Welcome to Samara, an award-winning conservation journey in a heart-stoppingly beautiful setting. Born in 1997 of a desire to restore the Great Karoo to its former glory, Samara has pioneered the rewilding of a landscape that had been turned over to agriculture for the best part of three centuries.

Once a thriving semi-arid ecosystem of astonishing diversity, the fortunes of the Great Karoo region changed with the advent of fences, firearms and farming. The once-epic springbok migrations vanished, as did the predators that stalked the herds. The ecosystem faltered; grassland slowly turned to dust.

Assembling 11 farms totalling 67,000 acres, Samara’s founders vowed to restore the magic of this place, embarking on an ambitious programme of land restoration and wildlife reintroduction. Today, thousands of wild animals roam this born-again wilderness and Samara is working with local stakeholders to extend the conservation ethic to over 3 million acres.