Our farm in Africa - land, track and pink wool

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Land ownership in South Africa as a perpetual traveller
Buying our own piece of Africa is very meaningful and beneficial for us - it is a combination of living freely and enjoying our home, of investing wisely and creating meaning.

But what are all the details to consider and think about when buying a plot of land in Africa? For us, the following points were important and ultimately decisive for our decision - for South Africa, for this province, for this region and for this particular piece of land:

As a foreigner, you can buy a property in South Africa - even if you are only in the country on a tourist visa
The Western Cape province is the best functioning province in South Africa in terms of infrastructure, supply, politics, etc
This province, like most of South Africa, is malaria-free
Security and crime in Africa - the Kannaland district and the Klein Karoo region are typical of the peaceful coexistence and warm hospitality of coloured and white people, of farmers and communities, of soft tourism and village communities
The semi-desert with its globally unique flora and fauna is a unique and breathtakingly beautiful landscape. It is even home to countless endemic plants and animals
We love and need the mountains - and yet we can be by the sea from here in just over an hour. Sport and exercise such as running, mountain biking, hiking and swimming are part of our lives and are possible on our land
Whether it's a village with a population of 800, a small town, a city or the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town - everything is within a radius of 15 to 340 km - and therefore everything important such as shopping facilities, doctors, hospitals, authorities, airports, etc. is within easy reach.
Is there already water on the farm via a dam or borehole? In our case, we can tap into an existing main line and lay it on our spot and have two water tanks installed in the hills. So we don't have to drill for water ourselves
We usually have a very good internet connection on our farm
In southern Africa, every piece of land is fenced to protect people and animals. This Nature Reserve, where our farm is located, is so large and only fenced on the outer boundary that we see no fences and only free, open land
The price-performance ratio is right - even in South Africa there are regions where land and property prices are completely overpriced

Farm in Farm
What is completely new for us is that parts of land on existing large farms are also available for purchase. This is also the case for us in Moose Valley: the approximately 5,000-hectare farm, which was previously used for livestock farming, has been declared a Private Nature Reserve. This allows the land to recapture its original form with native animals and globally unique plants over time. At the same time, the land will be divided into individual farms/plots, which will be sold to finance the project. All farm owners take responsibility for the reserve and the necessary investments, such as fence repairs, water management or access roads, which are paid for by everyone in the farm community through a small monthly levi. In return, every farmer has pure nature around them and plenty of space.

Each owner can use not only their own land, but the entire reserve (except for 2 hectares around each owner's farmhouse) and move around freely: To explore and marvel at the very special landscape, flora and fauna. To go hiking or mountain biking. Or to swim, paddle, row or fish in the dam. Everything within the Nature Reserve is open, even between the individual farms, so that the animals can roam freely. We like that very much, as otherwise in Africa a lot of land is enclosed by fences. With the purchase of our 134-hectare farm in the reserve, we are investing in a meaningful project, own a huge area of land with absolute privacy and can still rely on the neighbourhood and community with the other farm owners. Some of them live on their farm permanently, while others, like us, are either travelling in between or use it as a holiday home. It's a wonderful feeling: to be alone and yet not alone.
We also have access to a wonderful network of locals for all the services we need to develop our site: excavator drivers, foundation builders, water management specialists, craftsmen from all areas, carpenters and much more. An additional, priceless benefit for us as new arrivals!

Of tracks and pink wool in the bush
Our first task as landowners is to develop our chosen site for the Keiler trailer (and later for a small farmhouse?!) with a track. To do this, we walked the feasible paths through the bush, through many a kloof and over rocky outcrops umpteen times and then met with Robert on site to discuss the situation. Robert, who was born and raised here and is a farmer himself, is the "man for almost everything": with his son Charles and his excavator, he makes and maintains paths, builds water reservoirs and lays pipes. He builds cement bridges and concrete foundations. And he knows the entire 45 kilometres of the water pipeline from his borehole in the Rooi Mountains down to our Moose Valley.

At the agreed track appointment, I am very excited: where else is there such a thing that you can develop your own path on your staked claim according to your wishes without any office paperwork? This is how the old Voortrekkers must have felt when they travelled across the country in their ox-drawn wagons, just as loaded down with the vision and dream of a free, self-determined life on their own piece of Africa!

At the same time, it hurts my soul to drive over this natural area with the excavator to create the track with the tyre track - and then of course to destroy the plants in the area. To minimise the damage as much as possible, before the big day I tie a marker - made of pink wool 😉 It was the only thing we could find in the little shop in our village that could be used for this. Now we walk the marked route ahead, Charles follows with the digger and that's how we climb and develop our mountain!

Think big
During the time of property considerations and decisions, Stefan once said: "On my birthday on 19 November, we'll be standing on our own land with our Keiler trailer" - that's what I call a great, yet sporty vision! And it's exciting when you consider that on his last birthday in 2022, we were just 10 days into our adventure in South Africa. The "birthday present" from our estate agent on that day will also remain unforgettable: we have a buyer for our house in Germany! You can read the story in the blog articles "Old life in 4 suitcases and off to the adventure of lust for life" and in "Ready for a free life?" read.
And now this next big step, on 18 November 23 the time has actually come: we drive into the Nature Reserve for the first time with our Keiler trailer, over our piece of Africa and up to our campsite - coming home!
This evening, this first night and this birthday are the result of us thinking big again. Everything is possible. Dream and let it happen. The path will be found - with or without pink wool. Cheers!