A wealth of diversity

A Karoo safari

Samara really is a treasure and there are few properties that I know of that have such a diversity of habitats, landscapes and topography.

- THE LATE DR ANTHONY HALL-MARTIN, FOUNDER, AFRICAN PARKS

Samara is uniquely situated at the meeting point of five of South Africa’s nine vegetation biomes: Grasslands, Nama Karoo, Savanna, Thicket and Forest. This diversity of vegetation creates a multitude of habitats for species that are specially adapted to the Karoo’s arid environment. Explore each of these biomes during your safari at Samara with our experienced guides, who will bring each biome to life during bush walks and game drives.

A unique landscape

Mountain grasslands

Our "Samara Mara" is formed of thousands of hectares of mountain-top grasslands. Here, grasses dominate the landscape, with trees and shrubs along natural springs and drainage lines. Herds of eland, black wildebeest, gemsbok, blesbok and Cape mountain zebra are regularly seen on the plateau. Keep an eye out for baboons, porcupine, aardwolf and regal Secretarybirds. Samara’s cheetah and lion also love these grasslands and can be spotted camouflaged amongst the grasses, taking in the view of the plains below.

Thicket along Wolvekloof, Samara Private Game Reserve, Great Karoo, South Africa

Dense and biodiverse

Subtropical thicket

The Thicket biome is characterised by dense vegetation in the valleys and on the mountain slopes. This habitat tends to be quite rocky and is favoured by browsers such as kudu, eland and black rhino. A particular favourite plant of theirs is Spekboom – a light green succulent-type shrub that literally translates as "Pork Bush" for its high nutritional content. Samara has engaged in an ambitious plan to restore thousands of hectares of Spekboom thicket – contributing to the fight against climate change and providing jobs in rural communities.

Red Hartebeest, Samara Private Game Reserve, Great Karoo, South Africa

Hugging the river systems

The savanna

Samara’s savanna biome hugs the ephemeral rivers on the property. Characterised by tall trees including Senegalia (formerly Acacia), this habitat is subject to the changing water levels in the rivers. In times of heavy rains, the rivers burst their banks, flooding the savanna around them. In this biome, you’re likely to spot troops of vervet monkeys, elephants, buffalo, giraffe and red hartebeest. If you’re lucky, this is also where you’ll see an aardvark – they dig their burrows and forage for ants and termites in the soft, rich earth.

Gemsbok at Samara Private Game Reserve, Great Karoo, South Africa

In the south

Nama Karoo

Samara’s southern section consists of flat plains typical of the Karoo, interspersed with waterholes and thicker bush clumps. The dominant vegetation is low shrubs and grasses. The fossil record in the Nama Karoo is world-renowned, with mammal remains millions of years old preserved in the shale deposits. Wildlife in the Nama Karoo is varied, with herds of plains zebra, springbok and gemsbok sharing the landscape with steenbok, jackal and bat-eared foxes. This is also the perfect place to see blue crane in flocks of up to 200 in winter.

Elephants at Samara Private Game Reserve, Great Karoo, South Africa

An unexpected surprise

Forest

As well as the four biomes outlined above, Samara remarkably also contains several patches of forest, characterised by elevated continuous canopy with multi-layered vegetation below. These are located at the very top of valleys and underneath cliff faces on the mountain slopes, in areas where the soil has a high moisture content due to natural springs. Key species moving through these forests include mega-herbivores such as elephants and birds such as the rameron pigeon, a fruit-eating forest-dweller. These animals help to disperse the seeds of trees found there, from yellowwoods to wild olives.