October-December 2019

DAWN JORGENSEN
AS I turned onto the dirt track that leads to
the Karoo Lodge I caught sight of a tower
of giraffe feeding in the last of the evening
light, their curious expressions visible
above the tall acacia trees. In the distance
vervet monkey played in puddles left by the recent rain.
The setting was complete and I could barely believe
that l was back at beautiful Samara Private Game
Reserve.
Flying into Port Elizabeth and making the drive
to Samara near Graff-Reinet, I was warmly welcomed
and shown to my room in the Karoo Lodge, a perfectly
appointed old farmstead with wrap-around verandah,
that is surrounded by thousands of hectares of land rich
in protected wildlife.
During my three night stay I was taken on game
drives by my guide Benedict, who with the assistance
of his tracker Rowan pointed out waterbuck, red
hartebeest, zebra and baboon, amongst others. We
tracked cheetah on foot, were fortunate enough to see
rhino and elephant, and on the one evening drove to
the very highest plateau to take in the views towards
the Plains of Camdeboo.
There were lessons in conservation, insight into the
long term vision of Samara and toasts to the pink skies
with chilled G&T’s. Nights were enjoyed snug next to
the roaring fire in the Karoo Lodge lounge, evening
Have we forgotten
that wilderness is not a
place, but a pattern of
soul where every tree,
every bird and beast is a
soul maker?
- Ian McCallum
Scenic sunset
meals taken in the dining room and brunch savoured
in the warm Winter sun. Throughout the service was
impeccable, authentically warm and in true Karoo style.
Cosy interior
The Story of Samara Private Game Reserve
The story of Samara is one of determination,
perseverance and commitment. It follows owners Mark
and Sarah Tompkins’ dream to painstakingly return 11
former livestock farms to wilderness over a period of 20
years.
Located on 27,000 hectares of wilderness in the
Great Karoo, Samara Private Game Reserve is the
leader in its area and a catalyst for change in the
area. The abundant land here preserves a complex
and diverse ecosystem with four vegetation biomes
providing habitat for over 60 mammal species,
including: lion, elephant, cheetah, black and white
rhino, buffalo, Cape mountain zebra, giraffe, eland,
gemsbok and aardvark to name but a few.
One of many things that Samara Private Game
Reserve is renowned for is their successful wild cheetah
conservation project that started with a female cheetah
Sibella, who had been rescued from a pack of farm
dogs and patiently nursed back to health before being
released back into the wild here.
She went on to be the mother of generations of
cheetah to come who have gone on to live across
Southern Africa.
On the one day I trekked on foot into her daughter
SA&BEYOND 47