Mooiplaas Guest House is a luxurious four-star guest house in Oudtshoorn – situated on our family-run working ostrich farm, 
in the heart of the Klein Karoo.
Here you can enjoy the open spaces of the ostrich farm and the spectacular views of the magnificent and ever-changing purple Swartberg mountains.
If you wish to relax, this is the place to get away from it all. If you are looking for sport and adventure, stay with us and enjoy the large variety of attractions and activities in the Klein Karoo area.
LOCATION:
- Mooiplaas is located 9,8 km from Oudtshoorn in Volmoed, next to Highgate Ostrich Show Farm
- 44 km from George International Airport
- All cultural and shopping attractions are in Oudtshoorn
ACCOMMODATION
Superior / Honeymoon Suites
All superior rooms have their own entrances. The suites are spacious and luxurious. Each has a separate lounge area, bedroom and huge modern bathroom. And from your suite’s patio, you can enjoy the magnificent panoramic view of the Swartberg Mountains and Oudtshoorn.
Family Suites
Four family suites – each sleeps four people. Three family suites have a king bed, full bathroom (bath and shower) and a lounge area. One family suite has a queen bed, shower bathroom and two single beds in the lounge area.
All family suites are on ground level with a separate entrance and have spectacular views of the gardens and Swartberg Mountains. You can even see the town of Oudtshoorn from the front porch.
Baby sitting services are available at a nominal cost and we will gladly arrange early dining hours for children.
Luxury Double/Twin Suites
All luxury rooms have their own entrances. The suites are spacious and luxurious. Each has a lounge area, bedroom and huge modern bathroom. And from your suite’s patio or balcony, you can enjoy the magnificent panoramic view of the Swartberg Mountains and Oudtshoorn.
Luxury Rooms with Kitchenette
This is a secluded gem. If you are looking for a little piece of heaven on earth, you might just find it here! Time does stand still here, and you feel as if the entire range of the Swartberg mountains are there just for you! It’s a great escape!
The house has a large and comfortable lounge with a wood burning fireplace and dining room. There is also a fully equipped farmhouse kitchen which can be made available to groups by prior arrangement.
The house is located in the most idyllic and secluded setting. It overlooks its own private swimming pool which is set in the front garden. Beyond the pool, lie the farmlands and an uninterrupted panoramic view of the purple Swartberg Mountain range.
Each luxury catering room has its own private patio with table and chairs. Braai facilities are available. The rooms have a small kitchenette.
The rooms each have a brand new bathroom with shower, bath, and double basin; and are supplied with our luxury toiletries and plush towels.
The kitchenette facilities include a fridge, microwave, sink, kettle, and double hot plate. Cooking utensils, crockery, and cutlery for two people are all provided. We also provide complimentary tea-making groceries (tea, coffee, sugar, milk).
It’s also perfect for groups of people looking to do their own thing with self catering facilities. No one will bother you here. There are no neighbours – other than a few ostriches! The house and all the facilities are exclusively yours.
The main guest house is situated just over the road. Close enough in case you need us, but far enough, so you can enjoy your privacy and the peace of the countryside.
You are welcome to join us for breakfast which is served at the main guest house.
THINGS TO DO
Working Ostrich Farm Tour
Don’t miss our guided tour of the Mooiplaas Ostrich Farm. This working ostrich farm tour is about 1 – 1.5 hours.
he tour will show you how a modern day working commercial farm operates.
Our tour guide, Koos, starts by telling you the fascinating story of how Oudtshoorn owes its history to the ostrich. Indeed the ostrich feather started it all … and the rest (as they say)… is history!
Koos, will take you for a drive around the farm to show you the adult ostriches. You will get a chance to meet the curious and friendly, young ostriches in the farm paddocks.
He then will show you how we breed the chicks. You will see how we use advanced farming methods to care for the eggs and provide the right environment for them to hatch into healthy young birds. Once hatched, our chicks then go into the nursery for their upbringing. As they grow, so they move into bigger paddocks along with all the other chicks they bonded with in the nursery.
Mooiplaas Spa
Our new on-site spa facility is one of the best Oudtshoorn spa facilities, offering treatments and massages to suit every guest’s needs. Add some extra pampering to your holiday.
Treatments include massages, facials, hand & foot treatments, exfoliation, body wraps and more – with the signature range of Kalahari spa and beauty products.
Experience a touch of Africa – in the comfort of our luxury farm style surrounding.
Star Grazing
This is African big sky country. One of the highlights of being in the Karoo is to gaze up and marvel at the star studded skies at night. Fewer skies could be more beautiful and awe inspiring. From Mooiplaas, we have an extraordinarily beautiful view of the skies.
