October 18, 2007

Samara, hidden gem in South Africa’s interior

Posted by Tish and filed under: Family holidays

Recently, a client from the US focused our attention on some of the amazing off-the-beaten track destinations that our home country has to offer. He and his wife were in Cape Town on the first leg of a safari that would take them through the Cape and its wonderful winelands on their way to a luxury game lodge bordering the Kruger National Park. Very much the beaten track.

He suggested that the Cape in the south west and the bushveld in the north east were the only two parts of South Africa worth visiting. "After all," he said, "there’s nothing in the middle of your country other than semi-desert, sheep farms and small towns."

Of course, we reacted with shock and horror and immediately rattled off a list of stunning places to see and things to do. Not only did this open his eyes, it served to remind us of some the fabulous alternatives we can happily recommend.

One particularly exciting destination is a magnificent new game lodge called Samara, which is situated near a mountain range some 600 kilometres from Cape Town on the Plains of Camdeboo, near the historic town of Graaff-Reinet.

This is the area where the early pioneers encountered vast numbers of springbok, eland, hartebeest and wildebeest such that it could take a whole day for a herd to pass the same tree. Sadly, though, as the land was settled and turned over to sheep farming, virtually all the game was shot out.

In 2003, Mark and Sarah Tomkins, who live in Paris, were looking for a farm in Africa where their children could experience the magic of the bushveld. But they had one important criterion: it had to be malaria-free.

As luck would have it, sheep farming had become uneconomic and many farms were up for sale. The Tomkins acquired several farms totalling 11 000 hectares, which they game fenced and stocked with some of the varieties of antelope that used to occur here naturally.

At the same time, they set to work restoring the old farmhouse to its former Victorian splendour, adding six superbly decorated luxury suites and a host of 21st century creature comforts.

Today, Samara offers a consummate bushveld experience with spectacular scenery and excellent game viewing, including cheetah, together with ultra-luxurious accommodation and gourmet cuisine.

Every year we set out to see and experience new game lodges, usually with our husbands in tow. Samara met our highest expectations in every respect, feeding our spirits and our stomachs in such delightful ways that our men are begging us to take them back again.

Visit the Samara website and you will be as excited as we were to discover what is clearly destined to become one of the great new game lodge sensations of Southern Africa.