Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse | Visitors to Africa

I first brought guests to Cleopatra in September 1999, and I've come back whenever my journeys pass through the Drakensberg.

Richard and I go back nearly thirty years. In 2000 we stood together in his dining room beside that evening's menu, chalked up on the board, and you'll find the photograph further down this page.

John Sparks

The place

A farm at the foot of the mountains

Cleopatra stands in the Kamberg Valley, where the mist rises off the Drakensberg in the morning. It's built on the farm Richard Poynton's grandfather settled in the early twentieth century.

The lounge and dining room sit out over a trout dam, looking straight up at the escarpment. Highmoor Nature Reserve begins at the farm boundary, with walks past rock pools and waterfalls. Closer to the house there's an English-style garden to wander in.

The dining room with doors open onto the deck and the dam — The dining room, open onto the deck and the water.

The walled garden and farmhouse with the mountains behind — The garden, with the escarpment beyond the roof.

John Sparks and Richard Poynton beside the chalkboard menu in Cleopatra's dining room in 2000 — Richard Poynton and me in the dining room at Cleopatra, 2000, beside that night's menu.

The table

Dinner is the reason to come

Richard was the chef then, and he still is. He and Mouse are both chefs, and the menu changes every evening with the season and with what has come in from the garden, often picked minutes before it reaches the table.

I've eaten all over the world, and I haven't found a dinner like it anywhere else.

Breakfast and dinner are part of the stay, and dinner is the main event of the day.

A soup topped with caviar — From Richard's kitchen. The menu is different every night, so these are a taste rather than a promise.

Prawn wrapped in ham, with a red pepper sauce — From Richard's kitchen. The menu is different every night, so these are a taste rather than a promise.

Where you'll sleep

Every room is different

The rooms are quirky, comfortable and individually decorated, and each looks across the dam to the mountains.

One of the guest rooms, with a sitting area and botanical prints — One of the rooms: every one is decorated differently.

Standard rooms

Each with its own character and the view across the water.

Luxury and executive suites

More space, and the same mountains in the window.

Executive cottages

A little more privacy.

Your days here

Walk, fish, ride, or do very little

Walks in Highmoor

Trails past rock pools and waterfalls. Bearded vultures and black eagles live along these cliffs, though they keep their own schedule.

San rock art

The painted caves in the nearby Kamberg Nature Reserve, with a guide.

Trout fishing

In the dam below the dining room, or in the mountain streams.

Horse riding

Out through the farmland and into the foothills.

Birdwatching

On the farm and in the reserve. Bring binoculars.

Helicopter flights

A helicopter and pilot can be called in for a flight along the escarpment, weather permitting.

A bearded vulture on a rock ledge in the Drakensberg — A bearded vulture, one of the rare birds of these cliffs.

Before you arrive

Good to know

Check-in and check-out

Check-in from 12:00 to 19:00. Check-out by 10:00.

Getting there

About two hours by road from Durban. The last stretch is slow going, so take your time and enjoy the farmland. A helicopter can be arranged.

Children

Cleopatra welcomes guests aged 12 and over.

What to pack

A warm layer whatever the month: nights in the mountains are cold. Walking shoes, and binoculars for the birds.

A helicopter landing on the lawn below the Drakensberg — Arriving at Cleopatra by helicopter.

By air

The quickest way in

The road is part of the experience, but for guests travelling by helicopter the Drakensberg opens up below you on the way in.