Beacon Vlei Gasteplaas

Nestled in the heart of the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, Beacon Vlei Guest Farm offers comfortable B&B and self-catering accommodation with unrivalled views over our 23 hectare private dam, and the surrounding wetland area, which is home to hundreds of beautiful bird species, as well as a few large mammals.

Five charming self catering dwellings exist on the farm, The Boat House, Crane Cottage, Otter Cottage, Rose Cottage and Heron Cottage. Guests need not leave the farm to enjoy Bass fishing, birding, boating or a picnic after a leisurely walk around beautiful Beacon Vlei. Other outdoor activities that can be arranged in the surrounding countryside include, mountain biking, horse riding, canopy tours, battlefield tours and even paragliding.

Beacon Vlei Guest Farm is a family friendly establishment centrally located on the famed Midlands Meander, and only 1 km from Michaelhouse School. The Midlands Meander offers visitors an abundance of art and craft shops. There are also many fine restaurants, delicatessens and cheese farms in the Balgowan district, within 3 to 5 km of Beacon Vlei.

Accommodation

Our 23 hectare private dam provides excellent Bass fishing for all levels of ability, we provide boats for guests to use and life jackets, please bring your own rods and tackle. Although bass can be caught throughout the year, the best times for fishing are from September until May.

We are dedicated to providing our guests with a relaxing and therapeutic stay. Whether this means taking it easy at one of the top quality day spas in the area, or challenging yourself to something more adventurous, such as mountain biking, horse riding, canopy tours or birding the Natal Midlands Birding Route, Beacon Vlei and the KwaZulu Natal Midlands has it all! We can arrange bookings for these and other activities in the region, as well as advise on the many arts and crafts shops found on the Midlands Meander. We are also surrounded by a selection of great restaurants, and can make these reservations as well.

Beacon Vlei is a birders paradise. Some of the birds of special interest found on Beacon Vlei include the Crowned Crane, Purple Heron, African Fish Eagle, Olive Woodpecker, African Jacana and Marsh Harrier. We are confident that during the spring and summer months the multitude of birds that flock to our dam and the surrounding wetland will delight most birders. We are also extremely lucky to have a pair of Crowned Cranes nesting in the wetland around the dam. Trails, viewpoints and picnic spots around the dam and property provide our guests with hours of entertainment and relaxation.

Depending on the season, duiker, reedbuck and bushbuck can be sighted. Other wildlife on Beacon Vlei includes otters, jackal, porcupine Serval and Rooikat.