LULA IN GREYTON
140km from cape town, za.
34.0534° s, 19.6104° e
Greyton is a South African favourite & it really is no wonder why so many people love visiting this quaint, natural village. Nestled in the hollow of the incredible Riviersonderend Mountain Range in the Overberg, you’ll find untarred roads, 4×4 trails, fields of sunshine & a bustling & artistic village centre with galleries, bars & restaurants, a pharmacy & a doctor. Interestingly, Greyton is South Africa’s first Transition Town. The community of Greyton came together to build a resilient, sustainable village in which everybody enjoys security from rising costs in fuel, food and other essentials.
Greyton was established in 1854, but the verdant plains and forested ravines of the area were home to the Hassequas Khoikhoi tribe (the traditionally nomadic pastoralist indigenous population of southwestern Africa) well before that. They had their kraals (lifestock enclosures) near the Gobos river, which they named after their ancestral chief.
Because they had many thousand heads of cattle and sheep, Ensign Schriver of the Castle of Good Hope was sent there in the late 1600s to barter with their head man, Captain Stoffel Koekson. Koekson became tremendously wealthy from this bartering that he eventually took his people to live in the Boschmanskloof, where he built them proper mud-brick houses, the foundations of which still lie under the old houses of Boschmanskloof today.
in the hollow of the mountains
LULA IN GREYTON
140km from cape town.
34.0534° s, 19.6104° e
Greyton is a South African favourite & it really is no wonder why so many people love visiting this quaint, natural village. Nestled in the hollow of the incredible Riviersonderend Mountain Range in the Overberg, you’ll find untarred roads, 4×4 trails, fields of sunshine & a bustling & artistic village centre with galleries, bars & restaurants, a pharmacy & a doctor. Interestingly, Greyton is South Africa’s first Transition Town. The community of Greyton came together to build a resilient, sustainable village in which everybody enjoys security from rising costs in fuel, food and other essentials.
Greyton was established in 1854, but the verdant plains and forested ravines of the area were home to the Hassequas Khoikhoi tribe (the traditionally nomadic pastoralist indigenous population of southwestern Africa) well before that. They had their kraals (lifestock enclosures) near the Gobos river, which they named after their ancestral chief.
Because they had many thousand heads of cattle and sheep, Ensign Schriver of the Castle of Good Hope was sent there in the late 1600s to barter with their head man, Captain Stoffel Koekson. Koekson became tremendously wealthy from this bartering that he eventually took his people to live in the Boschmanskloof, where he built them proper mud-brick houses, the foundations of which still lie under the old houses of Boschmanskloof today.
what we learned
- The weather is moderate. Pack both light & warm clothing as the evenings can still be quite chilly, even in November.
- Expect to see lots of farms (& smell them). Along the road you’ll find golden sheep, donkeys (oh my actual goodness) & even Nguni Cows, which are so beautiful.
- The houses in Greyton are too cute (& fairly inexpensive), and the people are very welcoming. We also made friends with the world’s cutest (& sausage-y-est) English bulldog while we ate our lunch.
- Perfect for even day visits, though there are so many options for accommodation that we doubt you’d want to go home too soon.
- Greyton is the gateway to exploring the Overberg region. There are gazillions of hiking, cycling & 4×4 trails, and on a hot day you can plunge into one of the mountain pools. Greyton is flanked by two rivers, one of which originates in the mountain resulting in ice cold, crystal clear water that are irresistible on a hot summers’ day.
- Pack mosquito spray!
our trip
- We stayed at the incredibly picturesque Kleine Eike Estate! This campsite has the most stunning sites all along the riverfront and we were so lucky to have the very best spot. Rustic but tasteful ablutions, canoes & horse rides were a very welcome surprise.
- This time we rented an Echo 4 Offroad Trailer as our accommodation. We battled to get pitch it in the wind, but that later died down.
- Can’t say that I totally loved sleeping on the bed at the top, so eventually swapped with the boys.
- Max conquered his fear of horses! He was most excited to have a ride. What a cowboy!
- On the second night, we enjoyed the most amazing braai in the evening overlooking the river as a couple of Blue Cranes flew and cawed along the water. The entire camp went silent. What a phenomenal thing to hear! Goosebumps for sure!
- Nick, the owner of the estate, also has a Land Rover Defender, and he continued the Land Rover comradery by being super helpful and suggesting a 4×4 route with the most amazing views of Greyton.
what we learned
- The weather is moderate. Pack both light & warm clothing as the evenings can still be quite chilly, even in November.
- Expect to see lots of farms (& smell them). Along the road you’ll find golden sheep, donkeys (oh my actual goodness) & even Nguni Cows, which are so beautiful.
- The houses in Greyton are too cute (& fairly inexpensive), and the people are very welcoming. We also made friends with the world’s cutest (& sausage-y-est) English bulldog while we ate our lunch.
- Perfect for even day visits, though there are so many options for accommodation that we doubt you’d want to go home too soon.
- Greyton is the gateway to exploring the Overberg region. There are gazillions of hiking, cycling & 4×4 trails, and on a hot day you can plunge into one of the mountain pools. Greyton is flanked by two rivers, one of which originates in the mountain resulting in ice cold, crystal clear water that are irresistible on a hot summers’ day.
- Pack mosquito spray!
our trip
- We stayed at the incredibly picturesque Kleine Eike Estate! This campsite has the most stunning sites all along the riverfront and we were so lucky to have the very best spot. Rustic but tasteful ablutions, canoes & horse rides were a very welcome surprise.
- This time we rented an Echo 4 Offroad Trailer as our accommodation. We battled to get pitch it in the wind, but that later died down.
- Can’t say that I totally loved sleeping on the bed at the top, so eventually swapped with the boys.
- Max conquered his fear of horses! He was most excited to have a ride. What a cowboy!
- On the second night, we enjoyed the most amazing braai in the evening overlooking the river as a couple of Blue Cranes flew and cawed along the water. The entire camp went silent. What a phenomenal thing to hear! Goosebumps for sure!
- Nick, the owner of the estate, also has a Land Rover Defender, and he continued the Land Rover comradery by being super helpful and suggesting a 4×4 route with the most amazing views of Greyton.
