the vehicle are only a cell phone call away.

Ø Play tennis, by day or night.

Ø Swim when temperatures allow or simply lounge around the pool in winter. Help yourself from the fully stocked bar in the pool /games room.  

Ø In the evenings you may feel inclined to take on the then resident champion at darts, pool or table tennis.

Ø Participate in supervised clay pigeon shooting (at nominal additional charge to cover the cost of the clays and shotgun cartridges.)

Ø Undertake mountain bike rides, either on or off-road.

Ø Play croquet on our magnificent lawns.

Ø Visit our passive capture facilities in order that you may experience first hand how our game animals are captured and marketed. 

Ø Visit the von Plettenberg beacon site on Quaggasfontein where Governor von Plettenberg erected a beacon in 1787 to mark the most northeasterly extremity of the Cape Province. He and his party wiped out a good number (23 in fact) of the then indigenous population of hippo whose home was the Seacow River.  (The picture below is of a monument erected on the beacon site.)  

 

Ø Visitors to the Karoo are usually stunned by the clarity of the night skies as a result of the lack of pollution and the low level of artificial lighting in the rural areas. If you have an interest in astronomy, you will have the most tremendous viewing of the Southern Hemisphere constellations. 

      Ø Visit the Bushman engravings on Quaggasfontein.

Ø Skateboard the purpose-made ramps of Quaggasfontein (see photographs) but only for youngsters and definitely not for the inebriated. 

Off-site activities

The following activities can be arranged at additional cost and can be undertaken using Quaggasfontein as your base. Kindly enquire about costs when you contact us.

Ø    Play golf at Colesberg golf club.

Ø    Visit places of interest in Colesberg, including a guided tour of the Museum and
the battle sites around Colesberg where the Boers and the British slugged it out.

Ø      Enjoy a sundowners cruise on the Orange River through magnificent gorges.

Ø    If you enjoy thrills and don’t mind a drenching, you may wish to go white-water
rafting on the Orange River. (A minimum of three days is required.)

Ø    Visit the Gariep Dam, the fish farm and nature reserve.

Ø    Horse-trailing is available through some breathtaking scenery along the Orange River and surrounding mountains. (Experienced riders only.)  

Post-safari activities

We will arrange the following post-safari activities upon request. Clients should note, however, that significant additional cost is entailed as only Five Star accommodation is utilized.

Ø    Garden Route golf excursion. Play at Fancourt in George, George Country Club and
at Plettenberg Bay Country Club.

Ø    Garden route sightseeing excursion. See the famous whales of Plettenberg Bay
(winter months only) and visit the many places of interest in George,
Plettenberg Bay and Knysna.

Ø    Cape Peninsula excursion to Cape Town and the winelands.
(An experienced tour operator will be arranged to accompany you on this leg of your journey.)

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