Beyond the Spier Hotel and Eerste River, you will find The Wilds, a restored tract of farm telling the story of the Cape’s distinct seasons against the dramatic backdrop of the Stellenbosch mountains. Rewilded with thousands of indigenous plants propagated on the farm by Spier’s nursery manager and horticulturist, Wilton Sikhosana, this mosaic of wetland, fynbos and renosterveld vegetation has been designed as a living almanac, a testament to the fynbos biome’s diversity and nature’s resilience when given space to regenerate. Indigenous Cape bulbs, grasses, wild herbs, creepers, and shrubs will bloom and flourish in each season, creating a vibrant and ever-changing floral landscape to enjoy throughout the year.

Follow the elevated boardwalk through The Wilds to discover “Wilton’s planting palette”, thanks to our nursery manager and his team’s careful, patient work in bringing this area of the farm back to life. Within this landscape, seasonal streams create natural pathways attracting birds, small antelope, mongooses, and tortoises. Whenever you visit, there will be something new to appreciate, from carpets of indigenous daisies in spring to fields of watsonias in early summer.

The Wilds celebrates both fynbos and renosterveld, the two main vegetation types of the Cape Floral Kingdom’s fynbos biome, renowned for its extraordinary diversity and high endemism.

To access The Wilds, hotel guests cross the suspension bridge from the hotel gardens. Day visitors are invited to meander along the protea-lined River Walk. We recommend visiting in the early morning or evening, when shifting light paints the earth and sky in ever-changing colours, connecting you intimately to this precious, protected ecosystem.