Gaia Glamping

17/08/2026

🌿 A NEW CHAPTER FOR THE GAIA SANCTUARY 🌿

With very mixed emotions, we have made the difficult decision to put The Gaia Sanctuary on the market.

Gaia has been so much more than a property to us. It has been a dream, a place of nature, adventure and unforgettable memories. 💚

While it is sad to let go of a place that has been such a big part of our lives, we are also excited about the possibility that someone new may take this beautiful property forward and create something truly special here.

With its beautiful Breede River frontage, spectacular Langeberg mountain views, natural beauty and exciting potential for eco-tourism, conservation, a boutique nature retreat or other low-density lifestyle opportunities, Gaia offers a truly unique proposition.

Perhaps the next chapter of Gaia belongs to you. 🌿✨

👉 The Gaia Sanctuary is now for sale:

https://www.property24.com/for-sale/swellendam-rural/swellendam/western-cape/16564/117524833

Please feel free to share this post with anyone you think may be looking for something truly special. 💚

The Gaia Sanctuary — a beautiful place, waiting for its next chapter.

THE GAIA SANCTUARY 94-Hectare Breede River Lifestyle & Eco-Tourism Property | Buffeljagsrivier,...

05/07/2026

Gaia in full bloom ✨

This time of year our land just... explodes in colour!
Green everywhere. Orange and yellow wildflowers scattered like confetti. Pink, white, and then the showstoppers - the Aloe ferox standing tall with their fiery red and orange spikes. 🌿🌻☘️

We’re so blessed to live surrounded by Renosterveld. It’s rare, it’s wild, and right now it’s astonishingly beautiful. The land looks different week to week. Every morning the mist lifts to reveal new colour.
Bees buzzing. Birds moving from aloe to aloe. The whole valley feels alive. 🐝

Come see it for yourself 🌿

📍 The Gaia Sanctuary, Swellendam, WC
📩 Email us to book your stay and walk the Renosterveld
[email protected]

02/07/2026

🪘🔥🎶 FIRESIDE DRUMMING JAM SESSION 🎶🔥🪘

Join us for an evening of rhythm, connection, and community around the fire.
🪘 Saturday, 4 July 📍 The Gaia Sanctuary Buffeljagsriver (18 km from Swellendam)

🔥 Time :
🥩🍝🥗 3:30 PM Bring and Braai
🪘 *lDrum 5:30 – 7:00 PM

💰 R200 per person 🪘 Drum hire: R50

🔥 Gather around the fire, connect with like-minded people, and let the rhythm move you. No performance, no pressure—just an enjoyable evening of drumming, laughter, and connection.

🪘 RSVP: WhatsApp Anita 📞 082 672 5372
🪘 Facilitator: Michael De Wit
✨ Connect • Groove • Belong ✨

⛺️ Campsites are available should you wish to camp overnight.
📧 Campsite Bookings [email protected]

30/06/2026

🪘🔥🎶 GIRESIDE DRUMMING JAM SESSION 🎶🔥🪘

Join us for an evening of rhythm, connection, and community around the fire.
🪘 Saturday, 4 July
📍 The Gaia Sanctuary Buffeljagsriver (18 km from Swellendam)

🔥 Time :
🥩🍝🥗 3:30 PM Bring and Braai
🪘 Frum 5:30 – 7:00 PM

💰 R200 per person
🪘 Drum hire: R50

🔥 Gather around the fire, connect with like-minded people, and let the rhythm move you. No performance, no pressure—just an enjoyable evening of drumming, laughter, and connection.

🪘 RSVP: WhatsApp Anita 📞 082 672 5372
🪘 Facilitator: Michael De Wit
✨ Connect • Groove • Belong ✨

23/06/2026

This may not look like much, but this is so exciting for us to see. Just over 1 month ago, our entire glampsite was covered in thick mud leftover from the flood, and we worked hard to restore the land. We landscaped the left over mud into garden beds and planted indigenous grass and flower seeds into the mud, and now all the seeds are sprouting already. In just a few weeks time the glampsite will be in full bloom, we are so excited! 🌻🌿🌱☘️

17/05/2026

💔 Flood Update from The Gaia Sanctuary 💔
The last few days have been incredibly hard.
We have worked tirelessly clearing out the very thick layers of mud and sludge left behind by the flood in our cabins, glampsite ablutions and glampdeck. It has been exhausting work, but we are slowly taking things one step and one shovel at a time.
Our next major challenge is the campsite road, which is currently covered in thick mud and inaccessible for vehicles. We will somehow need to bring in a grader to clear it before we can move forward.
After that, we begin the task of repairing the damages… and finally, rebuilding and randscaping our beloved campsite, which was completely destroyed.
What makes this especially heartbreaking is that we had recently upgraded the campsite with gas geysers, two hot showers, and an additional toilet… all of which were sadly washed away in the flood.
It took us 4 years to lovingly create the beautiful sanctuary space we had built, planting new trees, grasses and slowly bringing the campsite to life. Watching so much of it disappear overnight has been devastating.
We know recovery will take months of hard work, and the costs will be significant. But Gaia has always been built with love, community and resilience, and we will rebuild 🌿

Should anyone feel called to support the restoration of our beautiful Sanctuary and willing to offer a donation, we would graciously and deeply appreciate it.
Please kindly DM us 🙏

Thank you to everyone who has checked in, sent messages of support, and held us in your hearts during this difficult time. It means more than you know 🙏🌿🌻 And we are also holding in our hearts and thoughts all the others who have also been badly effected by the severe weather this last week. 🙏💛

14/05/2026

12 May 2026, our 4th flood hit us quickly. The night prior to this the river was normal level, by sunrise, the water was everywhere!

14/05/2026

Wed 12th May 2026
Yesterday, we were flooded again. 💔
The 4th flood in 4 years.
After the devastating flood of September 2023, the one that reached the 100 year flood mark, we never imagined we would face something even bigger, in our lifetime. That flood changed everything. We lost a huge section of beautiful riverside land, 6 large campsites, our road, furniture, infrastructure & months of bookings. The emotional & financial toll was enormous. It took us so much time, energy, & heart to rebuild.
And yet today, the river rose way beyond that.
Our entire glampsite, campsite & cabins were underwater by mid afternoon.
Thankfully, we managed to remove most of the furniture & equipment in time, but now comes the hardest part, the waiting. Waiting to see what remains when the water finally recedes. Waiting to see what has survived, what has been destroyed & what may simply have been washed away.
What many people don’t see is what goes into building something like this. It took us a full year to establish our glampsite, & another 3 years of pouring ourselves into developing and nurturing this land, planting trees & grasses, building terraces, creating stone gabion walls, shaping beautiful spaces for people to connect, rest & experience nature.
Right now, it’s impossible not to wonder what will be left behind.
Today, the water has started to recede quite rapidly, & so far we can see a lot of mud & sludge left behind in our ablutions. The water is still covering most of the land, so it may takes days to properly recede.
To add to the challenge, we pump all of our water directly from the river, which means we likely won’t be able to access water for weeks to come.
And yet… amongst the heartbreak, there has also been something deeply humbling and strangely majestic in witnessing the raw, untamed power of nature. A reminder that no matter how much we build, nature will always be greater than us.
For now, we have done all we can.
Now, we wait. 🙏
A heartfelt thank you to our incredible team — Gareth, Trust, Grace & Jan, who showed up with strength, calm, and absolute dedication today. You were magic when we needed it most. We are so grateful. 🙏