Down to Earth!

Cradled by the Cape fold mountains 360°, far away from the city rush, you find Simonskloof Mountain Retreat, your perfect digital detox & soul recharge guest lodge.

50 km West of Montagu in the Western Cape of South Africa, a scenic 2 – 3 hour’s drive from Cape Town. Here, life begins at the end of the road!

Established in 1999, Ninon & Jurgen created a DOWN TO EARTH and off-grid and eco-friendly 2000ha retreat, a unique hideaway to rest, relax and recharge your weary soul.

Nature wants you back! Small Rockpools, Hiking trails, MTB trails and guided outdoor activities such as: Canyoning, Wilderness Trekking and Abseiling are on offer.

Nestled at the ecotone of the Succulent Karoo and Mountain Fynbos, our kloof is habitat to countless medicinal plants and abundant wildlife, making it also the perfect venue for Yoga and Healthy Living workshops.

See you soon at Simonskloof Mountain Retreat, a truly down-to-earth escape!

Mountain Cottages & Camping

Accommodation

Three colourful down to earth mountain cottages: Faraway, Orange and Eric’s Place, as well as 8 campsites are all off-grid, private and surrounded by mountains, while a starry sky looks over them at night.

The cottages are equipped with solar geysers and gas back-up for hot water, cooking and refrigeration.

Occasionally we also offer Dinner Bed & Breakfast. A unique African-Swiss cuisine, prepared on the open fire and naturally served by candlelight. The morning air filled with the aroma of freshly-ground organic coffee, wood fired bread and the chant of the birds will provide a perfect start for an enjoyable day out in the mountains.

View All

Get Active...

2000m above stress level

Activities

We’ve got you covered, from altitudes as low as 310m above sea level to as high as 1640m or with special permits even to the top of Keeromberg at 2072m.

Since 1999 we’ve created a 60km long network of Hiking Trails leading up the mountains and down into deep gorges, the Gecko trail, which became part of the roughly 750km long Rim of Africa, Africa’s toughest and longest Mountain Traverse.

In addition to our MT-Bike trails we offer guided Abseiling trips of and overnight Canyoning into the Nuy River Gorge. Alternatively, simply cool off in our little rock pools not far from the cottages, awesome locations for bird watching.

View All

My partner and our dog camped for two nights at Simonskloof, but the restfulness made it feel like we stayed a week. Lovely to have outdoor showers in the wild plum forest, camp near a huge old oak and explore the mountains around. We also did a trail run, which felt like flying. Peace and quiet, bliss!
Teresa Fischer, March 2019

Love, love, love it. Quite, serene, charming, beautiful view.
Corné de Villiers, February 2019

Rustic but cosy cottages in the most amazing setting. This is a place to get off the grid and away from it all (no electricity, no cell reception, no wifi, no noise, no crowds). The night skies are epic and daytimes are spent hiking or chilling. Some really nice hikes to do here, for almost all grades of hiker. Come here to slow down and get back in touch with each other or with nature.
Brendan Stein, July 2018

