River Valley Farm - Eco Furniture and Accommodation

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River Valley Farm - Eco Furniture and Accommodation

River Valley Farm is the home of Sylvantutch furniture, specialising in making compost toilets.

Together with our unique rustic furniture, we also offer eco-accommodation on this beautiful and sustainable farm, found on the banks of the Moordkuil River. Highly developed and skilful eco-friendly craftsmen, we believe that sophisticated and beautiful solid wooden furnishings perfectly create and compliment modern, healthy and organic lifestyle spaces.

05/11/2026

Word of the day: Meliorism

We came across this lovely word from Jeff Moore and it stopped us in our tracks:

It's the belief that we can contribute to positive change and improve the world through acts of love, creativity, compassion, and kindness.

That's pretty much how life works here at River Valley Farm. 💚

The world doesn't get better in one giant leap. It gets better in small, everyday choices: growing a bit of your own food, turning scraps into rich soil, choosing a compost toilet that gives back to the earth instead of flushing away clean water 🚽💧, and sharing a cup of tea with a neighbour.

Simple living isn't about having less. It's about making room for more of what matters: fresh air, good soil, slow mornings, and a little kindness passed along.

So here's to the small acts. They add up. ✨

What's one small good thing you did this week?

Keep going.

03/11/2026

South Africa votes on Wednesday 🗳️ But did you know you cast another vote several times a day, at home, without even thinking? This week, three more families/businesses voted for a simpler life with a compost toilet. 🚽🌱 Read our new blog post: https://composttoilets.co.za/vote-for-a-simpler-life/

02/11/2026

🌿 Looking for a real escape on the Garden Route?

Tucked into a quiet valley at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains, beside the Moordkuil River, River Valley Farm is the kind of place where the loudest sound is birdsong.

Our farm cottage sleeps 6 across 3 bedrooms. It has a fully equipped kitchen, a fireplace for chilly evenings, and a covered patio with a built-in braai looking out over the mountains. Firewood is supplied, and there’s backup power for loadshedding.

This is a working organic farm with a big focus on biodiversity. We’ve planted over 1,000 indigenous trees, cleared alien vegetation and grow heirloom veggies. The wildlife has come back with it: bushbuck, porcupine, otters, caracal, baboons and more birds than you can count. 🦦🐦

Here’s what recent guests said:
⭐ “Soul cleansing! Great treat, a relaxing place!”
⭐ “Fantastic nature-focused accommodation, top notch amenities, old farmstead charm.”
⭐ “Beautiful, peaceful, relaxing.”

✅ Rated 4.8/5 on LekkeSlaap
✅ From R2,000 a night for the whole cottage (up to 6 guests)
✅ Free cancellation up to a week before your stay
✅ All ages welcome

Slow down, switch off and wake up to the mountains. 🏔️

👉 Book here: https://www.lekkeslaap.co.za/accommodation/river-valley-farm

22/10/2026

Sometimes we travel the whole world looking for answers, only to find them waiting at home. How to Live on Earth is a beautiful, hopeful film, free on YouTube. But we think the treasure it’s looking for might be hiding behind a wooden door in the garden. 🚽Read our review: https://composttoilets.co.za/how-to-live-on-earth-a-review-from-the-bottom-up/

Link to the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3mRsvFmWi0

19/10/2026

Emperors in the night

Two Cabbage Tree Emperor moths have turned up at the house this week, and they’re enormous. Their pupae can lie in the soil for years, waiting for exactly the right conditions. This season the conditions are right, and our neighbour says they’re emerging all over the valley.

We also had a visit from a smaller but beautiful Southern Marbled Emperor.

Moths like these need healthy, undisturbed soil. That’s one more reason we farm no-till, skip the pesticides and use compost toilets.

Read the full story (and see the photos) on our blog 👉 https://composttoilets.co.za/emperors-in-the-night-moth-season-at-river-valley-farm/

16/10/2026

That's us!

15/10/2026

One of the perks of breeding quails is that we get to encounter these little critters - the egg eater. Such a beaut!

12/10/2026

After our little water snake, we got thinking about everyone else who calls River Valley Farm home 🐍🦉🌿 Caracal, otters, bushbuck, porcupines, a leopard we've never seen (but know is there!) and more birds than we can count. Read how 1,000+ indigenous trees, no-till gardening and compost toilets are helping biodiversity thrive, and come stay with us! 👉 https://composttoilets.co.za/who-else-lives-here-life-on-a-farm-built-for-biodiversity/

10/10/2026

🚪 Five myths about compost toilets, and the truth waiting behind the door

We hear the same questions every week at River Valley Farm. So let's open the door and take a deep breath (go on, it's safe).

👃 "It must smell terrible."
It doesn't. Smell comes from urine and solids mixing. Our built-in urine separator keeps them apart, and a scoop of sawdust does the rest.

🪰 "It'll be full of flies."
A fly only comes where it's invited. Cover every deposit, keep the lid closed, and there's no invitation.

🩺 "It's a health hazard."
A good compost heap heats itself to 50–70°C, which kills harmful germs. Give it a year, as the WHO recommends, and you get rich, forest-floor compost. It also keeps waste out of rivers and groundwater.

🌼 "It's only for hippies in the forest."
We love hippies. But our toilets go into farmhouses, guesthouses, schools, cabins and family homes. Handcrafted in wood, they can be the best-looking thing in the house.

⏱️ "It's too much work."
Use it, add a scoop, close the lid. Emptying the bin is a few minutes' job, less effort than unblocking a drain.

Myths are like shadows on a cave wall: big and scary until someone lights a candle. 🕯️

With a hot, dry El Niño summer coming, every litre we don't flush counts.

💧 Less flush. More future.

Read the full post, with practical tips for each myth 👇
https://composttoilets.co.za/five-myths-about-compost-toilets-and-the-truth-that-waits-behind-the-door/

Address

Plot 42, Hamelkop
Klein-Brakrivier

Website

http://www.composttoilets.co.za/

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