Welvanpas,
The farm Welvanpas, in the Bovlei Wellington, is one of the few historic parent farms established in the period of the first Huguenot settlement in the Cape that has preserved its character, size and buildings over the centuries. From 1700 until 1748 and from 1782 to 2025 the farm was owned by the Retief family. Until 2025, when it was acquired by Canetsfontein, it had not been sold for 243 years and could thus conserve much of its heritage.
Welvanpas is beautifully located on both sides of the Kromme Rivier and extends over 240 hectares on the ragged slopes of the Groenberg and Bains Kloof with many ravines, streams and dense thickets of indigenous vegetation.
Ten generations of Retiefs on Welvanpas made a significant contribution to the Wellington community and agriculture in the Western Cape. The farm still produces wine using traditional winemaking procedures and has one of the oldest orange orchards in the country, descending from the orange cuttings that Piet “California” Retief imported from the USA in 1881 to Welvanpas.
The erf of Welvanpas consists of some very old houses from the 18th century, like the coach house and water mill, the H-shaped manor house from 1812 and the wine cellar from 1887, all of which are in the process of being fully restored to their former glory and opened to the public.
Welvanpas’s first name was De Krakeelhoek. The origin of the name is unclear. Some think that it was due to an argument between the first owner and its neighbour (Krakeel means shouting, quarrelling). We believe that it was the howling, crackling wind that funnels violently through the mountains and accelerates to more than 50 knots almost once or twice a week in summer that gave Welvanpas its first name. These crackling winds and the high mountain range around Welvanpas have created a very special microclimate in Welvanpas with hot summer days but cool nights due to a significant wind chill effect even in summer. It is this wind that favours our organic farming practices by blowing away diseases and fungi and providing fresh mountain air.
The Welvanpas Farm Shop, Café and Restaurant are planned to open from 2026 onwards.
Until then, you can enjoy our experiences, like MTB, hiking, horseback riding, etc.
