Find relaxation and adventure at the foot of the Luonde mountain

Farm tours, fishing and more await those who book a stay at Softwaters Farm Guesthouse, which looks out over Limpopo’s beautiful Levubu Valley

- Riaan Hattingh

Located on the Soutpansberg mountain range, Softwaters Farm Guesthouse lies at the foot of the Luonde mountain, about 450km northeast of Johannesburg in Limpopo. It is part of a 80ha working farm, where the main crop is macadamia nuts.

Owner Michael Holford recalls that in the early 1980s, he and his wife Suzanne had both been involved with missionary and community building projects in the then Ciskei and Venda homelands.

“We often drove through this area, and when Softwaters came up for sale in 1985, we jumped at the chance to buy it. It had a workshop at the one end, and a small house at the other.

“I expanded the house, while maintaining its character, and later moved the workshop closer to home once we had laid electricity cables.” Today, Holford no longer farms; however, his eldest son, Tim, rents the farm, along with his business partners.

“They take care of the farming and hospitality activities, while I spend most of my time in the kitchen making breakfast, and I sometimes take guests on farm tours,” he adds.

A COMFORTABLE STAY

Softwaters offers guests several accommodation options. The Choctaw Room, which sleeps two people, is located in the main house. It has a private en-suite bathroom, and breakfast is included. The house also has a kitchen, dining room and lounge, which all of the guests are welcome to make use of.

Two self-catering cottages, each with a double bed and bathroom, are also available.

“The cottage kitchens include fridges and stoves, but guests can ask us to prepare morning meals for them [at an additional cost] if they wish,” explains Holford.