The Nest Hotel is located close to Abseiling, the King Swing and the Vertical Rush, as well as the scenic Scootour Adventure. In season River Tubing is also available.
If you are planning a conference, The Nest Hotel can arrange a team building session with Jakes and Cornelia, who are experts in outdoor activities. They will help you bond with your colleagues and have fun at the same time.
Jakes and Cornelia have their hearts and souls in the Drakensberg, as Cornelia recounts in her short bio below :
My parents always said they raised country children in the city. My mom and dad created opportunities to take us (me and two older brothers) on wild adventures. Orange river canoe trips, 4×4 adventures in the Kaokoveld, hiking all over the country, Otter, Blyde River, Transkei to name a few. The hike that far outshines the others was a five day hike in the Central Drakensberg… in the middle of Winter (in those days gear as we know it today was not available) – I remember trying to pitch a tent (probably a tent that was more appropriate for backyard camping) with my brother and not being able to use my fingers as they were so swollen and red from the cold. Today, a mom of two healthy and wild children, I look back and know that my mom and dad did not want us to remember the “tough” times with resentment, but to learn perseverance and grit, a huge love for nature and the Creator.
Little did I know during that cold Drakensberg hike, at the age of 10, this would later become home where many more wild adventures would await.
I studied a degree in Environmental Management and Tourism at PUKKE “just to have something behind my name” but the adventure spirit that my parents had instilled in us lived on. My brother and I freelance guided on the Vaal River on weekends . This is where I first smacked eyes on a wild man: Jakes Saaiman. Before he came to his senses and asked me to marry hus, we had seven years of adventures apart. He worked in Switzerland, Uganda, Kalahari and the Zambezi as a river and canyoning guide. I was living it up in London and Taipei as a teacher. I stopped guiding but managed to get on rivers through kayaking. With a bit more money for travelling I travelled to France and paddled in the Canyon du Verdon and on the White Nile In Uganda.
When we finally got married I decided to quit teaching and we explored options as a team in the Adventure Tourism industry. We were offered a job in the valley as guides and lived in a caravan, happily married. As a team we felt that we wanted to start up a business focusing on Family Adventures. We had lots of enthusiasm, a three door Ford Fiesta and a trailer. I remember telling Jakes that it is just as good as a double cab bakkie, if one hooks the trailer on. While we were building our own family, our adventure business and ideas grew. We started Scootours Drakensberg and own the franchise in SA. We helped to open locations in Kaapsehoop, Harties, Long Tom Pass, Knysna and Cape Town.
We are often asked by tourists how it feels to live in such a beautiful place and I always answer great, but that it is the community that makes this home.
Our adventure business is still in the developing stages, but as a family we are loving every wild moment of the process.
Cornelia Saaiman
The Central Drakensberg is a destination that will make your heart race and your spirit soar. Book your stay at The Nest Hotel today and discover the adventure of a lifetime