The Covid lockdowns caused big changes in many people’s lives. For us, it brought a crystal clear vision and a real push to move forward with our dream of creating our piece of heaven on earth; The Gaia Sanctuary. We found a slice of paradise on the Breede River in Buffeljagsrivier, South Africa. We fell in love with the nearby Western Cape Town of Swellendam, a magical place with such beautiful people. Our roots have grown here very quickly.
We are creating a sustainable organic farm, off the grid and ecologically minded, with unique guest accommodation to savour the river and mountain views. We have a vision of exciting artworks dotted across the farm, with an abundance of outdoor activities suitable for the whole family, to get people outdoors to connect with Mother Nature again and embody our motto; “The Gaia Sanctuary – Where Mother Earth meets your Soul”.
We want to get kids back to Nature ( and off their devices) and teach them to open their eyes to the magical wonders of nature, to appreciate it and all it has to offer and create little Earth Warriors, to spread the message to other kids on how to care for, give back and restore Mother Earth. Teaching young people and ourselves the true meaning of life not to be found whilst addicted to devices but in nature and themselves.
We aim to spread the message of how important it is that we stop destroying Mother earth and the soil and how we can start now to take action to create more nutrient-rich soil; our future generations’ lives depend on this.
It is our responsibility; it is our duty!
We are committed to restoring our farm to its original natural biome by enriching its soil, co-planting and increasing the natural vegetation’s biodiversity, thereby attracting more wildlife, bees, and birds. We have a large portion of our farm with the highly endangered Renosterveld, an endangered plant biome, which we plan to protect and further enhance by planting more of the original plant species that belong to this habitat.
We will also leave a forest legacy behind, hosting many planting events where we will plant indigenous trees. Our farm will thrive with abundant vegetation, trees and wildlife; we will be a true Sanctuary for animals, birds and bees. And you.
We need to spread the message far and wide of the reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose ethos through our actions to encourage people to think twice about their actions and purchases, and then knock-on effect. Humanity cannot continue with this consumerism lifestyle. We strive to be a living, breathing example to our guests and the greater community of how one can live in balance and harmony with Mother Nature and how we can make a positive impact on the earth.
Simply by being immersed in nature, one feels the healing effects instantly and leaves feeling refreshed, renewed, and giving many a new purpose in life. True peace, balance and harmony can be found just by being at one with nature.
We will offer an array of beautifully crafted Healing retreats, with many different healing modalities, set in other natural settings on the farm. The Buffeljagsrivier and the Breede river converge at the top of our farm, and at this point of convergence, it has created an anti-clockwise vortex of energy, which is very healing. A natural river is also healing, so we will host many beautiful healing retreats/ workshops at this spot on our farm.
Many of our structures on the farm will be triangular in shape, i.e. our A-frames, bell tents and teepees. The triangular shape is symbolic for us, as a triangle symbolises balance and harmony in sacred geometry. The three-sided form relates to the body, mind, and spirit, and with an upward-facing point, it indicates raising consciousness.
We strive to do everything at The Gaia Sanctuary consciously, using our awareness, creatively and with love. We have so much to learn from the land, the people and history and each other as we pursue the vision for this farm.
We hope our guests enjoy their time at the Sanctuary as much as we have enjoyed creating it, and we hope that you find Mother Earth meeting your Soul when you visit!