One of the amazing privileges that come with living in Africa is having opportunities to get up close and personal with nature. A trip to any game reserve - coupled with a little patience and a lot of luck - can lead to breathtaking sightings and experiences of big cats, elephants, rhinos and an array of other animals that people living in other parts of the world only get to see in books and videos. As a resident of the lovely town of Graaff-Reinet, you are particularly blessed to have Samara Karoo Reserve less than 40km from your front door.
Introducing Samara Karoo Reserve
Covering 67 000 acres of wilderness in South Africa's Karoo, Samara Karoo Reserve is one of South Africa's most diverse safari destinations. There are two small lodges that you can stay at, which accommodate just 26 guests at any given time, ensuring a unique and special wildlife experience. The reserve's website promotes the facility as "a recalibration of the frantic modern mindset", a phrase we find extremely appropriate as a description of the Samara experience. The reserve offers an array of experiences, so you can create your dream safari holiday.
An experience for the whole family
If you'd like to create a lifelong love of nature in your children, Samara Karoo Reserve is the perfect place to start. Your little ones will be able to get involved in various activities depending on how old they are. These activities range from storytelling and T-shirt painting to track identification, Spekboom tree planting and orienteering. Give your kids a chance to get to know the amazing animals we share our country with.
Cheetah tracking on foot
The bucket list of every African wildlife enthusiast has a few standard items, and one of them is a cheetah sighting. At Samara Karoo Reserve, you can enjoy the unforgettable experience of tracking wild cheetahs - on foot! This is made possible by the fact that several of Samara's cheetahs have radio collars for conservation purposes. Depending on the terrain in the area where the cheetahs happen to be on the day of your tour, your guide will point out clues to a cheetah's presence, from dung and tracks to scratches on tree trunks.
Take part in wildlife conservation
For a behind-the-scenes look at how conservation works, you can take part in a "conservation safari", which brings you the best of five-star comforts and front-line insights into conservation. Since being founded in 1997, Samara has been working to restore degraded landscapes and reintroduce wildlife that has not been found in the region for centuries. On your conservation safari, you'll learn more about how eleven former livestock farms have been "rewilded".
Go on a walking safari
Even if you're not tracking cheetahs, a walking safari at Samara is an unforgettable experience. You'll be accompanied by highly trained and experienced guides, who will help you heighten your senses as you navigate the bush and discover an array of animals from huge mammals to tiny termites. Guests who have been on these walking safaris have described their experiences as "unforgettable and humbling".
Dine Al Fresco style
It's a well-established fact that food always tastes better in the bush, and Samara gives you the opportunity to go on a wilderness picnic or enjoy dinner under the stars. Your gourmet picnic basket will have your mouth watering while your eyes feast on your beautiful surroundings.
Samara Karoo Reserve offers a wide array of experiences designed to bring you closer to nature and to leave you with a greater understanding and appreciation of our natural world. If you'd like to take advantage of this and all the other advantages of living in or around Graaff-Reinet, contact Seeff today.