About - The Anchorage River House
Shane and Carolyn Edwards including their friendly Greyhounds welcome you to visit Anchorage River House.
The guest house is nestled on the banks of the Goukou River with its Provence feel among the olive trees and vineyards offering 5 star self-catering accommodation.
The lodge offers approximately 150 metres of river frontage and activities such as fishing, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding as well as bird watching for the avid bird lovers. Fishing and skiing on the river or charters can be arranged at an extra cost on request.
Anchorage is situated only 5 minutes from the centre of Stilbaai and a blue flag swimming beach, hiking trails and also shops.
The lodge consists of three double suites which include extra-large king size beds, bathroom en-suite, kitchenette and braai facilities. Each room opens up onto a private patio overlooking the river.
All rooms have DSTV as well as free WiFi.
Anchorage River House
The Suites
Anchorage offers 3 self-catering suites adjacent. All the units are 2 sleepers. Elegantly decorated and also fully equipped to ensure that our guests enjoy an unforgettable stay.
The Goukou River
The Goukou is a tidal river dividing Stilbaai into east and west before meeting the Indian ocean. In the estuary area the salt sea water mixes with the fresh river water, thus creating an area where the water is brackish and home to unique plants and animals that have adapted to this environment. Not only is the salinity content of the water affected, but also constantly changing because of the influence of the tides.
The ebb and flow of the tides are clearly noticeable even further upstream than the River House. Although the Goukou River is part of a marine reserve, collecting bait and fishing are allowed in certain areas.
The river is full of life and activity in the form of fish, such as garrick, steenbras, cob, as well as white stump nose and spotted grunter. Also organisms commonly used as bait like mud prawns, blood worms, pencil bait, brine shrimps as well as small crabs, etc. Not to mention the variety of bird species such as the hadada ibis, seagulls, egrets, kingfishers and cranes, along with sandpipers and lots more.
The Goukou River is navigable for 17 km making it a popular place to fish, swim, row as well as ski. The stretch of river right in front of Anchorage is a ski zone to boot! Due to the abundance of bird species, our birdwatching guests will have a ball.
All of these await you right here at Anchorage River House!
Goukou River
The Anchorage River House
At the southern Tip of Africa where the Goukou River flows into the Indian Ocean
River Escapades
No need to drive anywhere if you can enjoy the river right here! A perfect opportunity for swimming, or perhaps canoeing or kayaking. How about catching up on some river fishing, either from the bank, or off a boat. Incidentally the stretch of river right in front of Anchorage is a ski zone, so, if you love skiing, this is the place for you to be.
Communal Chill Zone
Make use of the communal recreation area where you can release some of that pent-up stress. There you’ll find a solar heated swimming pool, together with sun loungers to do some sunbathing. Also an air-conditioned guest lounge sporting a TV (DStv), a fridge, some games and a number of comfortable chairs.
Spot. Study. Shoot. Share.
The river area is home to an abundance of bird species, small animals, as well as indigenous flora. Apart from enjoying the splendid views, bird spotters, nature photographers, painters and the like can stroll around. Spot your target, identify it, shoot some unique pictures, then share them on social media.
Stilbaai & Blue Flag Beaches
For water-loving holiday makers Stilbaai and water activities go hand-in-hand. This is due to the Goukou River running through the town and spilling into the Indian Ocean, resulting in three splendid blue flag beaches. Two of these are on the eastern side, namely, Lappiesbaai and Preekstoel, and the third one, Son-en-See, is on the western side.
As it happens, Stilbaai also offers a healthy variety of things to do other than water sports. To start with, there are several hiking and biking trails varying in distance as well as level of difficulty. Various local produce are up for tasting, such as locally distilled gin, cheese, olive oil and other olive products, wine, etc.
Variety / Activities & Things to Do
Heritage / Things to See
Stilbaai has a rich history dating as far back as the Middle Stone Age (±75 000 years ago ). The ancient inhabitants of the area left behind extremely interesting artefacts as evidence of their existence. Some of these can be perused in the Blombos Museum of Archaeology. Of course, a much more recent “must see” development, is the indigenous fynbos garden, Tuin-op-die-Brak, in Stilbaai East.