Arendsnes lies some 32 kilometres northwest of Brits, on the R511 to Thabazimbi. After turning off the tar road, one crosses a long bridge over the Crocodile River. When I stopped just after the bridge to take a picture, I saw a flash of iridescent blue − it was a malachite kingfisher; and a Giant Heron stood motionless at the water’s edge some distance away.
You can’t miss Arendsnes’ big stone entrance gate, with its African fish eagle sign inviting you in. The farm is also a game farm, with zebra, waterbuck, impala, kudu, blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, blesbok and nyala.
Arendsnes is on a farm which has been in the Eckhard family since 1948 it was initially a sport, school and adventure camp, and these remain part of the business, but visitors kept hinting that they’d love to caravan and camp too. In 2012, the family took the hint and opened the Arendsnes Caravan Park − the name comes from the African fish eagles which have a nest at the big dam nearby.
The Roodekoppies dam, on the Crocodile River, is also just a stone’s throw from the farm, and both dams are obvious feeding grounds for these magnificent birds. The area around the Crocodile River and the Roodekoppies dam is a bird-watcher’s paradise.
The park dam is also well known among the fishing fraternity for its largemouth bass, kurper, carp, barbel, yellowfish and eel.
There are 100 caravan and camping stands at Arendsnes, as well as three bungalows, five chalets and two large family houses.
The grounds are immaculate, grassed, and mostly under shade.
