A SAMARA SERENADE

When is the best time to visit?

My favourite time is October onwards and my absolute favourite is April at the end of the rainy season. Winter is lovely, too, but different: warm days and cold nights.

What is the optimum number of days to stay?

Three to four nights so that you can have a variety of different experiences, enough time to explore, to chill, to walk, to just be! We don’t take enough time these days to live in the present moment. Samara is the perfect place to unwind.

What kind of cuisine is available?

We serve three meals a day plus a high tea, which is available to guests prior to heading out for the evening game drive. Dinner is served at a number of locations around the lodge, depending on the weather: sometimes in the dining room, other times on the step and often under the magnicent Karoo starlit sky. We also frequently offer a romantic dinner à deux in the guests’ suites if requested – very popular with our numerous honeymoon couples or to accommodate the intimacy of a marriage proposal! Weather permitting, we usually t a bush or boma

dinner into a two- or three-night stay. The cuisine for these occasions is typical South African fare – also with a distinct Karoo twist – such as sosaties, lamb sausage, pumpkin fritters, mealie pie or roasted corn on the cob. This is served buffet style against the backdrop of a huge bush re and lanterns.

How do you cater to families?

While Samara is child friendly, we generally only accommodate children over eight years of age on the game drives (in the interests of other guests who are not travelling with their children). There are sometimes exceptions to this rule. During school holidays, we run a day-long ‘Aardvark Programme’, which includes a range of activities especially designed to keep kids entertained, such as spoor identication, rock painting, scavenger hunts and games. For younger children who are not on the game drive, we have a babysitting service available.

Does the resort offer exclusive services?

Prior arrangement can be made for a personal ranger for a party of less than six guests. Every effort will be made to accommodate such a request.

SARAH TOMPKINS Owner and founder, Samara Private Game Reserve

(From left) Guests can look forward to a homely setting, which is ideal for family units and larger groups; the accommodations are luxuriously appointed, with all the modern facilities