Marlu Farm Stays Activities
Karoo Farm Activities
As Marlu Farm Stays is a working farm, guests are welcome to take advantage of the fact to get in touch with their roots. Children especially enjoy it.
Farm tours are available where the entire cycle of lucerne production can be experienced, from the fields right through to the manufacture of animal feed . (Ideal for school projects etc.)
Tours also include the different life phases of various farm animals such as the Angora goat (Mohair) and cattle. Guests can also take part in some of these activities, if they wish.
Children can go on donkey cart rides and are encouraged to feed the “hansies” resulting in a “never to be forgotten” farm experience.
Day visitors and school groups are welcome for the farm tours.
Karoo Nature Walks
The wonderful scenery begs to be explored. Guests are welcome to walk or hike through the farm and the veld or to climb our mountains and enjoy the vistas and the interesting rock formations. The walk to the fresh mountain spring is a particular favourite.
Some of our mountains are also suitable for abseiling.
A nature-lover’s paradise, the farm has a great variety of aloes, Cycads, Elephant’s Foot, Proteas and the rare Willowmore Cedar not to mention the miniature “Gansie”. (The farm is participating in the SKEP program – Succulent Karoo Environmental Plan).
There is an interesting place where rocks have been worn smooth by elephants rubbing against them over the course of centuries.
Bird life abounds on the farm. Several hundred species were identified by a University of Port Elizabeth study-group.
Bushman artifacts have also been found on the farm.
At night, the clear Karoo sky offers spectacular star gazing.
The Groot River presents opportunities for fresh water angling as well as for swimming and rowing (subject to rainfall!).
Karoo Mountain Biking
The 10km Farm MTB Exploration route
The farm is ideal for some leisurely farm jeep track exploration. It is also ideal for taking the kids along for a little farm riding. And then if dad wants to show off to the kids he can try out the Wind Mill Hill Challenge, which is a little detour off the main track. He can also take the fitter kids up the hill to the camp where the most game can be seen. The main 10km route does include some adventurous riding, because shortly after the windmill turn off, riders must jump a little fence, and then follow animal tracks to the river, which they will follow for a few hundred meters to a rocky river crossing, from where they follow animal tracks again to join up to a lovely smooth jeep track, that leads to a old wind mill. After which you back-track a short distance, before heading back to the main house.
Other MTB options
There are 3 Long Distance options for the Endurance Mountain Biker. These routes are very safe, along super quiet karoo district roads, and will take you along some of the most breathtaking archaeological scenery in South Africa.
Karoo 4 x 4 Routes
On the farm there is a 4×4 route as well as many kilometers of 4×2 tracks providing access to the farm’s scenery. The farm is also blessed with the best of two worlds, the typical Karoo, dry semi desert and then many kilometers of river with it’s dense riverine bush, ideal for kudu, monkeys and birds.
Bird Watching
With kilometers of dense riverine bush on the banks of the Groot Rivier Marlu Guest Farm is a Bird Watching paradise.
Hunting and Game Viewing
We at Marlu Farm Stays value our game and believe that the most pleasure is obtained by viewing our Kudu, Springbuck and other game species in their natural habitat. Accordingly, game viewers are most welcome.
Due to the natural increase in numbers and to prevent overgrazing of the veld to the detriment of all the species living on it, we reluctantly allow a few animals to be culled each year. This hunting option is limited, is primarily aimed at “father and son” experiences and naturally applies only during the season.
Should you be interested – please enquire in good time to avoid disappointment.