Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat

Spa Facilities

Spa facilities at Bushmans:

• Four treatment rooms for dual and single treatments with rain shower
• Crystal steam room, featuring Rock Quartz Crystal renowned for its healing properties
• Tranquillity Lounge for unwinding in between and, after all, spa therapies
• Health Bar with homemade treats and fresh hand-picked Rooibos Tea
• Fitness Centre with a range of cardio and resistance equipment
• Spa Gazebo by the Boontjies River is an extraordinary spa experience for dual treatments
• Heated outdoor jet pool
• Elemis and Dermalogica products

Fitness facilities at Bushmans:

• Weight training equipment
• Bosu balls
• Yoga mats
• Exercise bicycle
• Rowing machine
• Treadmill

Swimming

The Bushmans Kloof Hotel in South Africa features four outdoor swimming pools. Three infinity pools and the one heated swimming pool is located at the Homestead.

Spa treatments

The surroundings are therapy in themselves, but the Spa at Bushmans Kloof is the focus of the abundant natural healing energy. The wellness center here is a peaceful sanctuary where one can surrender to the ancient mystical powers of the African landscape, rejuvenate and replenish peace and harmony.

Individual treatments and spa journeys are available which are personalised for each guest by exceptionally skilled therapists. Their commitment to wellbeing focuses on holistic principles, combining ancient wisdom with modern expertise. The spa menu offers an extensive variety of health and beauty enhancing treatments to ensure guests are nurtured, purified, pampered and relaxed.

Hydrotherapy 

The recuperative and healing properties of hydrotherapy are instrumental in stimulating the immune system. It influences the production of stress hormones, invigorating the circulation and digestion, encouraging blood flow and lessening pain sensitivity. The Bushmans Kloof retreat in South Africa offers various sources with which to enjoy the pleasure and benefits of the Cederberg’s invigoratingly clean, natural water.

Swim in the still waters of the dam, the crystal clear rock pools, or in natural waterfalls, and rejuvenate your body by the millions of ions in the water. Water, in motion, stimulates touch receptors on the skin, boosting blood circulation and releasing tight muscles.

Guests are invited to unwind at one of the four tranquil swimming pools or have a body wrap and Rasul mud treatment in the Crystal Steam Room, with a hot steam and cold water experience, which helps increase circulation and bring oxygen and nutrients in, while forcing toxins and pathogens out.

Crystal Steam Room

The Crystal Steam Room features a central block of pure Rock Quartz Crystal, renowned as a ‘master healer’ and ‘deep soul cleaner’. It absorbs, stores, releases and regulates energy and draws off negative energy of all kinds, harmonising the chakras, amplifying energy, balance and revitalising physical, mental, emotional and spiritual planes. It helps cleanse and enhance the organs, connecting the physical dimension with the mind, aids concentration and unlocks memory.

Bushmans Kloof Spa facilities:

•  4 Treatment Rooms for dual and single treatments
•  The Crystal Steam Room with Rock Quartz Crystal is maintained at a temperature of 42 – 45 ºC with moist, aromatic heat, heated floors, walls and seats
•  The Tranquillity Lounge to relax in between and, after all, spa treatments with lounge chairs, music, books or to meditate
•  Health Bar with healthy homemade snacks and fresh hand-picked Rooibos tea to enjoy between treatments
•  The Riverside Gazebo is a unique dual treatment room with exceptional panoramic views and tranquil waters. An outdoor spa experience where you can be truly at one with the natural environment
•  Rain Showers, private changing areas, secure lockers, fresh towels, slippers and gowns
•  Fitness Centre with a full range of cardio and resistance equipment
•  Heated Outdoor Jet Pool surrounded by spectacular views
•  Wellbeing Activities include audio meditation in the reserve and yoga mats in all rooms, mountain biking, canoeing, hiking and walking trails in the reserve

Fitness Centre

For guests who enjoy a daily workout, or simply wish to work up an appetite for the next delicious meal at Bushmans Kloof, there is a specialised mini-gym equipped available with a spinning cycle, bar and weights, yoga mats, Pilates balls, mirrors, bottled water and towels.S

Located in one wing of the Homestead, Bushmans Kloof's Fitness Centre looks onto the jet-pool patio and is next door to the dual massage room.

