Shamwari Game Reserve

A friend and I enjoyed a two night visit to Shamwari Game Reserve at the end of June. This was Seans first safari and he was incredibly excited.

We stayed at Shamwari Riverdene Lodge which is situated in the game rich Southern part of the Shamwari Game Reserve. The lodge itself is quite hotel-like, so not the usual safari lodge style. This is great if you prefer hotels style rooms and the knowledge that there will be no bugs hiding in the room!

If you love the romance of the big flashy safari lodges with thatched roofs and lots of wood and stone, then Shamwari Riverdene Lodge is not for you. If that is your preference, then rather choose Shamwari Bayethe Lodge which is the more typical safari lodge.

I was very impressed with the game drives at Shamwari. Our ranger, Kier, was really informative and gave a great interactive game drive. We saw lion, rhino, elephant and loads of other exciting game, including a pod of about 9 hippo, walking around on land!

On our last morning we did a bush walk instead of a game drive. It was absolutely fantastic. There is no better way to experience the wild than standing there in the middle of the animals. On foot we saw hippo and a number of different antelope. One tries to stay away from the very dangerous animals when on foot.

I would recommend Shamwari as a malaria free alternative to the lodges in the Sabi Sands and for anyone wanting a safari combined with Cape Town as it is such an easy and quick link by plane.

On safari, must tip: 

How much do you tip? As tour operators, we at Southern Destinations get asked this question quite often. It usually comes just before our clients are leaving on their safari, while they are deciding what to pack and how much “cash” to tip all the helpful people they know they will no doubt encounter on their travels in Southern Africa. But what is the accepted amount to tip ? what guidelines should we be giving visitors ?

Here is a list of the people in the tourism service industry I believe need to be tipped and my recommended amounts :

Tour guides R75 - R100 pp per day

Game Rangers R75 - R100 pp per day

Tracker R40 – R80 pp per

Lodge staff R20.00 pp per day

Transfer drivers R20 pp per trf

Porters R5 per bag

Waitrons 15 – 20%

Housekeeping staff R 20.00 pp per day to be shared

Taxi drivers

Car guards

Petrol pump attendants

What do you think ? Am I being too mean?

 

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I visited the Baroness Farmhouse at Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve (also known as Rhino Base Camp) a week ago and was very pleasantly surprised.

Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve is situated about 15 minutes outside Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route. The game reserve houses lots of plains game as well as rhino, buffalo and hippo. There are lions on a seperate part of the reserve which you can also visit.

The lodge on Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve is called the Baroness and is a 3 to 4 star farmhouse lodge. The Baroness is the original old farmhouse complete with thick stone walls and creaky wooden floors. There is massive character and this hasn’t been compromised by the extensive renovations.

The rooms at the Baroness are very large and all of them have some special feature, from outside shower to massive lounge and fire place. Each room is completely different.
The two new cottages at the top of the Baroness are absolutely stunning. Very Hog Hollow in style. Both of these have wonderful verandas with views of the mountains.

The staff both at the Baroness and the rangers of the Plettenberg Game Reserve were incredibly friendly and welcoming and nothing was too much. For a guest house of this type, I think this is possibly the best staff I have come across.

The game on the Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve consists of plains game, rhino and buffalo. There are lions in an enclosure as well. While this is very different from a large game reserve experience because of the size of the property, this reserve is nice in that the animals are everywhere and you can get great pictures.

For people that aren’t able to afford the bigger reserves or don’t have the time, this is a great option. Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve is also great for families because kids of all ages are welcomed both on the game drives and on the horse safari’s.

It is also a nice option for people that want to be close to Plettenberg Bay, but want to be out of the hub, on a farm.

Contact us for more information

 

Recent client impressions of Emily Moon : In Plettenberg Bay, Emily Moon was another amazing find.  Our cottage was spacious and beautifully decorated.  But the big surprise was the restaurant, which was so good we ate every meal there.  Our big problem was the lack of screens on the windows since the B&B is located on a marsh and bugs were plentiful.  Keeping the lights off and windows closed at night helped a little.Besides the beach and golf in the Plettenberg Bay area, the treetop canopy experience was terrific.  We would recommend wearing long pants, even on a hot day.  And Knysna is a wonderful little town to explore with great shopping and dining at one of the charming waterfront restaurants

 

Do not book Kruger Flexi Tours! 

I booked clients of our on a transfer in the Kruger National Park with Kruger Flexi Tours. It was all booked and paid for.

On the day of travel the clients phones us to let us know that their flight had ben delayed and gave us the new flight time. We ten phoned Kruger Flexi Tours to let them know about the change. Kruger Flexi Tours told us that they had no vehicles and couldn’t do the transfer for us.

We then managed to find another company to do the transfer and the guests were happily unaware of all this.

Kruger Flexi Tours are now refusing to refund us the money for this transfer because it wasn’t their fault that the flight was delayed. Dave at Kruger Flexi Tours wouldn’t even discuss this matter with us and put the phone down.

So please make sure never to use Kruger Flexi Tours when visiting the Kruger National Park, rather use a reputable company like Eastgate Safari’s

 

Here is a recent client’s travel review of their trip to Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge :

The Namibia portion of our trip was so remarkable and vivid that Rich and I still talk about it like we were there yesterday.  CC Africa Safaris is a first-class operation.  We felt like VIP’s - with the care and individual attention we received getting to and from and during our flights. 

The Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge was a fantasy resort.  The main dining room, pool area and all of the perfectly air-conditioned cottages overlooked the desert, a large red sand dune, and watering hole which attracted oryx, springbok and other wildlife visitors.  The setting was dreamlike - and delicately-lit for day and night scenery-gazing. 

The staff could not have done more to inform us or cater to our every need.  Beyond the excellent food and attention to our personal preferences (great for vegetarians!), the servers and chef became like members of a large extended family.  And Diana, the resident astronomer, had just the right touch, communicating her passion for the stars and sky in a way that intrigued even novices like us. 

The trip to the dunes by air-conditioned car was much appreciated (since we were there at such a hot time), but the flight over the dunes and the old mining camp out to the coast with Scenic Air was something we’ll never forget.  We encourage your clients to choose that option over the balloon ride which is nice but can be done in other locations.

last minute Bush & Beach special to Zambia and Zanzibar !