The Farmhouse

The Farmhouse is one of the oldest buildings still standing in Chimanimani. It has been lovingly renovated to be a guest house. The property belongs to Douglas and Tempe van de Ruit who live nearby. The caretaker, Michael, lives on the property.
The house is spacious with an open-plan sitting and dining room. There is a fireplace and fire wood available for those chilly winter evenings. The kitchen is fully equipped. It has a small gas stove, a two plate electric stove and a little microwave and a fridge for guests to use. There is a half-drum braai with fire wood supplied for you to cook outside if you prefer.
The Farmhouse has three bedrooms. Two of the rooms have double beds, and one has three single beds. There are two spare single beds, one in the big bedroom and one in the sitting room. On the verandah facing the mountain there is also a sofa-come-bed if required! Bedding and towels are provided.

A recent addition is a loft above the garage. There are mattresses on the floor and if you are having a big gathering, you could sleep four (or more) kids up there. It’s cosy and fun and has a lovely treetop view of the mountains. Soon there will be a bathroom and a basin below the stairs.
If you have a tent you are welcome to camp in the garden. There is plenty of shade although Chimanimani is in the highlands of Zimbabwe so it is seldom too hot.
There are two bathrooms; one has hot water from an electric geyser and one has a donkey boiler. The outdoor shower is a favourite. And there are two toilets inside the house. Like all old colonial buildings there are lots of verandahs on all sides of the house! Great – there is nearly always a sunny and a shady verandah to choose from. The floors are of uneven heights so be careful. But it’s the quirks of the old homestead that give it its charm.