Canaga is situated some 8km from the R62 towards the Kouga River. It is made up of 5 titles, the farm is 1158ha in extent.

Canaga is a stand alone entity, which is currently farmed as a game farm and it’s also suited to mixed farming should one wish to include livestock. It is comprised of an extended valley, encompassed on 3 sides by the Kouga mountains. The valley floor is wider and relatively flat on the western side, becoming narrower and more kloof like the further east one travels. The surrounding Kouga Mountains are rather steep and dramatic, and are characterized by deep lateral drainage lines that form steep sided gorges radiating back from the valley into the surrounding mountains.

The western section is predominately old lands. Some of these have been planted to Digitaria Smutsii, which has established well and forms an excellent dry land pasture. The balance contains a mix of predominately cynodon and eragrostis curvula. Likewise, the surrounding mountain veld contains healthy stands of Themeda. A pleasing density of flowering protea species including neriifolia, repens and laurifolia are found, in addition to a large number of the indigenous cycad species Encephalartos Longifolia. The honeybush tea plant grows naturally in the general area and it’s predominantly found on the southern slopes. The north facing slopes of the valley gorge have a reasonable density of spekboom that is well used by the bushbuck and migrant kudu.
Browse on the farm is limited to the drainage lines. As, with everywhere else in this region, alien trees can be a problem. The current owner has invested lots of energy to eradicate these alien species from the farm and there is some very healthy indigenous forest species, which are both established and regenerating as a result. The owner has given this process a push by planting out a vast number (+- 1000) of indigenous trees over the years.

The farm falls in a predominately winter rainfall area, with an annual average of approximately 460mm / annum.

The perimeter of the farm is completely fenced with a combination of stock and game fencing. The western end of the farm has three newly fenced adjoining game camps of approximately the following sizes: 27 ha, 60 ha and 72 ha. The 60 ha camp is fenced with 1,5 m high bonnox mesh type fencing whereas the other two camps are both fenced with conventional 2,4 m high game fencing. Introduced game species include (25/4/2019): Eland (1), Gemsbuck (7), Black Wildebeest (4), Impala (2), Springbuck (5) and Blesbuck (42). The remainder of the farm is one large stock fenced camp and the indigenous species have a very large area through which to traverse. Natural species found include Mountain Reedbuck, Vaal rhebuck, duiker, Cape Grysbok, Steenbok, Bushbuck, Klipspringer as well as migrant Kudu.

Canaga has substantial, mostly well maintained, infrastructure:
The house is solid and the interior recently underwent a complete renovation adding a modern touch. It has 4 bedrooms with 2 large bathrooms, open-plan kitchen and dining area plus a spacious scullery/laundry room. There is also a formal lounge/TV room complete with fireplace. The dining room leads onto an enclosed deck which forms an entertainment and/or braai area.
Behind the house there is a large separate flat containing an open-plan bedroom / kitchen / living room with separate toilet and shower.
A second smaller house is currently used as a storeroom and this structure would need some TLC before being habitable.
There is a single garage/shed/workshop with adjoining storeroom plus there is a nearby carport which can fit 6 vehicles.
There are 2 staff houses plus an ablution facility in between.
There is a well developed and functional piggery with facility for 12 sows plus weaning stys and handling facilities. There is also an old storeroom near the piggery.
The farm has 3 phase Eskom power.

The valley floor has a small river, which although seasonal does flow very easily and offers numerous viable dam sites. There is currently one small earth dam located at the top end or start of the valley in which this above mentioned stream is located. There are 2 natural springs that flow continuously and have remained constant throughout the drought. There is a borehole that lifts water to a tank with a float switch and booster pump from where it is lifted to a concrete reservoir above the house. From this point, water is gravitated to the house, piggery and game/stock water points. The borehole water is fresh with no diagnostic taste of dissolved salts and the delivery was quoted at +- 2000lts per hour.

The appeal here lies in a conservation orientated outdoor living experience. The game, coupled with the spectacular terrain offer the best in hiking / walking / riding opportunities and it is the type of place that one would find tremendous satisfaction in simply preserving for future generations. That said the opportunity exists for limited, low impact stock farming (cattle and/or sheep plus the piggery) on a scale that would complement the veld management regime, probably cover the farms running costs and keep the owner in fresh produce. Alternatively one could simply continue with the current game operation or even possibly expand thereon by increasing the number of game camps as well as the species list. Another option would be to consider growing a honeybush tea plantation of a commercial scale as there is a fully operational and certified honeybush processing plant on a nearby farm plus the current demand for honeybush far outweighs the local production/supply figure which translates into a reasonably good price being paid for the crop at present. It is my feeling that the property would further be well suited to a discreet eco-tourism venture and correctly managed it could rival the Baviaans experience while being considerably more accessible. Read more...