Great natural and cared for environment. Eco friendly for sure. Awesome abseiling, walks and mountain bike trails. Alone with Leopards and stars.
Kevin Yates, April 2015
I absolutely love this place. The surroundings and nature are gorgeous and the hosts are amazing.
Eva Brouwer, March 2015
What a fantastic break, such a perfect getaway even though it was 1 night. Lots of 1st’s for me, 1st time without electricity, 1st time using a Dover stove and 1st time using/lighting a lantern. I had a fantastic time and will definitely be back again. What a lovely tranquil place, next time it will be longer than 1 night.
R.&S. at Faraway Cottage, July 2013
And so, another fantastic trip must come to an end…
Forever thankful to you Jurgen, for providing a sanctuary for us, a place of silence and still.
Orange Cottage always relaxes and calms us allowing us to re-charge and re-focus.
So with bags packed cottage cleared and hearts heavy, we stand together on the veranda, hand in hand, and pledge to each other, to be back within a year…
B.& J. July 2013
“This has been the most awesome getaway I’ve ever experienced. The most beautiful unspoiled natural beauty I’ve seen. Breathtaking views and mountain scenery. Topped off with real down-to-earth hosts, and warm cozy tucked away cottages. No electricity. But an old cast iron fire stove. No cell reception. But valleys and mountains to explore. If you’re considering. Don’t consider. Just Go!”
Mark van Wyk, July 2012
It is difficult to choose adjectives to describe our experience at Simonskloof – it was an absolutely wonderful, stunning, amazing weekend of resting, relaxing and recharging. The campsite under the ancient oak tree is great, the fact that there were few people around and the quiet was wonderful. We particularly enjoyed the hike to Twin peaks, the view is absolutely breath-taking! It was good to expose our “stadsjapie” to the long-drop and donkie. He loved the swing and played a war game with the acorns! We will definitely visit again.
Elma de Vries, December 2010
A fantastic place to relax and reconnect. The bath with a view is totally awesome! This is a place our family will return to regularly.
Robin Taylor, October 2009
Jurgen se alles-in-een wegkomplek bied iets vir ons almal: by Simonskloof het ons al gekamp, gekloof, gebergfiets, ge… Die kothuisies is perfek met net die nodigste. Die kampplek se oulike buitestort en reus van ‘n akkerboom is goed weggesteek. Maar daai Nuy-kloofing en onder sterre slaap – dis die beste vir ‘n betonboer!
Juan Bester, October 2007
A wonderful camping weekend getaway for a few friends and a pooch. Will definitely be back in summer to try out the cottages, and go find those rock pools.
Anthea De Stefanis, April 2006
We spent a fantastic 3 days at Simonskloof! No electricity, no traffic, no noise! It’s a fantastic place to escape the daily grind of the city. Orange cottage was spacious, very well kitted out and spotlessly clean. While it was a little cold to enjoy the outdoor bath tub, it made a comfortable spot from where to stare at the stars. We did two lovely walks into the mountains to look at rock paintings and discovered the rock pools. Thanks for a great stay!
Sophia Mortakis, September 2005

Contact and Directions

For more info or booking enquiries, please use our contact form below
or phone us at +27 23 614 1895

    Simonskloof

    Koo Valley, Montagu, 6720

    Our turn-off along the R318, half way between N1 and Montagu is well signposted. From there a good gravel road with small Simonskloof signs every 2km will lead you to us.

    Please drive SLOWLY and with care on the gravel road, nature and our neighbors will appreciate it. After heavy rains the gravel road can be slippery or bumpy. Ordinary Cars will however be fine, no need for a 4×4 or high-rise vehicle.

    On arrival please visit Reception first – We like to meet all our visitors, you are important!

     +27 23 614 1895
    info@simonskloof.com

    Meet Your Hosts

    Jurgen Wohlfarter and Ninon Roos
    This is us…

    Jurgen, born in a small Swiss village between the Black Forest and the Alps, started the rocks rolling at Simonskloof back in 1999. With a background of Architecture, Backpacking Cape to Cairo and a love for high snowy mountains, he is a professional Mountain and Adventure Guide (SA Tourist Guide No: WC-1785) and has taken nature seeking people off-trail hiking, kloofing/canyoning and abseiling for over 20 years.

    Ninon, born in another small town, much hotter and more local called Bethlehem, took a detour via Joburg studied to be a Chef, worked in IT, became a personal trainer, had her own small gym, then ran a small home bakery in the Eastern Cape before heading for the hills and occasionally snow & ice capped mountains. She is a qualified Yoga and Pilates teacher as well as a volunteer for the Art of Living Foundation, facilitating community development programs.

    Together with Waya and Hakan our border collies, Kita, Denali & Balobi our cats and a coop full of chickens, we keep on transforming Simonskloof into a more sustainable, Eco-friendly, off-grid and permaculture Mountain Retreat.

    We’re looking forward to welcoming you soon at Simonskloof!