A luxury Big 5 safari experience near Cape Town for couples and families.
Tucked beneath the majestic Warmwaterberg Mountains in the heart of the Little Karoo, Sanbona is the Western Cape’s answer to a luxe safari experience. A three-and-a-half-hour drive from Cape Town takes you to this 62 000-hectare malaria-free reserve that offers the type of immersion in nature that is hard to come by.
Sanbona has benefited from over 21 years of conservation, and as a registered nonprofit has secured the reserve as a wilderness refuge for future generations.
Visit in autumn or winter, and you can stay for three nights in any of the lodges for 10% less than the normal rate. All the more time to enjoy what this extraordinary reserve has to offer.
The “secret season”
Autumn and winter are especially appealing in the Little Karoo, and at Sanbona, with milder weather than the rest of the Western Cape (and far less rain and wind!). The beautiful landscapes take on a different colour palette – vibrant autumnal hues melding into winter’s softer shades, interspersed with year-round flowering of different types of fynbos and succulents. The nights can get chilly (all the better for snuggling up beside a fire or enjoying hot-tub stargazing), but the days are clear and sunny.
Three beautiful lodges
Gondwana is a stylish thatched lodge with 12 suites that offer expansive views over the endless plains. Each suite sleeps two adults and has a sleeper couch to accommodate a child. Younger guests will be in their element with the Eco-Explorers programme of activities, child-friendly swimming pool and marshmallow-roasting at night, plus there is complimentary child-minding available throughout the day.
Dwyka Tented Lodge is an adults-only camp hidden away in the horseshoe bend of a dry ravine, surrounded by striking rock formations that turn fiery golden-red in the evenings. Nine glamorous safari tents, complete with a heated splash pool on each deck, offer a fabulously romantic getaway for couples.
A historical Cape-Georgian property in its own remote and private location, Tilney Manor has just six open-plan suites opening onto private terraces, plus a stately communal lounge, a gorgeous rim-flow pool and indoor and outdoor dining options.
Luxe for less
Stay for three nights in any of the lodges this autumn and winter and pay 10% less than the normal rate.
Cost From R7 290 per person sharing per night (three-night stay from 1 May)
Gondwana Lodge only: R4 550 per child (4 – 11 years) in April; R3 645 per child from 1 May (rates applicable if sharing with parents or in their own room)
Children 3 years and younger stay free
The details The rate includes all meals, a limited selection of house wines and beers, nonalcoholic beverages, twice-daily nature drives (with soft drinks and snacks) and guided wilderness walks. It excludes all other alcohol and the conservation levy (R175 per adult per day; R87,50 per child 4 – 11 years).
Valid until September 2024
Special occasions
If booking for your honeymoon or anniversary, at any time of year, you’ll receive a complimentary bottle of bubbly, a welcome platter, romantic turn-down and private bush picnic (on bookings of two nights or more).
While you’re there
Of course, the two daily nature drives are what most visitors look forward to. In addition to the Big 5, smaller game roam the plains, including rarely seen aardvarks, caracals, brown hyenas and riverine rabbits. There are also guided visits to ancient Khoi-San rock-art sites, as well as guided birdwatching and stargazing (it is Karoo big-sky country, after all).
For total unwinding, each lodge has its own Relaxation Retreat for pampering treatments, with those at Tilney Manor and Gondwana Lodge including a sauna and steam room.
You don’t want to miss out on this special for an off-the-radar bush break. So make your booking, pack your bags and head to Sanbona for a safari experience like no other.
Good to know Toddlers (under age 4) are not permitted on nature drives and will be cared for at Gondwana Lodge by child-minders. Children under 14 years old may not do the bush walks.
Child friendly? At Gondwana Lodge; 12 years or older at Tilney Manor
Wifi? Yes
Where to find it Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, Route 62, near Montagu
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