In 1979 Pat & Karin Busch fell in love with the Klaas Voogds Valley and began purchasing land at the foothills of the Langeberg Mountains as it became available over the next ten years. At the time, land that included slopes and mountainous terrain was not in high demand by farmers in the area who were wanting to plant fruit trees and vineyards.

As a nature lover at heart, Pat slowly accumulated enough land to create his own private nature reserve which today consists of approximately 2000 ha of unspoilt mountains boasting fynbos, proteas, rivers, streams and over 40 kilometres of hiking trails, exclusively for guests staying overnight in self-catering accommodation. Indigenous antelope such as rhebok, grysbok and the scarce steenbok, roam freely in the mountain reserve. Over 150 species of birds can be seen due to the diverse vegetation found in the area.
The following five vegetation types are found on the property: Breede Shale Renosterveld, Breede Alluvium Renosterveld, Breede Shale Fynbos, South Langeberg Sandstone Fynbos, as well as some Robertson Karoo. According to the list of conservation status of S.A. veld types, the first three are classified as 'Endangered' or 'Vulnerable'. Most of these areas are still in good condition. They are also in the process of rehabilitating some of the previously ploughed areas (mostly old wheat fields).
There are two streams that originate on the farms Bergplaas and Bergendal, namely Doringrivier and Klein Klaas River. The upper reaches of these rivers are still in pristine condition.

Home to the reserve is the rare and previously thought to be extinct Protea vexatoella latebrosa discovered by E. Esterhuysen in the late 1970's. He discovered this unique species a few years after a fire had burned almost all the fynbos.

A further development in their biodiversity story is the partnership formed with the adjacent 800 hectare Klaasvoogds Game Reserve, which boasts, reintroduced antelope ranging from Mountain Rhebok, Eland, Kudu and Wildebeest to Zebra, Oryx and Hartebees. Guided game drives are a daily feature with a qualified field guide taking guests through the reserve in an open viewing vehicle. They've appointed a full-time, qualified game manager and veld condition as well as game numbers are monitored on a regular basis to prevent over grazing of the veld.

Pat Busch and family have endeavoured to conserve the natural mountain reserve amongst their plantings of apricots, peaches, vines and blueberries since its inception. Projects to eliminate various alien vegetations such as Port Jackson and Black Wattle trees have been ongoing activities for some time now.

Learners of the local schools are taken into the reserve, on a regular basis.