Words: Anne Schauffer | Images: Shane Van Eck, Shutterstock
Kloof is perched 540m above sea level at the top of the narrow and winding Fields Hill, with a string of suburbs at its feet, stretching all the way to Durban and the sea.
Kloof has always been considered the jewel in the Upper Highway crown, and was in the early days dubbed “aloof Kloof” as much for its attitude as its altitude. Today, it’s primarily home to families who no longer feel the tug of Durban and choose the area for its top schools and unique lifestyle that’s more country than town, but not isolated. Outside of peak traffic hours, it takes 15 minutes to get to Durban and, once you hop onto the N3 toll road, Camperdown’s industrial parks and even the city of Pietermaritzburg are easy to get to.
Property
Kloof has always been a residential area, but it’s spilled out to its boundaries and included a wider range of properties which cater for a broader population with different needs and budgets. With the explosion of Hillcrest and its satellite suburbs, massive retail, commerce and professional services are all nearby. Many Upper Highway residents either work or have set up their offices in the area, and have no need to travel east.
The beautiful old Kloof homes are still there, and because of the cooler, damper climate (this is “the mist belt”) gardens are magnificent, trees are massive and well established, and there’s a general sense of lush green growth throughout the suburb.
Kloof has a number of well-known residential roads and pockets, like those around the Kloof Country Club, Everton Road and Meadow Lane, among many others. A few areas have been reconfigured to incorporate commercial, retail and office spaces – Old Main Road was once purely residential, but with rezoning to business rights, homes have been bought up, restored and altered to become offices and enterprises.
Because Kloof homes were often on large plots, and there’s little spare land anywhere else in Kloof, developers have reimagined the space and created small to medium-sized exclusive gated estates. Stephen Porteous, director, Avante Park (the development company of The Glade), says, “We built four luxury homes in the prestigious Everton Road precinct. You get style, security, privacy and exclusivity in one of the prime areas.”
Kloof property is considered good value, when compared to other upmarket areas. There are numerous affordable pockets of Kloof which offer easy proximity to great schools, access to freeways and meet all the retail/commercial/professional and medical needs of residents.
Schooling
Schooling in Kloof, and the Upper Highway, is one of the biggest drawcards to the area. Kloof’s public schools, such as Kloof High School, have excellent reputations and do well in academics and sport. The well-known private schools of St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls and Thomas More College are prized, but a mere 10-minute drive away you can find Highbury Preparatory School (a boys’ preprimary and primary school) and Kearsney College (for high school boys) in Botha’s Hill.
Resident Sally Chance says, “My two teenage children are at Thomas More College and they love it. I’m a freelance photographer and my work takes me north, south and east, so Kloof is ideally positioned for easy access.”
Explore
Being in this greenbelt, it’s no surprise there’s an emphasis on the environment, whether it’s your garden at home, the mountain biking trails, conservancy activities or Krantzkloof Nature Reserve. This reserve is under the protection of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and is considered a biodiversity treasure trove, including a variety of mammals, birds, trees and more than 1,500 plant species. It’s also home to the crowned eagle and Wahlberg’s eagle, as well as the lanner and peregrine falcons, which all breed here.
The Kloof Falls (open every day) and Nkutu (open weekends and public holidays only) picnic sites in Forest Hills are popular areas along rivers. There are also a number of excellent self-guided trails of varying difficulty – all outbound from the reserve’s picnic sites. A reserve map with all the trail info you need is available at both picnic sites. There are also a number of popular rock climbing sites.
Kloof Conservancy is involved in protecting and preserving the biodiversity of the Kloof area and its fundraising e orts range from the Indigenous Open Gardens to the Three Falls Trail Run (19km through the reserve, including Kloof Falls, UveFalls and Mpiti Falls). There’s also the Kwa-Ximba Trail Run – a fundraising activity put together with the Kwa-Ximba Conservancy.
Resident Fred Stein says, “If I can jump it, ride it or climb it, that’s where I want to be. Kloof provides me with all those opportunities!”
“Kloof suits us perfectly. It still has a village feel and the amenities allow us all to spend time in the outdoors doing what we each love best, cycling and hiking!”
Sara Dreyer, resident
Sleep:
- Makaranga Garden Lodge
- Barker Manor Guest House
- Southey House
- Morgenzon Bed and Breakfast
- Cybele Lodge, Hillcrest
Shop:
- Maytime Shopping Centre
- Fields Hill Shopping Centre
- Kloof Village Mall
- Watercrest Mall, Hillcrest
Eat:
- Phuket Thai: for authentic Thai food
- Stokers Arms Restaurant: for good pub grub and a variety of craft beers
- I Love My Coffee: for great coffee and delicious breakfasts
- Sprigs: for amazing food made from fresh and organic ingredients
- Bellevue Cafe: for hearty and nourishing meals
- Jooma Coffee: for tasty cafe food
- 1904 Bistro Americain: for American-style cuisine
