Gamkaskloof is a unique valley situated within the Swartberg Mountain Range. It is approximately 25 km. long and half a kilometre wide. The ownership of the valley is shared amongst three parties: Cape Nature (previously called “Western Cape Nature Conservation”); Annatjie Joubert, who owns a small piece of land within Cape Nature’s property and then us. Boplaas Guest farm lies on a private road at the most western end of the Kloof. Thus, no traffic is allowed past our locked gate, except of course our guests staying in the cottages. This creates a unique opportunity to experience nature in absolute privacy.

Our property includes the farms Boplaas and Kleinberg and covers an area of approx. 4,000 hectares of mountains, valleys and even a perennial mountain stream; providing tranquil pools and pristine scenery that is not easily matched anywhere in the world.

The start of the well known “ladder” route is situated on Kleinberg. This route was used by livestock inspectors and traders to access the valley before the first road into Gamkaskloof was built in 1962. This almost untouched glimpse of history can only be visited and appreciated by being a guest on Boplaas guest farm.
Gamkaskloof is part of the larger Swartberg Nature Reserve situated in the Oudtshoorn district between the Great and Little Karoo. The reserve is around 120,000ha and is mainly concerned with the conservation of mountain catchments and the water yield thereof. It of course also lends itself to educational and recreational opportunities.

The area used to be home of the San and Koi - this could be evidenced by the numerous rock paintings and artifacts found in the caves and overhangs of the reserve. The only access to Gamkaskloof is via the untarred Swartberg Pass, built by the brilliant road engineer Thomas Bain and officially opened in January 1888. Colonel F.X. Schermbrucker (Commissioner of Crown Lands and Public Works) was quoted in the Oudtshoorn Courant at the opening ceremony saying: "We stand here conquerors today; we have conquered nature, which at one time appeared insuperable." Today you will still find remnants of the construction works in the Pass.

The Kloof itself had been inhabited by farmers dating back to the time of the Great Trek. A thriving farming community soon became established that at its high day boasted two schools. No road existed into the Kloof until Mr. Otto du Plessis(Cape Provincial Administrator at the time) promised the inhabitants a road during the 50’s. The building of the road was started by the Roads Department under supervision of oom Koos van Zyl and eventually finished in 1962. Unluckily it had a detrimental effect on the “klowers” as they started to slowly drift away to the outside world. By 1990 there only remained three actively farming families in Gamkaskloof. We bought Kleinberg and Boplaas from the Mostert families in 1984 and shortly after convinced the then Cape Nature Conservation to buy the remaining land; to save the Kloof for prosperity, before it would have been reclaimed by nature. In 1997 the whole Swartberg reserve was declared a World Heritage Site.