This small, romantic country lodge with its four ultra luxurious rooms, is privately owned by Jon and Trish Hawkins. Michelle (manager) and Emile (chef) will be your hosts and offer personalised service and a warm South African welcome to guests seeking tranquillity, comfort and stylish sophistication in beautiful surroundings.
Conveniently situated halfway between Johannesburg and Durban and Bloemfontein, just 40 km from Harrismith and is close to many drakensberg resorts, Wild Horses is the perfect place to rejuvenate mind, body and soul.
We undertake to provide our guests with peaceful surroundings and complete privacy and, for this reason, children and pets and not permitted.
The Lodge consists of an accommodation wing, a dining room which opens onto an extensive terrace, a lounge with private library and a well-stocked wine cellar. A Koi pond, rim-flow pool, rose garden and landscaped indigenous garden complete the picture.
Accommodation is offered on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis or the Lodge can be booked in its entirety for private functions.
Smoking is not permitted in the Rooms, Bar, Guest Lounge or Dining Room, as in normal Drakensberg Accommodation.
Rooms at Wild Horses:
Four exquisite rooms are designed to maximise the views from the Lodge and have been individually decorated to exceptional standards in rich textures, colours and fabrics which reflect the extraordinary beauty of the surroundings. Original art works and Persian carpets, which cover the Cherry wood floors, have been carefully selected for each suite.
Rooms have sumptuous en-suite bathrooms with showers and slipper or spa baths, separate toilets, individual climate control, real log fireplaces and oil heaters. Television with DSTV is standard, as are hair driers, kettles, complimentary tea and coffee, a well-stocked bar fridge, digital safe and a writing pad and pen.
Creature comforts include Egyptian cotton linen on the beds, luxurious cotton bathrobes and towels and slippers.
Sunrise Room:
The northfacing Sunrise Room with its breathtaking views over the dam has its own entrance off the garden and is privy to spectacular sunrises which are offset by the beautiful sea green colour scheme of the room.
An extra length king size bed, ribbon voile curtains and a spa bath add to the luxury of the suite.
Sunset Room:
With its magnificent views over the mountains and dam, the Sunset Room is an apt name for this beautiful room, with its queen four poster bed, cherry wood flooring and gold silk curtains.
This upper level suite has a Juliette Balcony and slipper bath.
Guinea Fowl Room:
With its private entrance from the indigenous garden, romantic queen canopy bed and spa bath, this ground floor room is ideal for honeymoon couples.
Decorated in shades of cream, it has spectacular sunset views over the dam from its south west facing windows.
Zebra Room:
Situated on the upper level of the Lodge with awesome northern views over the dam,
the romantic Zebra Room is decorated in sumptuous golds and creams and has its own Juliette balcony and slipper bath in the en-suite bathroom.
On - Site Facilities:
Those wanting to relax and savour the tranquility and beauty of the surrounds will not be disturbed. Read the daily newspapers in the lounge. Bask in the sun at the rim-flow pool with its views over the expansive Sterkfontein Dam or indulge in a massage in your suite. Stroll around the indigenous garden or the extensive rose garden or watch the Koi glide through the cool waters of the pond.
The more energetic can choose from a host of on-site activities. Venture out with a delicious picnic basket prepared by our Chef, for a day of exhilarating hiking through the Nature Reserve.
The Lodge has employed the services of an independent consultant who, working with Nature Conservation, has developed a number of exciting hikes in local Conservation areas. The hikes are relatively easy and designed to allow guests to discover and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings with its grasslands and abundant wild flowers.
Hikes include visits to San rock paintings, wetlands and picnic spots. Sterkfontein dam is the home of a large variety of different species of fish , one of which is the yellowfish. Fly-fishing for this species is internationally acclaimed with hundreds of fish being caught in the season which generally lasts from October to the end of March.
The lodge offers the services of our local fly-fishing guru, Dave Weaver, for either lessons, lectures, or whole day fishing safaris.
The clarity of the water is so good that sight fishing is the order of the day. To cast a dry fly at a sighted fish in the shallow with a 5wt rod is the pinnacle of fresh water fly fishing. The 18,000 ha Sterkfontein Game Reserve is a birder's paradise, with a bird list of 195 species. There have been excellent sightings of Cape Vulture and Bearded Vulture. In short grassland areas Yellow-breasted Pipit and Amur Falcon have been observed.
