Guests at Brookdale Estate, a private house and wine estate in South Africa’s Paarl Valley, can now visit two UK-born cheetahs at the nearby Ashia cheetah sanctuary. The cheetahs arrived in February and are being prepared to be released back into the wild as part of a ground-breaking conservation project that marks the first time a hand-raised cheetah has left the UK for re-wilding in Africa.
Situated in the foothills of the Klein Drakenstein Mountains just an hour from Cape Town, Brookdale was bought in 2015 by Englishman Tim Rudd and fully restored in traditional Cape style into one of South Africa’s most exclusive private houses. The manor house and working wine estate is available for private rental for 10-12 people.
Just 10-minute drive from the gates of Brookdale Estate is Ashia cheetah sanctuary where guests have the rare opportunity to visit two UK-born cheetahs. This world-class sanctuary is committed to helping prevent the decline of the endangered wild cheetah, before they transfer to a game reserve in the Great Karoo to prepare for release into the wild.
In a pioneering project supported by animal conservation charity The Aspinall Foundation, two-year-old brothers Saba and Nairo journeyed to Ashia in February 2020 from a private wildlife zoo in Kent. Visitors can watch the majestic big cats settle into their spacious camp, where they will stay for six months as they prepare to transfer to Mount Camdeboo Private Reserve to begin the life-changing transition from captivity to freedom in their ancestral homeland. Guests can choose to visit for a few hours or even volunteer for a day, as they learn more about this endangered species and the sanctuary’s efforts to halt its decline.
The Brookdale Estate manor house has five large en-suite bedrooms and a courtyard suite, along with a state-of-the-art kitchen, several spacious reception rooms, a private wine cellar and terraces with sweeping views. Guests have exclusive use of the manor house and surrounding working vineyard, which has been replanted from superior heritage French vines. Leisurely days can be spent relaxing by the outdoor pool, learning how the award-winning Brookdale Chenin Blanc is created, trying their hand at wine-blending and picking home-grown ingredients to include in the private chef’s menu of South African inspired dishes.
Brookdale Estate can be taken exclusively from £450 per person per night based on 10 sharing the house. The price includes all food and wine and the services of a private chef, butler and housekeeper. The estate is 20 minutes from Franschhoek, 25 minutes from Stellenbosch and an hour from Cape Town.
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For further information and images, please contact Emma Hill or Tiggy Dean on 020 8875 9923.