Your own piece of paradise - Stanford Lake Lodge
Equipped and decorated to the highest and most soothing standards, this self-catering double-storey log cabin boasts three double bedrooms, two bathrooms and sleeps eight people. Such is its privacy, you can luxuriate in a bath looked upon only by a forest and an enormous sky.
Centre-piece of the spacious open plan living area is a fitted log fire for those quiet, romantic evenings. Two decks give you a choice of forest and lake views and once sundowners are over, the built-in deck braai beckons.
The second lodge is a single-storey log cabin that has three Bedrooms, one Bathroom and sleeps six people. The 2nd lodge also has an open plan living area which includes a centre fireplace for those quiet, romantic evenings. There is also a Weber braai that can be used on the amazing outside deck that leads out of the lounge and overlooks the spectacular Stanford Lake.
Right at your doorstep, the 17 hectare Stanford Lake, whose waterfall feeds the spectacular Ebenezer Dam, has trout and bass to test your fly fishing skills - and the surrounding areas are perfect for hiking, birding, horse riding, canoeing, biking and 4x4 trails.
Escape beyond the turmoil of the city - and those over-crowded resorts. Claim your private piece of paradise for a weekend- or more.
Stanford Lake Lodge, less than 3 hour`s drive from Pretoria. Just you, close friends, the water, the forests and endless skies.
Birds seen at Stanford Lake Lodge:
The area with the ferns and low bushes that is found on the slopes that border Stanford Lake will offer the following birds:
-Tawny-flanked Prinia
-Drakensberg Prinia
-Dark-capped Yellow Warbler
-Barrats Warbler
-Cape White-eye
-Dark-Capped Bulbul
-Sombre Greenbul
-Cape Weaver
-Spectacled Weaver
-Cape Grassbird
-Red-collared widow
-Swee waxbill
-Common waxbill
-Brown-hooded Kingfisher
-Greater double-collared sunbird
-Lesser double-collared sunbird
-Amethyst sunbird
-Fiscal Shrike
-Southern Boubou
-Lazy Cisticola
-Neddicky
-Stonechat
-Levaillants Cisticola
-Hadeda Ibis
-Long-crested Eagle
-Steppe buzzard
-Forest buzzard
-Cuckoo hawk
-Black-shouldered kite
-Crested Francolin
- Helmeted Guinea Fowl
The area with reed and water
In the reed borders of the lake, and the lake itself the following birds could be found (depending on season as well):
-Thick-billed weaver
-Little rush warbler
-Great reed-warbler
-Lesser swamp warbler
-African reed warbler
-Marsh warbler
-Cape wagtail
-African Pied wagtail
-Mountain wagtail
-White-breasted cormorant
-Reed cormorant
-Finfoot
-Red -breasted flufftail
-Buff-spotted flufftail
-African Black duck
-Yellow-billed duck
-White-backed duck
-Egyptian Goose
-Giant kingfisher
-Pied kingfisher
-Little Egret
-Green-backed heron
-Grey heron
-Black-headed heron
-Moorhen
-African Jacana
-Knob-billed coot
-Little Grebe
-Sacred Ibis
-Fish Eagle
-Osprey
The indigenous Forest
The forest is one of the most interesting areas and has the specials. Some work to know bird calls is helpful. In different seasons the following might be seen:
-Black-fronted bush-shrike
-Grey-headed bush-shrike
-Olive bush-shrike
-Orange-breasted bush-shrike
-Black-backed puffback
-Green twinspot
-Black-headed oriole
-Orange ground thrush
-Olive thrush
-Kurrichane thrush
-Narina Trogon
-Cape Parrot
-Square-tailed drongo
-Olive woodpecker
-Olive pigeon
-Grey Cuckooshrike
-Chorister Robin
-Cape Robin
-Brown scrub-robin
-White-starred robin
-Black sparrowhawk
-Little sparrowhawk
-African Goshawk
-Crowned Eagle
-Emerald cuckoo
-Red-breasted cuckoo
-Forest canary
-Cape Canary
-Knysna Turaco
-Yellow-throated woodland warbler
-Bar-throated apalis
-African dusky flycatcher
-Spotted flycatcher
-Blue-mantled crested flycatcher
-Paradise flycatcher
-Cape Batis
Relaxation Therapies
Also on Stanford Farm, just up the road from the cabins, Colleen Ballenden offers foot massages and more at The Growth Centre.
- Birding( see under description of establishment for Bird List)
-Fly Fishing(bass & trout)
-Tubing
-Kloofing
- Mountain Biking & Cycling
-Quad Biking
- Hiking
-Abseiling
-Horse Riding
-Paintball
DIRECTIONS TO STANFORD LAKE LODGE (STANFORD FARM)
Travelling from JHB/PTA on the N1, take Tzaneen by-pass road before Polokwane (ex Pietersburg). Turn LEFT into the R71 - this road doubles back over the highway. Keep on R71 to Tzaneen. Approximately 52 kms from Polokwane to Haenertsburg. Keep STRAIGHT as you enter the village of Haenertsburg. At first STOP street (with garage and Caf on your RIGHT) - travel STRAIGHT for 5,2 kms where you will turn RIGHT into A21 Stanford Farm entrance which also. The school is on the opposite side.
DIRECTIONS TO CABINS FROM INSIDE FARM ENTRANCE
Once you have turned RIGHT into our Stanford Farm A21 entrance (from HAENERTSBURG SIDE) , you travel approx 200 metres where the road forks. Take the LEFT fork, travelling slowly as it is a farm road and bumpy in places. Carry straight on all the way down (0,9kms from the fork) with forest ahead of you and at the water pipe you turn LEFT and then first LEFT again.
Then straight (with young pine trees on either side) :
To Single Storey cabin: First RIGHT and this road takes you to this unit. The keys will be left under a log in the wood container with orange lid.
To Double Storey cabin: Carry on straight and you will see this unit ahead of you (Kiwi plantation to the left). The keys to this unit will be under the black garbage bin to the right of the entrance door.
