Dietmar and Claudia Ley were welcomed as the new owners of the Ivory Lodge site in October this year. Dietmar comes from an IT background and hails from Cologne in Germany while Claudia recently left the world of private equity in Johannesburg. This beautiful site is located in a horseshoe bend on the river with stunning views of the distant cliffs and the river in the foreground.
The combination of size, space, climate, silence, wildlife, biological and geological diversity and gin clear streams are what attracted them to Mountainlands. The proximity to Mozambique, the Kruger National Park, Johannesburg and an airport are also a bonus for them. “Mountainlands also offers the opportunity to disappear for days and to discover new aspects of nature in the reserve – this could last our lifetime,” Dietmar added.
As much as they have been attracted to what Mountainlands has to offer, so will the reserve benefit from their interests. The Ley’s are nature lovers and Claudia is an avid rock climber. Both are amateur lepidopterists with a passion for butterflies and moths. Dietmar is interested in discovering new species of butterflies and moths on Mountainlands and to expand his work into other insect families. Together, the Ley’s are busy with a four-year butterfly and moth identification project. While they love spending time outdoors, they also have a keen taste for the finer things in life, like good food and fine wine and Dietmar is an avid cook.
The lepidopterist at work in Mountainlands.
The Ley’s view their new property as adding the perfect balance to their portfolio of properties and investments both in South Africa and in France. ”Space and water will become the most valued commodities in the future. Our investment in Mountainlands is also an opportunity to contribute to nature conservation in ways which we still have not fully appreciated,” Claudia says.
The aspects of the development that had them waxing lyrical were the sensible balance between nature and people, and the passion and focus of the developers.
“Careful thought went into the design, particularly ensuring balance and privacy between residences. We also liked the sensitivity to preserving purity of the natural landscape in building guidelines and the commitment to limited development. Nico and Delia as developers were a big part of our decision. We soon established a sense of trust towards them and most importantly liked them very much from the beginning. Nico will deliver us a solid development and Delia will be a fountain of knowledge for us on the origins and civilisations of Mountainlands. They are both also great company around the fire.” Claudia added.
Claudia and Dietmar look forward to walks, time around the campfire, swimming, day-night expeditions, mountain biking and reading when on Mountainlands. Claudia is also planning to write a book and reckons the reserve will be a perfect environment for this.
Dietmar and Claudia love spending time in southern France when they are not in South Africa.
