Kruistementvlei Farm

An undisclosed gem lies atop the Piketberg mountain in the Western Cape where sincere nature lovers can experience the full spectrum of an eco-friendly farm. Whichever travelling type you are: the more comfort orientated or the adventurer, there is a spot for you. Kruistementvlei Farm offers accommodation to both campers and self catering cottage travelers. Hiking, cycling, bouldering/rock climbing, swimming (if the dam is full and water supply is ample) and satellite spotting are there for the taking. Herbs, compost making, earth worm farming and recycling are just some of the nature projects on this farm that can be viewed anytime.

We choose to farm with nature, because nature knows best. We try to observe our environment and be aware of what nature is telling us. Our most important focus is the soil and everything else centres around this. Our hot water system is a compost heap generating hot water and when spent, the final product is used on our fruit trees. In order to preserve our watercourse and save water we make use of dry toilet systems using sawdust as cover, in most of our facilities. The dry toilet systems are composted in a separate composting system to be used on the wood lot that will supply wood for the farm. Our pigs and chickens are an attraction to the visitors, a supply of nutrients for the compost heap as well as meat for our table. All organic matter is valuable – we recycle whatever is possible and it all goes back to the soil. Waste fruit from a fruit factory, cut offs from a toilet factory, saw dust from a saw mill, old woods and pallets are all products that we welcome in our systems: from our worm farms to our planting systems.

Riëtte and her late husband, Jeremy, bought Kruistementvlei in 2001 when they decided to call off corporate life and embrace farm life. Together with their boys, Geoffrey and Casey, they worked towards a more sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle. Their love of the soil, people and adventure made for a good combination that led to the farm “organically” growing into an eco-guest farm. Today Riëtte is continuing the legacy they built up. The short tours offered to guests aim to reconnect people to the natural systems that they take for granted: community, water, energy, and managing their “waste”. The various community projects run on the farm aim at sharing and growing everyone involved: library, youth, farmers market and workaway.

Living as close to nature as possible and happy to share this piece of paradise with others, is still Riëtte’s joy. “It has never been about how much profit we can make or how we can contribute to causes; it has always been about meaningful engagement with our community and the environment we live in.”