A unique Airbnb experience in Wilderness South Africa

When I was planning our trip through the Garden Route of South Africa, I wanted to spend a few days in the beautiful town of Wilderness, South Africa. Wilderness is a small town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It has stunning beaches and beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, Wilderness is also a very expensive place if you want to overnight there!

Airbnb for accommodation in Wilderness South Africa

I looked at the usual booking sites I like to use and could find nothing in my budget! A friend suggested trying AirBnB.

Even on AirBnB, there weren’t that many options for spending a night in Wilderness, South Africa. But I found a hidden gem…

I found a farmhouse to stay in! My partner and I thought staying in a farmhouse for a few days would be an interesting experience for us, especially the girls, who were so used to the noise and business of the city.

The farmhouse we stayed in

The farmhouse was situated on a mountain just above the town area of Wilderness in South Africa. It was on top of the mountain. To get there we had to drive on a windy road, which made me panic a bit. The views from the road were lovely, but the road was very narrow. When other cars came from the front and had to drive past us, my nerves were shot!

The farmhouse was quite isolated. It was situated on a large property; we could not even see the neighbors.

Booking the farmhouse required me to be a bit flexible on my normal requirements of wi-fi and a washing machine. I felt that since we would only be there for two days, we could survive without wi-fi. The girls did not find this amusing.

Also, the farmhouse was a “green energy” place and only used gas to power the fridge, stove, and the geyser. We had to charge our electronics with an inverter.

The house was rustic but quite spacious with two bedrooms with double beds. Each room had plenty of cupboard space.

The whole layout of the living room and kitchen was very comfortable with an open plan layout.

There were some magazines, brochures with things to do in the area, and board games to keep us busy.

At the back of the kitchen, we had a lovely deck with a built-in braai (barbecue) area. The view from this deck was to die for. In the distance, we could see the ocean.

Nights at the farmhouse

That evening we experience silence like never before. The farmhouse was located high enough and far enough from everything and everyone else for us to have complete peace and quiet. It was a bit strange at first. The girls felt scared as they were not used to such silence.

We did enjoy the deck and the braai area that night. It was magical sitting there and playing board games while listening to the crackling fire. We roasted marshmallows and had some quality family time there until it became a bit too chilly to sit outside.

Watching the sun rise in Wilderness South Africa

The next morning I woke up so early. It was still dark outside. I made myself a cup of coffee and went to sit outside on the front stoep (patio), waiting for the sun to rise.

It was beautiful to see the sun peeking through the trees. The shadows changed so often, completely changing the scenery around me.

I suddenly noticed an owl sitting on a pole. This was a first for me! I was excited and managed to get one photo of it.

After a day of exploration, we returned to the farmhouse. To our surprise we saw some bucks and donkeys around the farmhouse! Unfortunately, my only photo of a deer came out a bit blurry!

The girls were enchanted and kept looking to see how many animals they could spot.

Green energy in limited supply

Unfortunately, we had to spend the evening in the dark as the inverter was out of power and the gas ran out in the kitchen. We had to resort to the fire for light. After we informed the owners, they said they will only come the next morning to replace the gas and bring another inverter. This was a bit disappointing as it meant an early night for us as we could not do much after it became too cold to sit outside.

Conclusion

Overall, we enjoyed staying at the farmhouse and would not mind going back there as I really enjoyed the rustic farmhouse and the peace and quiet around it. This may have been my first experience using AirBnB, but it certainly won’t be the last.

Have you ever used Airbnb? How did you find the experience?