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Accommodation      Rates        Contact details   

'John's Donkey' - trips by accredited Tour Guide

Special packages      Guests' comments

 

 

Esme and John Claassens welcome you into their lovingly restored home at 

74 Church Street,  where your every comfort is catered for.

 

Enjoy affordable, luxurious overnight accommodation 

in this tastefully decorated Victorian home.

 
Bougain-Villa offers 2 spacious en-suite bedrooms with double beds.  Each room has its own separate entrance.  A coffee/tea tray with rusks is provided.  Each room has its own TV with satellite bouquet available.  Electric blankets are provided for chilly winter evenings.  Likewise, fans are provided for the long, warm summer nights. 

 

Also available, double room with queen sized bed and another with two single beds. (Both at a lower rate) Bathroom across the passage. 

 

Bougain-Villa does not offer any meals but we can recommend local restaurants, so it is well suited to an overnight stay and for those with discerning taste buds wanting to take full advantage of the many eateries the village has to offer.  We look forward to welcoming you to Bougain-Villa, or perhaps you'd like to take advantage of our special two day packages.

 

Bourgan-Villa was once the home of Professor Chris Barnard's parents (1945 - 1951) when it was the 'Pastorie" for the NG Mission Church. They then moved back to Beaufort West where their home is now a Museum dedicated to their famous son.

 

 

Rates from

R300 to R150 

per person per night

For further information and bookings please contact John and Esme at

Tel: 023 5411 659

 Cell:  082 575 5133

ons praat lekker Afrikaans

Package 1: Gamkaskloof "The Hell"

A two day package for singles and groups of up to 4 ...

Enjoy two nights in one of our comfortable en-suite bedrooms with breakfast when you rise.

After your delicious breakfast climb into John's Donkey for a trip into the Swartberg Pass and along the fascinating road to Gamkaskloof. Explore the valley which some call "Die Hel" and discover how a small community lived there in happy isolation for two hundred years before the road came. Enjoy  lunch in "Die Hel" with the legendary Annetjie Joubert and her family - resident in the valley for many generations.

Some visitors have asked about spending a night in "The Hell" - we can arrange this, depending upon accommodation being available.

On the way home John will drive you through Prince Albert to admire the rich variety of architecture and lovely gardens watered by the furrow system which makes Prince Albert a little oasis in the Karoo.

The following morning you can enjoy breakfast at Café Albert and watch the Prince Albert scene before driving off to your next adventure.

All this for just R1500 per person 

 

 

 

Package 2: Swartberg Pass - Oude Muragie - De Rust and home...

A two day package for singles and groups of up to 4 ...

Enjoy two nights in one of our comfortable en-suite bedrooms with breakfast when you rise.

Next morning, after your delicious breakfast, climb into John's Donkey for a trip over the Swartberg Pass to travel the Oude Muragie Road - a trip back in time. We will be passing the Cango Caves, Wilgewandel Holiday Farm (camel rides!), Weltevrede Waterfall, travelling through de Rust, Meiringspoort with its famous Herrie Stone and Waterfall, Klaarstroom, the Prince Albert Valley (Bergwater Winery) and then home, where John will drive you through Prince Albert to admire the rich variety of architecture and lovely gardens watered by the furrow system which makes Prince Albert a little oasis in the Karoo.

The following morning you can enjoy breakfast at Café Albert and watch the Prince Albert scene before driving off to your next adventure.

All this for just R1500 per person 

John's Donkey

Let John share his passion and love of the Karoo with you.  

John's Donkey will take you on a day trip to any of the following destinations:

     John is an accredited tour guide for the Central Karoo

    Hy is volkome tweetalig en praat lekker Afrikaans!

The dizzying heights of the Swartberg Pass 

Down into the depths of "Die Hel".  

Meiringspoort with its amazing geological formations

Gamkapoort Dam

Cango Caves

Matjiesrivier Valley,

in fact any local destination which appeals!

 

John is a descendant of Zacharius and Dina de Beer, the first farmers who settled at the farm Kweekvallei which grew into the village of Prince Albert. We are celebrating the 250th anniversary of their arrival during 2012. His grandmother Lenie de Vries was born on the farm Damascus, in the Prince Albert district, which had been bought by her grandfather Abraham Hermanus de Vries in 1838. 

Please phone John for details of the adventures he offers

Tel: 023 5411 659

 Cell:  082 575 5133

 

Guests' Comments

We thoroughly enjoyed the evening at Bourgain-Villa, a beautiful room, straight out of a fashion mag! We did the Swartberg Pass on our own and were sorry we hadn't waited for John but so glad you told us all the stories. We wish we could have stayed longer to enjoy more of your wonderful hospitality - we will be back soon!  Wally and Helene (Durban) February 2012 

Went to the Hell with John - and came back! John is a careful, cautious driver he made the journey very pleasant in every sense of the word. He is very aware of the environment and is very knowledgable about this magnificent part of the Karoo. This journey became a memory which will stay with me until the day I die.   Hymie (proudly 81 years of age) March 2012

Well, what can we say, everything about our trip has been so amazing! John's stories, the privilege of meeting some of your friends, just sitting around the table together. We love your house and garden. It was fabulous.  Malcolm and Norma, Chris and Dave (English guests who live in Spain) March 2012

Baie dankie vir al die gasvryheid en heerlike dag uit na "Die Hel" Wat 'n vooreg om saam met John in die natuur te kon deurbring. Dankie John vir al die moeite en inligting en veilige rit. Martin en Rina Löttering  (Pretoria) March 2012

 

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