South Africa Guide
The Western Cape
Oudrif
Oudrif (booking essential; 
027 482 2397, 
www.oudrif.co.za ; full board Price: R501-750) is an exceptional retreat lodge in the Cederberg back country, 48km from Clanwilliam, some of it along rough dirt roads. It occupies inspiring countryside in the transitional zone between the foothills of the mountains and the dry Karoo, with redstone gorges and a wide valley incised by the Doring River. You can pick up early marine fossils on nearby hills, from the days when the area was flooded by an inland sea.
More recently, the area was once inhabited by San hunter-gatherers, who left their mark on a number of painted rock faces in the area. Although there are wonderful walks through fynbos to rock art, this is as much a place to chill out – the only rule enforced by the co-owner and manager Bill Mitchell and his wife Janine, is that there are no rules. The multi-talented Mitchell is also a qualified chef and does all the cooking at this full-board establishment. The river has beaches for sunbathing and there are some fine spots for cooling off in its flow on hot days; as a former river-rafting guide, Mitchell can take you onto the water in a boat.
Accommodation is in five straw-bale houses, built using a traditional North American method in which bales are sandwiched between solid facings – in this case concrete. The cream-coloured chalets have an uneven hewn quality that befits their isolation on the edge of the gorge that falls away to the Doring River. Each is stylishly equipped with retro furniture and has a double and a three-quarter bed; the power for lighting is provided by solar panels and showers are heated.
If you want some more sustained adrenaline, the best whitewater rafting trips in the Western Cape set out a short walk downstream from Oudrif from mid-July to mid-September, operated by River Rafters ( 021 712 5094, www.riverrafters.co.za ; weekend trips R950 per person).