The Great Karoo safari hideaway
A mystical space in the very heart of the vast Great Karoo, Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve near Graaff Reinet, offers fabulous family safaris and a variety of family-friendly accommodation options.
There are intimate luxury safari lodges where you can reserve a double suite for the two of you, to the entire Mount Camdeboo Manor in its lush garden setting. There is also a honeymoon cottage offering secluded romantic getaways. Not forgetting The Pods at Mount Cambdeboo that come highly recommended. So, the safari accommodation is as diverse as the landscape.
This is an iconic African landscape of vast plains, endless skies and truly dramatic mountains. Backed by the magnificent Sneeuberg range – South Africa’s second-highest mountain range – Mount Camdeboo falls within an important biodiversity corridor. This is a place of sweeping panoramas and undulating escarpments, extraordinary plant and animal diversity. It also has a deeply rooted cultural heritage – from its early Khoisan inhabitants to its Dutch settlers. The vast reserve hosts herds of antelope, mountain zebra, giraffe, rhinoceros, cheetah, lion and buffalo. It is a world class African bush experience that is also malaria free.
Time is a relative term in this ancient landscape. It takes its name from the Khoisan who first lived here and called it Camdeboo, or ‘place of green hills or pools’. Important fossil beds – including 240-million-year-old fossils and dinosaur remains – bear testimony to the antiquity of the place.
Today, Mount Camdeboo is infused with tranquillity. It is an oasis in a semi-arid landscape where humans are dwarfed by exceptional geological features. There are towering dolerite spires and limestone caves. Mount Camdeboo’s luxury accommodations provide the perfect safari for multigenerational family escapes. Big, shady trees surround magnificently manicured lawns, the long blue swimming pools invite the whole family to jump in for a refreshing swim, and afternoon high teas are a highlight. We even experienced the joy of the staff bringing in serval kittens for the children to coo over.
Luxury safari accommodation South Africa style
Accommodation is different to usual luxury safari camps and game lodges and is in three beautifully restored, gracious gabled Cape Dutch homestead manors. Each has its own spacious garden and sparkling swimming pool. One has an additional secluded cottage where you can truly escape the world.
Life here is laid-back and relaxed, with just the right amount of old-world grace and style balanced by modern creature comforts. Stone floor tiles are warmed by Persian carpets, and there are the velvet-covered loungers. Big four-poster beds draped with mosquito nets and the softest bed linens are enticing. Wood-burning fireplaces, underfloor heating, shady bomas, swimming pools and aircon deal with the summer heat and winter chill of the Karoo. A dedicated game ranger and a game-viewing vehicle will ensure you enjoy the best safari experience possible.
Mount Camdeboo has a variety of accommodation options from historic to tented. Historic Camdeboo Manor and Courtyard Manor can be rented exclusively or per suite. Each has four sumptuous en-suite bedrooms, offering a range of uber-comfy double bedroom suites with fourposter beds and twin bedroom suites. Of course, they all offer every comfort you could hope for, from aircon and underfloor heating to French doors opening into the garden. The Courtyard Manor’s bedroom options include one that sleeps four in three-quarter and single beds – perfect for cousins and friends to room together.
If you have a large party and are booking one (or both) of the manor houses exclusively, a great additional feature is that friends can overflow into the tented safari camp, too. The two privately located double-bed canvas tents are raised on wooden decks overlooking a seasonal stream. Accessible by a wooden walkway, each en-suite tent comfortably sleeps two in a queen-size bed.
Peppertree Cottage is situated in a secluded part of Camdeboo Manor’s beautiful gardens. Its romantic ambience is a delight for honeymooners or couples seeking privacy. The spacious cottage features a king-size bed, fireplace, luxurious en-suite bathroom and kitchenette – just for two.
And then there is lovely Hillside Manor, available only for exclusive use. In an elevated position against the lower mountain slopes, Hillside is a very private retreat space and has sweeping valley views. Its relaxed and spacious living spaces, three double en-suite bedrooms, a lovely swimming pool and a private safari vehicle with ranger make it a perfect family option. Accommodation in luxury safari lodges in South Africa don’t come more diverse than this. Plus, there are stunning views whichever option you choose.
What we love…
- Here hospitality is authentic and heartfelt and the different safari lodges offer something for everyone.
- The utter peace and tranquillity of the lush gardens and the sparkling – and generous – swimming pools ensure relaxation.
- Scenery everywhere is heart-stoppingly beautiful.
- Peppertree Cottage, built from stone is utterly private and perfect for honeymooners or couples – it’s like having your very own luxury lodge.
What you need to know…
- Twice-daily guided safari game drives give you the chance for sightings of the ‘Camdeboo Big Five’: the breeding cheetah pair, white rhinos, giraffe, lion and mountain zebra.
- The historic town of Graaff-Reinet is just 45 minutes’ drive away and offers fascinating historic and Anglo-Boer War tours.
- A sunset tour to the hauntingly beautiful Valley of Desolation is a must.
- Mount Camdeboo sleeps 14 people.
Edited by Keri Harvey