Rock Art

Bushmans Kloof guests have the opportunity to enjoy daily excursions to discover the caves and rock art sites accompanied by professional guides who provide insight into the rich cultural history of the Bushman.  Bushman is the diminutive ochre-skinned hunter-gatherers who were dubbed 'Bushmen' by the early Settlers.

Bleeding Nose Shelter

One of the most famous Bushman Rock Art sites is Bleeding Nose Shelter, where the paintings stand out richly against the White Sandstone. This was probably a ceremonial site, and subjects include eland, small antelope, rare paintings of birds and a whole variety of humans standing, dancing and shooting with bows. 

Fallen Rock Shelter

The massive slab that gives Fallen Rock Shelter its name is dramatic, it features one of the largest and most well-preserved collections of images known in the entire Pakhuis region.

Sonya's Cave

Sonya’s Cave shelters a series of ledges which are filled with tall, elongated, male figures painted red. Nearby, figures in black depict giraffes and antelope can be viewed. The Bushman used natural pigments such as ochre, animal blood and plant juices to make their paintings. While some colours have been lost over time, numerous clearly discernible pictographs have survived to serve as cultural markers, revealing the shamans’ visions, tribal dances, and other spiritual rites.

Optional excursions

• Wupperthal village & historic Moravian mission station
• Cederberg Wilderness Area
• Biedouw River canoeing & fly-fishing
• Lambert's Bay - fishing village and seabird colonies
• Clanwilliam Museum - Anglo-Boer war memorabilia
• Goue Vallei wine cellars, Citrusdal
• Cederberg Private Cellars - the Cape’s highest lying vineyards

other Activities

• guided rock art excursions
• sunset and evening nature drives
• fynbos excursions
• picnics at a variety of locations throughout the Bushmans Kloof Reserve
• canoeing
• fly fishing
• archery and croquet
• full and half day hiking trails
• running and jogging
• mountain biking
• stargazing
• bird watching
• early morning power walks and guided meditation

Botanical tours

The Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve is a South African Natural Heritage Site within the Cederberg Wilderness Area, and forms part of the Cape Floral Region, a proclaimed World Heritage Site.

Depending on the occurrence of good winter rainfalls, the veld bursts into magnificent flower between July and October every year.  The botanical treasures of Bushmans Kloof include over 755 indigenous plant species spread over three biomes: dry mountain Fynbos, Succulent Karoo and Mountain forest. Some of these species cannot be found anywhere else, and Bushmans Kloof has identified its “Special Collection” – plant species unique to the area and which are being nurtured on the property.

Wildlife encounters

The Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve in the Western Cape of South Africa protects one of the largest private herds of Cape Mountain Zebra in the world - an animal saved from the brink of extinction in the wild.

It's bold black-on-white stripes identify the Cape Mountain Zebra - as opposed to its savanna-dwelling cousin (Burchell's Zebra), which has extra brown 'shadow' stripes, and a cream undercoat. The wildlife reintroduction programme has also seen the return of the magnificent Bontebok, Red Hartebeest, Grey Rhebok and Ostrich.

Smaller animals such as the Bat-Eared Fox, African Wildcat, Cape Fox, Caracal (African Lynx), Cape Clawless Otter, Baboon, Rock hyrax (Dassie), Klipspringer, Aardwolf and Aardvark also roam the plains and rocky outcrop of the Bushmans Kloof Reserve.

For the safety of both guests and the breeding herds of reintroduced animals, there are no significant predators at Bushmans Kloof. Only the rare and secretive Cape Leopard roams among the most remote mountains in the reserve. A vast diversity of birdlife including 150 species from the great African Fish eagle to the jewel-like Sunbird. Keen birders may even spot a Black Harrier, and some dams have been established around the Lodge to attract resident waterfowl.