What are we doing here?

 In 2017 Rob and Sam Lundie bought 60 hectares of abandoned aliens in the Banhoek valley. Six years later with the help of their tiny but committed team, Camissa farm is unrecognisable and teems with life from the soil up.
We are delighted to be able to share this transformative journey with the guests who stay in our five cottages. 

At Camissa, we farm on a small scale and you may notice that our orchards are mixed. Olives, almonds, lemons, rosemary, garlic, rose-geranium, avos, walnuts, macadamia, and asparagus live happily together. This is to promote diversity and confuse the pests thereby reducing our need to spray. We have a growing herd of grass-fed Dexter cattle and Hampshire Downs sheep that mow the oats between the orchard rows.

After buying the farm six years ago,we cleared it of impenetrable alien forest and have planted thousands of trees, both indigenous and fruiting. The plan is to leave 75% of the farm to return to natural parkland and there are exciting mountain bike and hiking trails around the farm that link into the Banhoek Conservancy network. 

As well as “Camissa” a three bedroom cottage overlooking 2 small dams, we also rent out our gorgeous eco cabins “Almond” “Avocado” and “Rosemary” in Horseshoe Valley and the  “Bed in the Shed” an upstairs/downstairs bedroom and living area with the best view on the farm. This is available for ones and twos who don’t mind an early start on week days!  Weekends are peaceful like everywhere else on the farm. 

You will find all the usual suspects prowling around after dark; leopard, porcupine, buck, mongoose….I am particularly fond of the chameleonic agama lizards which are always to be found in couples during the day, sunbathing on the huge rocks that stud the hillsides. There is a nesting pair of jackal buzzards which circle constantly and several families of eagle owls that keep the rodents largely under control. At night you will hear nightjars calling and clicking stream frogs chirruping by the dam. If you are unlucky you may be disturbed by a raucous toad party. When that happens I try to feel grateful that the toads are the most raucous creatures in my neighbourhood.