Canyon Village bears an extraordinary likeness to the quaint hamlet scene from Braveheart. Only the weather is better.

The 21 stone and thatch cottages, with obligatory front stoep, are arranged in a semi circle around the main lodge the effect is surreal in its timelessness. The main lodge is an enormous inn-like building with a spacious restaurant decorated with Bondelswart-Nama murals, a coffee shop and a delightful bar set among massive granite boulders.

This rural haven is set inside the Gondwana Canyon Park - a revelation of enterprise and home-brewed charm. The private reserve is twice the size of the Isle of Man and runs along the eastern edge of the length of Fish River Canyon conservation area.

Most of the ingredients for all your meals are produced on a nearby small holding ensuring quality is enhanced by the back-to-basics, honest-to-hearty-goodness pioneering philosophy of the park's custodians.

The two other accommodation options in Gondwana include the pioneer's farmhouse Canyon Lodge and the quirky dilapidated chic of the Canyon Roadhouse.