Some of the things to look for in our skies:
It is claimed that the southern hemisphere skies are brighter with more numerous stars than the northern hemisphere. The joke among astrophotographers in the northern hemisphere is that the world was made “upside down” and really, the southern skies should be what we should be seeing. Certainly the southern sky is full of objects you cannot view from the northern hemisphere.
Witness the great Greek mythology enacted in the celestial heavens. Orion, The Hunter, accompanied by his two dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor) is in trouble with a charging bull (Taurus) and is unknowingly trampling on a hare (Lepus). Ophiuchus has his hands full with the serpent. The two centaurs are occupied. Centaurus is fighting a wolf (Lupus) and Sagittarius (the Archer) has an arrow aimed at the fearsome Scorpion. Orion, so the legend goes, meets his end when stung by the Scorpion so Zeus ordered that the killer and the victim be kept apart, so they are at opposite ends of the sky – one rising while the other sets.
In African mythology the drama in the huge dome above us is different. According to the u/Wasi and Khoikhoi people, the three stars of Orion’s belt appear as three zebras – a male in the center flanked by 2 females. To the Dogon people, the three stars represent the staircase to heaven.
The Southern Cross:
In the song Southern Cross by Crosby, Stills and Nash there is a line that says “When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, you’ll understand now why you came this way.”
The Southern Cross is a brilliant constellation consisting of several bright gems more or less in the shape of a cross. The brightest is Alpha Crucis, which is actually a triple star system. One of the stars is about 650 times as bright as our Sun and another is almost 1 000 times as bright. Beta Crusis is a blue star, and Gamma Crusis, at the head of the cross, is an orange coloured star. The star denoting the right-most corner on the cross (Delta Crusis) is the faintest of the four.
The Basotho Bushmen saw a giraffe with outstretched neck. Other Bushmen saw a pride of lions, while the Zulu saw the Southern Cross as the Tree of Life.
The centre of the Milky Way is located in the Southern hemisphere, in the constellation Sagittarius. When we look at the galaxy from the southern hemisphere we see the middle of the Milky Way and when we look from the northern hemisphere we see the edge of the galaxy.
According to Bushmen legend, the Milky Way was created when a girl threw wood ashes from a campfire into the sky to help a lost hunter find his way back to camp. She later created some of the brighter stars by throwing roots into the sky. According to the legend, the white stars are ready to eat, but the red stars are old roots that are no longer edible. To the Pokomo of East Africa, the Milky Way represents smoke from the campfires of the “ancient people”.
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Mooiplaas Guesthouse is situated within an hours’ drive from most of the Oudtshoorn Tourist Attractions. Below is a list of the popular attractions.
The Cango Caves
The Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn is one of the world’s great natural wonders, an underground wonderworld. Sculptured by nature over 20 million years, it has fascinating limestone formations in a wide variety of colours.
Horse Riding
Horse riding is available at Le Petit Karoo Ranch. Inexperienced riders are welcome, and they offer one, two or three hour rides into the wild Karoo.
Camel Rides
Wilgewandel offers camel rides and is a perfect place for a family outing. It is located on the way to the Cango Caves. Other Activities include: trampoline, donkey cars, fairy forest, slide over dam, feeding of animals and much more.
Chandelier Game Lodge & Ostrich Show Farm:
Chandelier Game Lodge & Ostrich Show Farm is an ostrich show farm where guests are invited to participate in the daily activities on the show farm, like feather clipping. Ostrich riding is also available for the brave, while the professional jockeys at Chandelier compete in the famous Chandelier ostrich race. Chandelier also offers quad biking.
Highgate Ostrich Show Farm:
Experience face-to-face encounters with ostriches, learn more about these fascinating birds, sit on an ostrich, and enjoy everyone’s favourite – ostrich racing! This is the world’s first, finest and most original ostrich show farm. Start your visit to Oudtshoorn at Highgate! Tel: 044 272 7115
Wildlife Nature Reserves
Cango Wildlife Ranch:
Tucked away in the Little Karoo you will find a place offering sanctuary to a number of endangered species such as cheetah and Bengal tiger. No visit to Oudtshoorn is complete without having visited the Cango Wildlife Ranch in Oudtshoorn – the conservation heart of the Little Karoo.
Meerkat Adventures:
Wouldn’t it be great if you could walk with wildlife, without disturbing, without interfering, but still, interacting? Now you can. Devey Glinister is an experienced, conservation guide. Through his intensive research and relentless dedication, Devey now offers you the opportunity to benefit from his unique approach to wildlife conservation – to walk with meerkats.
Wine Tasting
The Klein Karoo Wine Route in the Southern Cape is arguably the most diverse of South Africa’s wine regions. It is the easternmost wine-producing region in the country, stretching along the Cape Route 62 from Montagu in the west to the Langkloof in the east.