Samara Karoo Reserve

Rooms

Stay at the Karoo Lodge for a homestead feel with contemporary colonial decor: cosy living rooms with fireplaces, antiques, animal prints and maps on walls, a wrap-around veranda gazing out to the Karoo. The luxury Karoo Suites are set down a path in the garden so you feel closer to the bush. These are self-contained cottages with corrugated roofs and covered patios with outdoor seating. Bedrooms are large - expect earthy colours, 4-poster beds, polished wood floors, netted windows, sofas, fireplaces and plenty of wardrobe space. Limestone bathrooms have walk-in showers and roll top baths, double sinks as well as bathrobes and slippers; but if you want to wash alfresco, there's an outside shower too.

100m from the main house, the pair of Karoo Family Suites consist of two inter-connecting double bedrooms with luxury ensuite bathrooms, a cosy living area and private patios to enjoy the wildlife that visits the waterhole. Guests staying here for more than 3 nights will have the use of a private car during their stay.

If you're coming with the whole clan, or another family, exclusively book The Manor (a 10-minute drive from the Karoo Lodge). It provides oodles of contemporary style and luxury for somewhere in the heart of the Great Karoo, and ample space for couples and kids to get together and have time to themselves. There are four elegant bedrooms (king or twin), each with ensuites fitted with freestanding tubs and big French doors opening onto a slice of private patio. South African designer John Zwiegelaar has created an impressive lodge with high ceilings, a swanky bar area and lounges. Outside, the 21m infinity pool and watering hole are enough to attract animals and fashion shoots in equal measure.

The most recent addition is the off-grid, adults-only Plains Camp, made up of 4 luxury double tents, perfect for those who want to be fully immersed in the bush. Sharing the plains with zebra, giraffe and the rest, the tents feature twin beds and ensuite bathrooms with alfresco 'bucket' showers, and share a farm-style plunge pool.

Features include:

• Hairdryer
• In-room treatments available
• Minibar
• Mosquito net
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

A full breakfast spread followed our morning game drive, including fresh fruits, yoghurt, muesli, pancakes, muffins, cheeses, peeled plums and passion fruit. And they'll take orders for cooked dishes, putting a South African twist on old classics: the Eggs Benedict on homemade roosterkoek bread was bang on.

There's a restaurant in the Karoo Lodge where you can either cosy up inside next to an open fire in winter or cool down in summer along the wrap around veranda. Their set menu was concise but reassuringly balanced, with a choice of three lunch dishes and three mains at dinner, changing daily over 5 days. For lunch we chose a Karoo lamb burger, but failed to leave space for afternoon tea and cakes. Sundowners will be brought out on your evening drive. At dinner we kicked off with tomato and red pepper soup and a decent salad (blue cheese, walnut and smoked salmon), then venison or chicken in sherry sauce with roasted veg. We loved their filling apple crumble with ice cream and custard.

For those staying in The Manor, meals are flexible as to where and when you take them as you have your own staff. They can arrange for sample menus and discuss specific requirements prior to arrival for each individual group. The picnics in the river and up on the mountains looked awe-inspiring. Inside, we liked the funky bar area and thought the setting by the long infinity pool was a beautiful spot for alfresco dining.

Features include:

• All meals included
• Bar
• Communal dining
• Kids' meals
• Organic produce
• Restaurant
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Game drives tend to leave early in the morning or in the late evening to catch most wildlife. They typically last 3-4 hrs as the landscape is so vast, but you may be able to ask for shorter trips. There are covered jeeps and well trained friendly rangers. Each time you depart, there's no telling what you might see, but of the larger mammals you should expect giraffe, cheetah, lion, a small herd of elephant, rhino and antelopes on the plains, and rare mountain zebras if you venture up. The joy is not having many other jeeps to bump into and the awesome landscapes
  
• Try and get to the top of Eagle Rock, where the view is one of the best you could hope for in the whole of Africa
  
• In the middle of the day, lounge by the swimming pool, read on your veranda, choose from their massage menu (including Swedish, head and foot)
  
• Completely unplug from modern life and go fly camping - this includes a guided bush walk in Big Five territory, a traditional braai cooked on an open fire and a camp-out in breathtaking surroundings
  
• The night sky in The Karoo is a magnificent sight, so why not sleep under the stars in the Star Bed. This once-in-a-lifetime experience must be reserved at time of booking due to limited availability
  
• Tracking cheetah on foot is a unique experience: some cats have radio collars. This is in conjunction with the Tracker Academy (16 young people are hand-picked to enrol on the programme, to learn the art of tracking and conservation awareness), whose practitioners track wildlife, including cheetahs, through incredibly difficult terrain
  
• Book the Conservation Journey Package for hands-on conservation sessions and personalised tours of Samara's rewilding projects
  
• Other trips on the reserve include a visit to ancient cave drawings, which require a little more walking than you'd expect on a normal game drive. Bring your mountain bike to follow one of the several cycle tracks, guided or self-guided

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Plantlife / flora
• Safaris
• Swimming
• Wildlife

Kids

A great option for families, with an understanding of hungry minds and energetic bodies, there are lots of children's activities on offer, babysitters, and separate game drives for under 8s - look out for the Funny Five (giraffe, warthog, wildebeest, monkey and aardvark). And the reserve, although now well-stocked with wildlife, isn't teeming with predators (there are lions and cheetahs). And there's the excitement of getting to see the many creatures that wander into the camp, from large shiny millipedes to vervet monkeys, buffalo and baboons.

They also put together a personalised pack for children on arrival, containing drawing materials and spotter books; and every night there was a story placed on our daughter's bed ("How the Zebra got its stripes" was a favourite). Note that children aged 14 and upwards are considered adults and will need to be booked into their own room at adult rates.

Best for:

Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

Karoo Suites can take up to 2 kids. The Karoo Family Suite has interconnecting rooms (1 double, 1 twin). Larger family groups have the option of booking the 4-bedroom Manor on an exclusive use basis and have their own staff, chef and ranger.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: 3 hours

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Samara Karoo Reserve is located in the Eastern Cape, 45 minutes from Graaff-Reinet, a good 3 hours' drive from Port Elizabeth and approx. 7.5 hours' drive from Cape Town via the N1.

By Air
Port Elizabeth (285km) - internal flights only. For international flights use Cape Town International or Jo'burg. Click on the links below for a list of airlines.
Samara can arrange charter flights from cities and other game reserves too.

From the Airport
Samara can arrange transfers from the airport or hire a car.

By Car
For car hire see our car rental recommendations. The final approach to Samara is along gravel road so it's preferable to have 4-wheel drive.

Detailed directions to Samara will be provided when you confirm your booking through our site.

More on getting to South Africa and getting around.