In this short blog series we present the various accommodation options at Samara to help you choose the best one for your holiday requirements.
In our first post, we outlined our favourite things about The Manor, our exclusive-use villa, a veritable oasis in the semi-arid Karoo landscape. Next up, a homestead with a different style but no less relaxing ambience, Karoo Lodge.
This lovingly renovated farmhouse is located on the first property bought by the Tompkins family 20 years ago. The homestead remains true to its roots, combining modern-day luxuries with charming old world allure. Resting at the foot of an amphitheatre of spectacular mountains, Karoo Lodge is not your typical wood and thatched-roof African lodge. Instead, it provides an authentic locally-inspired setting from which to explore the best the Great Karoo has to offer.
So without further ado, we present our favourite reasons to book into Karoo Lodge for a few days.
1. Experience famous Karoo hospitality
Turning onto the long driveway leading up to this iconic lodge feels like being welcomed back to an old family home you didn’t know you had. Friendly staff stand ready to greet you like long-lost friends. Welcome drinks are immediately dispensed and your luggage whisked away, leaving you free to start unwinding after a day’s travelling. The old farmhouse maintains much of its old-school, traditional appeal with a wrap-around verandah and historical memorabilia from the surrounding area. Family photographs line the walls of the bar and vintage books are strewn throughout. Adding to this homely feel, the Samara Team is available at all times to ensure you have all you need to relax into the famously carefree Karoo way of life.
2. Intense relaxation
Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But it’s difficult to emerge from a stay at Karoo Lodge anything other than totally refreshed and revived. There is truly little more peaceful than sitting on your own private verandah watching the colours change on the velvety slopes of the mountain looming overhead – christened ‘Mount Africa’ by a young guest. So relax, put your feet up and let our experienced team take care of scrumptious meals, game drives through breathtaking landscapes and an array of tailor-made leisure activities. There’s no better way to re-energise than to rest your head under the Karoo night sky, basking in the sound of silence. Samara really is a safari for the soul.
3. Wildlife galore
Share your morning coffee with a vervet monkey on your verandah, or watch from the dining room as baboons traipse and warthogs scurry through the garden. Avid birders can enjoy excellent sightings around the Lodge – Samara is home to more than 225 bird species and African Hoopoe, Fork-tailed Drongo and Cape Eagle Owl are frequent visitors. Don’t be alarmed if nightfall brings a buffalo visitor to the lush green grass, or red hartebeest, eland and waterbuck wander past while you’re enjoying your afternoon tea. In summer, Leopard tortoises flock en masse to the lush green lawn to socialise, feed and mate. If you’re lucky, a cheetah might even come and drink from the Karoo Lodge fountain. With sightings like that, who needs to go on a game drive?
4. Original Karoo style
It’s impossible not to be drawn in by Karoo Lodge’s cosy charm when you first set eyes on the original 1800s farmhouse replete with antiques and family heirlooms. The typical Karoo-style corrugated-iron roof, traditional reed ceilings and polished wooden floors combine with pops of colour to create the perfect base for an adventure in the bush. The wrap-around verandah tells stories of families sharing after-dinner chatter and friends taking in the immensity of the landscape. Fireplaces ensure you stay warm and cosy in winter, while the high ceilings and double doors keep rooms cool and airy in summer. Accommodating a maximum of 18 guests across three different room types each with their own personality, Karoo Lodge brings together the character and legacy of the area in comfort and style.
5. Great for kids
Samara Private Game Reserve recently won the i-escape ‘Cool For Kids’ Travel Award, and Karoo Lodge’s resident Kids Programme manager, Benedict, a graduate of the Tracker Academy, is a big part of the reason why. Described as ‘delightful’ by Tatler magazine, he will take your brood off your hands, ensuring your little ones are entertained with special educational walks around the lodge and a host of activities to ensure they sleep soundly at bedtime. The fenced-off swimming pool provides welcome respite from the Karoo summer heat for older kids, and wet weather activities include face-painting, arts and crafts and educational movies. On game drives, rangers will help young ones spot the Funny Five, our quirky alternative to the Big Five, ensuring that all generations have a holiday to remember.
Convinced? You can even book your stay at Karoo Lodge online! Click here.
Samara Private Game Reserve is a luxury 5-star destination with a passionate conservation mission set within breathtaking wilderness. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus or Instagram, or click here to start planning your stay with us today. A safari for the soul.