Adapted for blog use. Original story by Getaway Magazine. High in the foothills of the Drakensberg, far from any coastline, an extraordinary journey once began — one that would carry three men from rural South Africa all the way to England… in a homemade boat. In the mid-1800s, Norwegian immigrants Zefanius Olsen and the brothers […]
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Dear Friends 2026 has begun! We have a brand-new Reception and Shop and a few other exciting projects planned for the year. As forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, continues to gain traction in the wellness space, we’re introducing a secluded forest sauna pod near the spa. The pathway will extend to a quiet clearing where guests
Dear Friends Year-end seems to happen ever so quickly! It’s a time to tie up all the lose ends and get ready to pull out the decorations that make the season shine with festivity and brightness. We are busy finishing the upgrades of a couple of bathrooms at The Cavern, we have resurfaced the top
Life can be overwhelming when we look into the vast landscapes of the world around us and see how much need there is. Rural KwaZulu-Natal, particularly areas like the AmaZizi Valley, faces high levels of multidimensional poverty, affecting children’s access to essentials like nutrition, sanitation, healthcare, and early education. With 75.8% of children in the
In April 2024, the Northern Drakensberg Nature Reserve was officially gazetted and another 6500ha of pristine mountain grassland is to be preserved. This gorgeous part of the region is best explored on foot, horseback or through the meandering cycle tracks. With slackpacking becoming a popular option, we decide to explore the idea of developing the
In 2002 Bruwer Raats and Mzokhona Mvemve combined their artistry and Mvemve Raats was born. We delve a little deeper to see how paths crossed and what inspired the creation of MR de Compostella. Who is Bruwer Raats and how did he get into producing wines? Bruwer grew up in the Eastern Cape and whilst
The Underground Cellar was built in 2013 and has been a wonderful gathering space at The Cavern for many years. We stock a wide range of excellent South African wines, at good value, and we are fortunate to have many wine tastings through the year. In fact we have about 2000 bottles of wine, representing
We have just returned from a really special book launch in Durban. This book, “South African Indigenous Garden Plants – the gardener’s guide”, has been over a decade in the making and we have seen the hours of labour poured into creating it. Elsa is co-author but she is also host to our Wild Flower
It is easy, when pondering the power of possibility, to get caught up in clichés such as, ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’ But the thing about clichés that is easy to forget is that most of them has an origin in some measure of truth. Nothing signifies this stronger than the
Gill has been teaching Botanical Art at The Cavern with Elsa Pooley for more than 20 years! She is an expert in her field and we are so fortunate to have a few of her paintings on display at The Cavern. Gill & Elsa will be with us again from Monday 25th November to Sunday
