The Farm is located in Helderstroom, which is about a 1.5 hour drive from Cape Town airport. You can rent a car at the airport and enjoy the scenic route through beautiful wine country.
You drive on the left-hand side of the road in South Africa. We’ve found it helps to have a copilot up front with you to help you figure out your spacing. There are coal trucks on the road that drive very slow uphill and speed up downhill. Even on a one-lane road, you’ll see it’s very common to drive into the lane of oncoming traffic to get around someone, especially those coal trucks. Just be careful! For our non-South African drivers, an International Driver’s Permit is recommended, but not required. Please make sure you check with your rental car agency to ensure you are following their guidelines.
As of April 2026, guests do not need a visa to come to South Africa from the US, Denmark, England, or Ireland. (You do need a passport.) You do not need to get any vaccines either.
Parts of South Africa will occasionally have rolling outages to lower the electrical demand on the grid. During these events, there will be no power available to you, though many hotels and other accommodations will have their own generators. This should not be an issue on the farm. When arriving in South African airports, it’s common for non-airport personnel to try to carry your bags for you/show you how to get where you want to go. This is fine if you don’t mind tipping them, but they can be quite pushy if you’re not interested in their services.
Everyone will be assigned a room in one of the cottages on the farm. You don’t need to contact the farm directly for a room; one will be booked for you, and payment will go through Monica and Tristan at a later date. Final cost will be $100 US dollars total per person for the three night stay.
The farm is incredibly beautiful and tucked away in the Riviersonderend Mountain Range. This does mean that cell phone service is spotty. There are some spots with better signal than others (such as the front gate), but for the most part, you’ll be off the grid. Linens and bath towels will be provided, but please bring your own swimming towels (and bathing suit!) if you plan on enjoying the weirs built into the river. The water is supplied from the farm dam and is completely safe to drink. You are welcome to bring your own drinking water if you are at all concerned.
You’ll be provided 3 meals over the course of your stay - dinner on Monday, dinner on Tuesday, and brunch on Wednesday. You’ll be responsible for feeding yourselves otherwise. All cottages are fully equipped with a fridge/freezer, kettle, toaster, microwave, stove, oven, and dishwasher. You’ll be provided beer, wine, and soft drinks at the welcome dinner, and cocktail hour and the reception will have a full open bar.
We ask that guests dress in semi-formal attire. For the men, this includes slacks and a dress shirt with or without a tie and/or blazer. For women, this includes short, mid-length, or long dresses. Please also keep in mind that the wedding events will take place outdoors and in grass, so wear comfortable shoes (such as block heels or flats).
Yes! Everyone must depart from the farm by 11am on Thursday, April 15th. For those who are interested, you can drive about an hour to Franschhoek, where we’ll spend the day visiting different wineries via the Franschhoek wine train. This will include tastings at 3 different wineries, as well as a fully catered lunch at the last stop. Price per person will be determined as soon as possible and updated here. This is fully optional, but we’ve both done it multiple times and highly recommend it. You are welcome to drive back to Cape Town that evening, but after a full day of wine, we do recommend staying the night in Franschhoek so you don’t have to drive. There are a variety of hotels to choose from, but there is also parking available where the wine train departs if you choose not to stay overnight.
Pending some insider info from Tristan’s family :)
We will be happy to accommodate any food allergies and/or dietary restrictions. Please let us know in advance and we will work with our caterers.
Please RSVP on our website by January 13, 2027.
Please feel free to reach out to either Tristan or Monica if you have any questions or concerns that were not addressed here. We’re happy to help in any way we can!