In summer the Drakensberg infinity pool is where most of the day ends up going.
Why the pool sits where it does
We built it with a landscape artist, and the idea was that it should not look built. It borrows the shape of the rocks and boulders on the mountainside next to it.
Water spills over the infinity edge, gets recycled back to the top and comes down again as a waterfall. You can hear it before you see it.
It sits away from the cottages, in a spot that is sheltered from the prevailing northerly wind. That matters more than it sounds. You can lie in the sun without everything you brought with you ending up in the water.
From the pool you are looking straight at the Amphitheatre, with the rest of the Northern Drakensberg and the Maloti mountains running off behind it.
The house rules
There are three, and we do hold people to them.
- Children of any age must have a parent watching.
- No glass anywhere near the pool.
- No children on the infinity wall.
The pool was laid out so that the whole swimming area stays in clear view, which makes the first rule easier to keep than it sounds.
The rest of a hot day
Breakfast can be brought to the cottage in a basket hamper. Book it well before you travel and tell reception what time you want it.
Bring a costume and a towel, sunscreen, lip balm, a hat and sunglasses. The sun is harder up here than most people expect it to be.
The Drakensberg infinity pool is not the only water on the farm. There are dams and river frontage, and you can swim in the river, float on a tube or take a canoe out. If you want to fish there are rods for hire, though only a few, so say so early.
Wildflowers are at their best from mid-October to March. That is worth a walk, and worth doing it early before the heat settles in.
Guided hikes and most activities need arranging ahead as well.
Storms and the long evening
Summer afternoons can build into a thunderstorm over the escarpment. They are better than anything on television and you can watch the whole thing from under cover without getting wet.
Summer is also when Tugela Falls runs, which is the highest waterfall in the world. Guided hikes to it have to be arranged before you arrive rather than on the morning.
Once the rain has gone through, the pool gets the last of the light and most people drift back to it. After dark there is a fire at the stone circle, and on a clear night the Milky Way and a fair amount of noise from the jackals.
