Siskins

The charming town of Barkly East is home to Siskins Bed & Breakfast. A century-old rambling home with oregan floors & doors, high ceilings and an old coal stove, Siskins started life as the original Dopper Kerk Pastorie. Now lovingly restored, it is a spacious, comfortable rest for a travellers weary feet. Delicious meals are served by your host (a qualified cordon bleu chef) in the dining room and one can quietly relax in the lounge (with TV & DVD) or sunroom. The quaint outbuilding has been converted in to two tastefully decorated en-suite twin rooms, and there is a beautiful family bedroom in the main house sleeping up to 4, sharing a bathroom. Safe parking on the premises. Chris & Kath Isted have added Siskins to their accommodation collection that includes Reedsdell Guest Farm, also in the Barkly East district. Set in one of the most scenic areas of the Eastern Cape Drakensberg Mountains, this small town of Barkly East has much to offer. Excellent trout angling beckons in crystal clear mountain streams that eventually flow in to the Kraai, a tributary of the Orange River. Barkly East has a well-stocked town dam, where float-tubing is welcomed & access can be gained to more than 200km of running water. The area is one of the most spectacular in South Africa for San Rock Art trained guides are available to take you on tours of the protected art. Visit the quaint Barkly East Museum for a wonderful Bushmen display, as well as a well-documented history of the area that includes the early settlers of Xhosa, Sesotho, Trekboers & 1820 settlers. Species such as the Drakensberg Siskin, Yellowbreasted Pipit, Orangebreasted Rockjumper, Ground Woodpecker & Bearded Vulture make it a birders paradise and an endless array of wildflowers adds depth to the wealth of features that fascinate visitors. Serving the surrounding agricultural community (sheep, cattle, raspberries, fish, dairy & wheat), Barkly East experiences snowfalls in winter and is a mere 1hr45min drive from South Africas only ski resort Tiffindell, making it an ideal stopover on your way to or from the resort. Day drives from Barkly East to Wartrail New England, Lundeans Nek, Sterkspruit, Rhodes, Bastervoetpad, Naudes Nek (third highest pass in the Cape) and the Otto du Plessis Pass promise the visitor spectacular scenery and views down the Drakensberg escarpment.