The kind of weekend where doing less is the whole point
Wolwekrans Eco-Self Catering Lodge offers a remote off-grid escape in the Schoemanskloof mountains, where the weekend can be as quiet, active or uneventful as you want it to be.
Louis
There is a particular type of weekend away that requires almost as much planning as the working week. Restaurants need to be booked, activities are scheduled and everyone wants to make the most of every hour. By Sunday, you may have been somewhere beautiful, but you have hardly stopped.
There is another way to spend a weekend, and it involves deliberately doing very little. Wolwekrans Eco-Self-Catering Lodge in Mpumalanga's Schoemanskloof is the sort of destination where that becomes possible. It is remote, self-catering and completely off-grid, with accommodation spread across a mountainous property rather than concentrated around the usual central resort facilities.
Guests bring what they need for the stay and take it from there. Wolwekrans has self-catering chalets as well as safari-style tented accommodation, so meals are prepared at the unit rather than dictated by restaurant times. Each has its own outdoor area for a braai, and private hot tubs have also been added.
Although the lodge is off-grid, the essentials are covered. Solar power provides electricity, gas is used where needed and water comes from a natural spring on the property. It is self-sufficient without asking guests to rough it.
There is no shortage of space to explore if sitting around eventually loses its appeal. Walking and hiking routes cross the property, where a variety of animals and birds can be spotted, and there is a swimming pool for warmer days. None of it needs to be worked into a timetable. A walk can take up an hour or several, and there is no reason to plan anything else for the day.
That freedom is perhaps what separates this kind of break from a conventional resort holiday. There is no pressure to join an organised activity simply because it starts at 10:00, and no reason to leave the property in search of something to do. A few days can be as active or uneventful as you want them to be.
One thing visitors do need to plan for is the drive in. Wolwekrans is not somewhere you arrive in just any vehicle. The access road does require a bakkie, SUV, 4x4 or another vehicle with sufficient ground clearance. It is something to keep in mind when making the booking, particularly if you normally travel in a smaller car.
That degree of isolation will not appeal to everyone. Some travellers want restaurants nearby, reliable connectivity and a full list of things to see and do. Others occasionally want exactly the opposite, particularly when everyday life already involves enough appointments, screens and schedules.
Wolwekrans is for the weekend when you don't particularly want to go anywhere once you've arrived. There is food to cook, perhaps a walk to take and, apart from that, very little that needs your attention. For some people, that is more than enough reason to go.
Mariana Balt
Naomi Roebert
Liz Thorne
Lynette Spencer
