In 1998, Princess Irene of The Netherlands bought Bergplaas, a 5000 hectare farm in the heart of the South African Karoo. And so began a highly personal, fifteenyear- long journey during which she embarked on the ambitious plan to return the land to its original pristine habitat and to enable people from around the world to rediscover their reconnection with nature.

Princess Irene writes from the heart, beautifully depicting the harsh climate and conditions of the Karoo's semi-desert while a...