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De Hoop Opstal
De Hoop Opstal
De Hoop Opstal
De Hoop Opstal
De Hoop Opstal
De Hoop Opstal
De Hoop Opstal

Reviews of The Opstal

Wildlife sightings and reviews

24 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited The Opstal and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Apr-2019, 4 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at The Opstal.
Leopard

0% success

Eland

100% success

Zebra

75% success

Showing 1-10 of 24
Duration
Arrival date
Mr and Mrs G
Bucks

"De Hoop Opstal review"

3 nights Arrived 30 Dec 2023
"We stayed in the Melkammer Manor House which was always going to be a very different experience to staying in one of the cottages in the vicinity of the main Opstal building.

Because of flooding several months earlier we could not drive ourselves to the house and had to go on a boat from the Opstal. That was fun but meant we lost some independence. The staff could not have been more helpful and the house itself was beautiful and historic. Activities that we did were great - guided beach walk and climb to vulture colony but other trips were cancelled because of the weather (mountain biking and sundowner cruise) and we were disappointed not to get to do more walking." See all these reviews: 7n in South Africa; 4n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Average
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Poor
Facilities:
Average
Mr T
Bangkok

"De Hoop Opstal review"

3 nights Arrived 12 Apr 2023
"We knew what to expect and really enjoyed our stay at De Hoop Opstal.

We are happy with the decision to spend 3 nights here as there are so many different activities we can do and our young boy loved it. With self-catering unit, we drove less than 5 minutes to their only restaurant - limited set menu but we thought the food was excellent and good service too.

Some minor issues:
(i) very dim light in the shower room probably due to load shedding, we were prepared with torch light / headlamps so it wasn't much of a problem and
(ii) we missed nature drive activities due to their miscommunication on the schedule, managed to do it on the last morning before we left." See all these reviews: 17n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Eland

8 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

safari lovers
UK

"De Hoop Opstal review"

5 nights Arrived 13 Feb 2022
"We self catered in one of the Vlei Cottages. There are lots of accommodation options (mostly without S/C facilities).
We loved having our own space and braii area, rather than eating at the restaurant. The cottage was well equipped and comfortable.Charmingly old fashioned.
You do need to be organised and take all your food with you ( there is nothing to buy on site except firewood)
We tried most of the guided activities, including going to see the endangered Cape Vulture colony, and also the interpretative marine walk . Both of which were excellent.
It's a remote, wild area of fynbos, wildlife, vast sand dunes, beautiful beaches and the brackish Vlei, all of which makes for great birding." See all these reviews: 8n in South Africa; 5n in Mozambique
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Eland

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr P & family
Dublin

"De Hoop Opstal review"

2 nights Arrived 7 Jul 2019
"This is a very remote location; about 50km drive on a dirt road from a main road.

The night sky was amazing and we saw whales in the ocean. The cottages themselves are a bit run down but clean and the food options for dinner limited to one restaurant with no children's menu and one price that was relatively expensive (c. R2000 for 3 adults plus 2 children).

It is important to plan a visit to de Hoop better than we did and bring provisions." See all these reviews: 12n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Average
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Average
Sightings Report

Eland

2 sightings

Mr & Mrs H
Maningtree

"De Hoop Opstal review"

2 nights Arrived 12 Apr 2019
"Well worth visiting, especially the dunes. Abundance of wildlife was a surprise. Lots of Bontebok and ostriches, including young.

Activities were slightly hampered by the tide and weather.

Driving instructions were a bit confusing. We were also fortunate to arrive before the entrance gate shut for the night." See all these reviews: 15n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Eland

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr & Mrs V
Twickenham

"Amazing views and wildlife"

2 nights Arrived 15 Apr 2018
"After a 35 km drive along gravel roads with amazing scenery, we arrived at De Hoop Opstal. This nature reserve is huge and has baboons, zebras, bonteboks and much else. The lake trip is well worth doing as is the early morning bird walk. Unfortunately the skies were not clear enough for guided star spotting. Depending on where you stay, it can be a little walk to the restaurant and shop.

It is another 7 kms to the coast which has fabulous beaches and when the tide is right, you can swim in rock pools. A really peaceful and interesting place to stay." See all these reviews: 7n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Dr and Ms R
Bristol

"Amazing stay at de Hoop"

2 nights Arrived 15 Apr 2018
"A wonderful, peaceful place set in a pristine environment. It is well worth the long drive over unmade roads to get there. Our room was not luxurious but had a fantastic view over the lagoon- one morning we had a flypast by a flock of flamingos. Both the early morning bird walk and the boat trip were wonderful, with knowledgeable and friendly guides. Breakfast and dinner were very good, and walking back to the cottage under the stars with a few animals and birds around a magical experience." See all these reviews: 7n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr R & Mrs M
UK

"De Hoop Opstal review"

3 nights Arrived 4 Mar 2018
"Beautifully restored buildings, interesting coast line and birdlife all combined to give us a very enjoyable stay.

The staff were very helpful and charming and our guide on the birding walk very knowledgeable and likable.

The restaurant was very congested but we understand another one is under construction." See all these reviews: 21n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Mr & Mrs S
Bristol

"Do Hoop Opstal"

2 nights Arrived 1 Mar 2017
"A lovely self catering cottage in a superb site in the park. Couldn't be bettered for scenery and game." See all these reviews: 9n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Mr T & Mrs M
Newmarke

"De Hoop Opstal review"

2 nights Arrived 14 Feb 2017
"Well off the beaten track, but what a stunning location! The setting, amidst a varied habitat, provided the ideal environment for a wide variety of birds and animals, which we discovered on self-guided trails. A short drive away we found the stunning coast and dunes. Our accommodation was comfortable, and the food excellent. This was where we were introduced to the delights of Larroche gin!" See all these reviews: 21n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Showing 1-10 of 24
88%
24 reviews of The Opstal by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
14
8
0
2
0
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