Ouberg Private Nature Reserve is a 1,000 hectare Karoo mountain escape off the Ouberg Pass, 20 km from Montagu and about three hours from Cape Town. The Gie family bought the old sheep farm in 2009 as a city escape and have spent the years since letting the veld recover. Susan is a biologist, and the reserve has hosted BioMapping events and student research projects, which is how the place came to have accommodation at all: what began as an idea for a bungalow or two for visiting citizen scientists grew into De Kuile Tented Camp and Campground.

The reserve sits at the confluence of three biomes, Succulent Karoo, Fynbos and Albany Thicket, and the mix shows. Walking in the veld is never the same twice: every month turns up different flowers, insects, birds and reptiles. Most of the mammals are nocturnal or shy, so camera traps have done the work of revealing what actually lives here. Guests can walk most of the reserve on the old farm roads or follow game trails through the veld, and cyclists are welcome on the farm roads, with the Ouberg Pass and Driekuilshoogte gravel routes on the doorstep for longer rides.

De Kuile Tented Camp sleeps ten across four safari tents on wooden decks. Three have two single beds and a private deck with two chairs; Bokmakierie, the fourth, takes a family. The camp shares a kitchen and dining boma, a braai boma, an ablution block with hot showers, and a plunge pool on the boma deck for summer afternoons. The campground has five stands along a seasonal Karoo stream, each with a tap, a small braai and a shaded pergola for a hammock, sharing hot outdoor showers, flush loos and a scullery. Klippie, the rooftop tent, is for couples who want to arrive with nothing: the bed, the crockery and the camping kit are already there.

Over 100 bird species have been recorded on the reserve and the host keeps the list current, so tell them what you see. Most birds are around the drainage lines and water, but the Karoo scrub rewards patience with larks, Karoo Chat, Karoo Scrub Robin and Cape Bunting. Verreaux's Eagle, Booted Eagle, Secretarybird and Southern Black Korhaan are all on the list, and Alpine and White-rumped Swifts arrive for summer.

Two things to plan for: the reserve is off the grid with no cell reception, though there is free wifi at the camp, and the access roads are dirt. A raised vehicle such as an SUV or bakkie is recommended, but a sedan with reasonable clearance manages the main farm road and no 4x4 is needed.