Which bird species do you think is the biggest attraction to visitors of your lodge (please only name one species)?
Orange-breasted Sunbird
What is the name of your lodge, and since when has your lodge been operating?
Rusty Gate Mountain Retreat, operating since 2014.
How best to travel to your lodge?
By car. We are located in the Overberg, approximately 90 minutes from Cape Town International Airport. See Google Maps
What kind of services – except for accommodation and food – does your lodge offer to visiting birders?
Rusty Gate Mountain Retreat is a self-catering guest farm. We have approximately 20km of hiking trails on the farm, from which people can explore pristine mountain fynbos and birdlife. Guided tours can be arranged with local birding guides from the nearby town (Greyton).
What makes your lodge special?
Rusty Gate Mountain Retreat is located in the Riviersonderend Mountains adjacent to the Riviersonderend Nature Reserve. The location provides unmatched views of the Helderstroom Valley below and the surrounding Overberg area. Our property is approximately 290 hectares, including a mountainous area with gorges, waterfalls, a wide variety of mountain fynbos, and other endemic fauna and flora.
What are the 10 – 20 most interesting birds that your lodge offers good chances to see?
Interesting bird species include
- Bokmakieri
- Forest Buzzard
- Jackal Buzzard
- Blue Crane
- African Fish Eagle
- Verreaux’s Eagle
- African Harrier-Hawk
- Black-headed Heron
- Grey Heron
- African Sacred Ibis
- Giant Kingfisher
- Malachite Kingfisher
- Pied Kingfisher
- Yellow-billed Kite
- Fiery-necked Nightjar
- Cape Robin-Chat
- Cape Sugarbird
- Malachite Sunbird
- Orange-breasted Sunbird
- Southern Double-collared Sunbird.
What is the best time to visit your lodge, and why?
Summer is obviously a good time, as it will allow for the opportunity to see endemic as well as migratory bird species. Winter is, however, a very special time in the Overberg as proteas on the farm are in full bloom and the valley below is covered in green (winter wheat) and yellow (canola) crop fields. This is also the time when sugarbirds and sunbirds are easy to spot.
Is your lodge involved in conservation efforts? If yes, please describe them.
We are not currently involved in formal conservation efforts; however, we continuously and actively work at removing invasive fauna and veld management (including periodic controlled burns, which is required for fynbos propagation). We are in the process of rezoning the farm property to a private nature reserve.
What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in visiting your lodge?
Our luxury self-catering accommodation provides for all amenities that you may require for a relaxing and enjoyable stay – including unlimited free firewood for indoor fireplaces and outside braai (barbeque). You only have to bring yourself the necessary food and refreshments.
Visitors who enjoy the outdoors should bring their hiking shoes, mountain bikes and swimming trunks (summer).
Do you have activities for non-birders? If so, please describe.
Yes, hiking, mountain biking, and swimming (in our dam with a zipline and kayaks) on the property. In addition, there are many things to do within an hour’s drive from Rusty Gate Mountain Retreat, including (but not limited to) wine tasting, fine dining, local arts and craft markets, whale watching, treetop ziplining, etc.
If any reader of 10,000 Birds is interested in staying at your lodge, how can they best contact you?
- Website: https://rustygate.co.za
- E-mail: info@rustygate.co.za
- Phone: +27 (28) 215 8212
Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of 10,000 Birds?
- Rusty Gate Mountain Retreat is a member of iNaturalist. We also have a registered project here to record fauna and flora sightings at Rusty Gate and adjacent areas to create our own Fauna and Flora Register.
- For more information on this, including a map of the area, please visit our iNaturalist project
I wonder what “self-catering” means? That’s not clear to me.
Self catering: bring your own food and drinks.