Welcome to Swellendam Country Lodge!
We are delighted to be your hosts.

Swellendam Country Lodge is an established place to stay in Swellendam since the early 2000’s. Since June 2019, we are the proud new owners of the lodge. We are Jan & Vivianne Bruijn, originally from the Netherlands. In 2009 we fell in love with South-Africa before we fell in love with each other, which happened after we both returned from Cape Town where we did our student internships. Many return visits to the beautiful country of South Africa, and to the Western Cape in particular, followed until we decided Swellendam was the perfect place for us to start our own hospitality business. An adventurous new chapter in our lives unfolded and it didn’t stop there. In 2022 and 2024, we became proud parents of Olivier and Valerie and have been enjoying life as a young family in this beautiful part of the world.

Coming from the hectic city of Amsterdam, we found absolute paradise in Swellendam and at the Lodge. The tropical garden of almost 6000 m2 had us stunned and so had the historic and picturesque town of Swellendam with its spectacular mountain views and characteristic Cape Dutch architecture. Both the vibrant and one-of-a-kind city of Cape Town and various wine regions are within reach and from Swellendam, you easily make your way up the popular Garden Route. It made Swellendam perfectly positioned for us as well as the guest house.

South-Africa is known for its amazingly friendly people. We immediately felt like we belong. To support the local community, we soon decided to adopt a stray dog from the SPCA shelter in Swellendam. We named her Khaya, meaning “home” in the local isiXhosa language as the lodge became a new home for her and for us. It’s therefore our mission to make our lodge become your home-away-from-home too!

Sit back, pour yourself a glass of local wine and enjoy our beautiful garden and surroundings! Let us and our dedicated staff take care of you. Have a relaxing stay at Swellendam Country Lodge. It’s only our pleasure!