Mvemve Grootpoort Lodge

MVEMVE GROOT POORT LODGE …WHERE THE KLIP RIVER BEGINS

Located in the Northern Drakensberg on the border of Free State and KwaZulu Natal, Mvemve Groot Poort Lodge is an expanded and refurbished farmhouse. The lodge is nestled amongst gum, pine, and oak trees in a valley, on a 540 hectare (1,330 acres) working farm. The patio and yard open towards pastures and a dramatic ridge line. Here, the mighty Klip River of Johannesburg is still but a small winding stream. The lodge, surrounded by hills, trees and pastures, sits at an elevation of 1825 meters.

Book a room

Mvemve Groot Poort Lodge welcomes you with spacious and comfortable private bedrooms, with private and shared bathrooms available. All the rooms are appointed with 100% cotton sheets and towels, and feather or microfiber duvets and pillows (your choice!). We prepare and serve three delicious home-style meals per day, plus tea and goodies each afternoon. The lodge also has a large living room, dining room, and a recreation room that opens to the patio and yard for use by all guests.

We like to say that the lodge is “at the corner of Free State and KZN.” The farm shares the provincial border with KwaZulu Natal along the ridgeline at an elevation of approximately 2000m. What makes getting to the lodge challenging on some occasions is exactly what makes the lodge and its surroundings special. We are in a remote area and offer no mobile signal or guest WiFi. Thirty-three kilometers from the nearest town of Memel, FS, the feeling here is peaceful. Visitors have described it as “tonic to the harried soul”. The beauty and magic of this place has to be experienced to be understood – and personal restoration is on the menu!

The roads closest to the farm are untarred. The lodge is best reached by 4×4 or bakkie. A sedan with suitable high wheel clearance and careful driving can also reach us, weather permitting. Arrangements for pickup (Memel, Newcastle, and O.R. Tambo Airport) can also be made on our Book A Room link. Contact us for driving instructions from Gauteng to the north, Durban from the south, Harrismith to the west or Newcastle to the east or find us on Google Maps.

We invite you to visit us and experience the magic firsthand: birdwatch, hike, bring your mountain bikes, take a dip in the secluded spring-fed pond, explore our vegetable gardens, orchard, and petrified (fossilized) wood ‘forests’, walk the labyrinth under the oaks, read, nap, and/or do absolutely nothing.