Pelindaba Lavender Farm, San Juan Island, Washington
A plan to save a valley on San Juan Island has turned into a thriving farm business run by a retired physician, Stephen Robins. After saving this area from residential development back in 1998, he wanted to share this open area with travelers.
Originally from South Africa, Dr. Robins called his farm Pelindaba, a Zulu phrase meaning “Place of Great Gatherings.” And that’s precisely what this nature experience offers.
After its humble beginnings, Pelindaba Lavender Farm is a premier grower of distilled essential oils, lavender plants, and a few other handcrafted lavender-based products. Besides cultivating those beautiful flowers, they handcraft all their products on-site.
Visitors enjoy this place year-round, but the best time to see the blooms is from July to August. Guests of all ages are welcome, and so are dogs. Just be sure to keep your beloved pet on a leash.
While here, you can learn about the distillery process, harvest a bunch of lavender from the cutting field, browse and buy a few products, snap some pics, and enjoy a sip of lavender tea or a scoop of some yummy lavender ice cream with cookies.