Local waterbird species include Little Grebe, Goliath Heron, Egyptian Goose, South African Shelduck, Caspian Tern, African Fish-Eagle and Osprey. In the grassland and open bush areas Common Quail, Grey-winged Francolin, White-bellied Korhaan, Ground Woodpecker, Mountain Wheatear, Buff-streaked Chat, Drakensberg Prinia and Yellow-crowned Bishop are spotted regularly.
The rocky slopes provide habitat for several species such as Red-winged Francolin, Cape Rock-Thrush and, during winter, Malachite Sunbird. Other raptors such as Verreauxs' Eagle, Jackal Buzzard, Black Harrier and Rock Kestrel are common, while Southern Bald Ibis breeds on sandstone krantzes in the reserve and can be seen foraging in grassland. Look out for the rare Rudd's Lark which occurs in short grassland. Daily cruises for game viewing are offered in the Lodge's 29ft Sea Ray Bow Rider, which can accommodate up to 16 people. The biggest in its class, the boat has a fridge, toilet, sophisticated sound system, tables for snacks and cocktails and is controlled by a state of the art computerised system.
Swimming from the boat is a popular diversion. The boat can also be chartered for private sundowner cruises and romantic getaways to lesser known sites on the dam. Charter rates are dependant on the nature and duration of the cruise.
Our Chef provides delicious snacks and cocktails for sunset boat cruises and charters. Explore the surroundings on one of the Lodge's specially bred horses. Well trained and sure-footed, these horses are suitable for riders of all levels.
Guests are accompanied on outrides by a Lodge groom and can choose an easy or more rigorous outride, with the option of stopping at a picnic site to enjoy a delicious picnic prepared by the Chef.
Those wanting to relax and savour the tranquility and beauty of the surrounds will not be disturbed. Read the daily newspapers in the lounge. Bask in the sun at the rim-flow pool with its views over the expansive Sterkfontein Dam. Stroll around the indigenous garden or the extensive rose garden or watch the Koi glide through the cool waters of the pond.
Every care has been taken to make your stay at Wild Horses as comfortable as possible and to provide outstanding facilities and amenities.
• The Dining Room offers a five star dining experience;
• Massages can be booked by prior arrangement, are charged for separately, and take place in the privacy of the guest's suite;
• The library has a good selection of novels and other reading material;
• The guest lounge has underfloor heating, DSTV, Internet access and fax facility;
• The lodge has excellent 24-hour security and a rifle safe;
• There is Wireless Internet connectivity and good cellphone reception.
Shuttle services are available to and from OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg), Durban International Airport and local tourist destinations.
Wild Horses is the only privately owned guesthouse in the Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve which lies in the foothills of the Drakensberg Escarpment, in the Free State province of South Africa.
It is conveniently situated close to a number of quaint South African towns including Harrismith, named after an early governor of the Cape, Sir Harry Smith, and Clarens, a popular tourist destination.
Beautiful Weddings:
Many beautiful brides have had their dream day become a reality at our lodge with every wish and desire catered for. Our mountain provides a setting that is exclusive and unique where the couple can customize their special day by meeting with our staff to discuss every important detail of this momentous occasion.
The fear of compromising our excellent cuisine, attention to detail and 5 star service, limits us to catering for not more than 40 guests.
When the vows are over and the rings in place, this is the perfect place from which to begin your married life .
Your Honeymoon:
As your first trip as man and wife, honeymoons are important. They set the tone for your life together and it's a time that you'll remember for many years to come. You spent months pulling together a perfect wedding and now it's time to relax and enjoy this time as a newly united couple.
Wild Horses is perfect for the couple looking for solitude and pampering after many months of hectic wedding planning. Luxury goes hand-in-hand with fine wine and superlative dining. You can spend a romantic afternoon on a picnic, enjoy lunch overlooking the Sterkfontein dam or have romantic sundowners on the boat while viewing game.
Your every whim will be catered to and your evenings will include a romantic candle-lit dinner before retiring to your sumptuous room with en-suite bathroom, with showers and slipper or spa baths, separate toilets, individual climate control, real log fireplaces and oil heaters ... all adding to the romance.
Special Events:
Parties by nature should be fun, and exciting. Host your next event in a venue that will really get your guests talking and leave a memorable impression.
Grand celebrations demand a venue that does justice to the event - somewhere with style, and blessed with superb views. That location is Wild Horses. We offer a very private, exclusive venue for those extra special occasions such as a wedding proposal, an engagement celebration dinner, an intimate birthday surprise or an anniversary.
Whatever the event, we'll make sure your big day is captivating.
