A weekend in the Overberg does not always have to mean wine tasting and long lunches. At Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve, the plan is a little different. Here, a weekend away might have you cooking over an open fire, learning to identify birds, photographing a Black Harrier or filling the pages of a nature journal.
The Overberg / South African Tourism / Wikimedia Commons
The Wild & Wise Retreats return throughout 2026, bringing experts from conservation, photography, food and wellness into the renosterveld for small, hands-on weekends that are as much about learning as they are about getting away.
And there are still several to look forward to this year.
Fire, fynbos and veldkos
From 9 to 11 October, chefs Lizar van Reenen and Eri-kah van Breda will lead a Fynbos & Fire Cooking retreat.
The weekend explores edible fynbos and veldkos, with participants learning about ingredients such as waterblommetjies, dune spinach and sour figs, while using traditional open-fire cooking techniques.
Instead of simply walking through the veld, you begin to understand what can grow here, what can be eaten and how indigenous ingredients have been used.
Get to know the birds
From 23 to 25 October, Dr Alan Lee, Science and Innovation Programme Manager at BirdLife South Africa, takes over for a weekend focused on fynbos birds and some of South Africa’s important bird species.
The retreat includes practical birding, an introduction to citizen science, SABAP2 and Coordinated Avifaunal Roadcounts, as well as using the BirdLasser app.
Haarwegskloof is a fitting classroom. The reserve is home to species including Black Harrier and Denham’s Bustard, while the surrounding renosterveld provides important habitat for birds that have lost much of their natural range.
Photograph a Black Harrier
Birding gets a more photographic focus from 6 to 8 November, when wildlife photographer Thinus van Staden leads a Black Harrier photography retreat.
The timing is significant. The Black Harrier is BirdLife South Africa’s Bird of the Year for 2026 and is listed as Endangered, with fewer than 1,300 individuals estimated to remain according to the Overberg Renosterveld Trust.
The retreat offers the chance to work on wildlife photography while learning more about one of the species most closely tied to the renosterveld.
And there is plenty happening beyond the viewfinder. Black Harriers can travel considerable distances while foraging, making the surrounding habitat an important part of understanding the bird itself.
Slow down and move
From 13 to 15 November, the focus shifts inward with a weekend of hiking, yoga, Pilates and stretching led by Lee-Ann Louw.
It’s a gentler way to experience Haarwegskloof, with movement taking place alongside time outdoors rather than in a conventional studio setting.
Then, from 20 to 22 November, nature journaling takes centre stage. Ria Kotze will introduce participants to combining birdwatching with observation and journaling, including ways to record sightings and identify birds through their calls and shapes.
And don’t panic, you don’t need to be an artist to take part. The emphasis is on curiosity and paying attention.
End the year around the fire
The final retreat currently listed for 2026 runs from 27 to 29 November, returning to food with an Asian-inspired veldkos weekend led by Eri-kah van Breda.
The retreat looks at indigenous ingredients, traditional knowledge and creative ways of bringing veldkos into contemporary cooking, while considering how these plants can be sustainably sourced and grown. It feels like a fitting way to close the year’s programme.
Because ultimately, Wild & Wise is less about ticking another weekend activity off a list and more about getting to know the place you are in.
Haarwegskloof is home to rare plants, endangered birds and a landscape that has become increasingly fragmented elsewhere in the Overberg. The reserve offers a chance to spend a few days inside that landscape, with enough space to learn something new and enough quiet to actually take it in.
You might arrive for the cooking, the birds, the photography or simply the promise of a few days away. But the real takeaway is the landscape itself. After a weekend at Haarwegskloof, you may find yourself looking at the Overberg a little differently, noticing what is growing beside the road, listening more closely for birds and understanding why these remaining patches of renosterveld are worth protecting.
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