Samara, so good

The Lodge, with just three luxury suites and an additional three suites nearby means one is never crowded by other guests. The newly opened Manor House is a distance from the Lodge and an entirely private option for a family or group of friends.

By contrast, the open space at Samara is vast with 28,000 hectares of reserve and 70,000 hectares of virgin wilderness. There are four of the seven South African biomes at Samara so the wilderness experience is more complete than at other lodges and home to herds of antelope, kudu, eland and oryx as well as Cape Mountain Zebra. Aside from 700-year-old shepard trees, there is an abundance of spekboom - a plant that converts carbon into oxygen at a greater rate than many others and the focus of a programme where visitors can purchase to plant to counteract the carbon released into the atmosphere. Samara is now famous for its wild cheetah project that has reintroduced the cat to the plains of the Camdeboo after an absence of 125 years. It was thrilling to approach two male cheetahs on foot.

Also notable was the quality of cuisine. During our two-night stay we dined under the stars one night and in the elegant dining room the other. Despite the very cold conditions in winter, it was one our most memorable wilderness experiences.

http://www.samara.co.za or call 049-891-0880.

Courtesy: GQ Magazine