Koedoeskraal | Marlise van Rooyen

Just a short drive from Nelspruit, a few kilometres off the Low’s Creek road, lies a little hidden piece of heaven known as Koedoeskraal.

By Benno Stander

Koedoeskraal

On the stoep of the neat little self-catering unit that is tucked into the trees next to a pond you might find something that has become a very scarce commodity these days… A little bit of peace and quiet.

“We haven’t been open for many years and we don’t advertise very actively,” admits Marlise van Rooyen, “But somehow people find us and make their way out here from all over just to spend a bit of quality time with the ones they love.”

I plan to keep it small and cosy since that way we know we can give people the highest level of personal attention

Marlise grew up in Alberton but moved to Komatipoort at age 10 where she finished primary school before attending boarding school at Hoërskool Nelspruit. In 2004 her stepfather bought the farm at an auction and Marlise fell in love with the place right away. She was always one for the outdoors and went on to study game farm management after school.

Koedoeskraal

For more than three years she worked on a game farm at Marken, near the Botswana border where she also completed her PH. But her dad lured her back to Koedoeskraal without too much effort and she soon took over the managing of the farm and even lived alone on the farm at one stage before she got married. She had to keep busy and even though she did not have a lot of labour to work with she managed to make roads and get fixed what needed fixing.

There was one wooden hut that was used for guests and it gradually became quite popular. One day a very happy guest said to her that she needed to make a plan to put up more accommodation since he will return the following year with a larger group of people. Marlise did not waste any time in putting up two tent houses right next to the pond.

“Although things happened quite quickly I plan to keep it small and cosy since that way we know we can give people the highest level of personal attention. People enjoy the little things we do like supplying good quality fire wood and lighting it for them every evening. We also include a game drive with every reservation at no extra charge. The property is just so mountainous that not just any vehicle can get around and we don’t want anyone to miss out on the amazing landscape and views Koedoeskraal has to offer.”

Marlise van Rooyen

As Marlise drives up and down bumpy little gravel tracks in her camouflaged 4×4, her hands spend more time gesturing and explaining than what they do on the steering wheel. Her love and appreciation for this rugged piece of earth is evident, and quite contagious. There is life everywhere, from the horses walking around at the pond, to the birds that seem to flutter in every tree to the game that roam freely on the property. At the same time there is little development to spoil the faraway feeling you get. No city lights. No freeway sounds and no sirens going off.

Another guest, Armand van der Merwe, who visited recently was so impressed with the camp that he spent most of his time taking these high quality photographs which he sent to Marlise afterwards to assist with marketing. “With all the nice pictures we decided to get a website made professionally from ShowMe Nelspruit.” She also built a 4×4 camp up on the mountain and have several routes for the not so faint at heart driver.

“We take things as they come. We’re not a fancy resort with a thousand things to do. We are close to Kruger National Park and on route to Mozambique so the area has so much to offer. I am considering some adventure options but for the bigger part we offer the ideal faraway feel for families to spend quality time together in a tranquil environment.”