Situated in the malaria-free Eastern Cape province of South Africa, Amakhala Game Reserve comprises 35,000 acres of wilderness and is home to a variety of lodges catering to different audiences. What was once a sheep and cattle farm became privatized in 1999, making way for tourism and conservation. Upscale Living magazine visited the top three 5-star lodges namely Bush Lodge, Bukela Game Lodge, and Woodbury Manor.
Bush Lodge
Rustic luxury with a modern twist, Bush Lodge can accommodate up to 18 guests in eight tented suites. Wooden floors pave the way to a king-sized mosquito-net draped bed covered in soft white bedding. We are staying in the spacious family suite, which is cleverly positioned at the end of a winding gravel path, ensuring privacy and exclusivity.
Arriving in time for lunch, we are shown to our table by our host and the view over the watering hole allows us to spot any potential wildlife coming in for a drink. Today on the menu, guests are served kudu burgers with fries and fruit salad for dessert.
The private plunge pool beckons and the water is a very pleasant temperature. Much to our delight, we have wildlife roaming right in front of our tented suite – a warthog and piglets are seen from our deck following a roll in the mud, zebras are feeding on the greenery, and right above us, two lesser striped swallows are busy constructing a house for themselves and their chicks.
Ranger Roan meets us after lunch to take us on our afternoon game drive. With a maximum of six guests per game drive vehicle, everyone is guaranteed a window seat. He goes in search of cheetahs, who seem to favor the outskirts of the reserve, making it challenging to find them. Our game drive in the morning yields the most spectacular male lion, who is keeping close tabs on a female who is lying fast asleep in the shade next to him.
Bukela Game Lodge
Set at the top of a hidden valley with sweeping views over the Sundays River Valley, Bukela Game Lodge offers two accommodation options – four suites and ten luxury safari tents. Connected by wooden walkways, the main area is inviting with plush loungers and a friendly barista who will conjure up any drink you may wish to indulge in. Lunch is a veritable feast of lamb chops and fries, and lamingtons or fruit salad for dessert.
We are staying in tented suite number 13, which has the most incredible vistas of the surrounding wilderness, and it’s not uncommon to spot wildlife from the comfort of your room or to see a bird perched in a tree outside your suite. Open the doors to your private patio and enjoy the unpolluted bush air.
Time has come for our afternoon game drive and ranger Ryan rounds up all the guests that will be going on safari. Heading out into the reserve, we spot impala, kudu, vervet monkeys, zebra, blesbok, hartebeest, and the rare sighting of an olive pigeon. Our morning game drive has everyone clamoring for their cameras when we happen upon a herd of elephants with a tiny baby. It’s fascinating to watch these youngsters, and their inability to manage their trunks properly never ceases to amuse safarigoers.
Woodbury Manor
Sole use Woodbury Manor is the ideal place for multi-generational families or friends wanting to take a break together. With four bedrooms, each with their own en-suite bathroom and private deck, groups of up to eight guests can delight in what this home away from home has to offer.
Located on the eastern side of Amakhala at the edge of a rolling grassland plateau, Woodbury Manor comes with a private chef who will be at hand to ensure that guests never go hungry. Interiors are the handiwork of the incredibly talented Tracy Mills, who has incorporated colors of the encompassing bush.
A private guide will tailor-make the schedule to fit in with the guests’ schedules, and traversing the Amakhala Game Reserve, wildlife is never far away. Seeing cheetahs from the vantage point of a game drive vehicle is a wonderful privilege, and coming to grips with the fact that they are the fastest land animals makes it even more special.
How To Get There
Shield Tours was started in 2000 and is headed up by the friendly and hospitable Igna Tregoning. Offering personalized service from airport to lodge and lodge to lodge transfers, guests can rely on their 25 years of experience. Guests can also enjoy day tours to nearby attractions in the Eastern Cape, as well as overnight tours to the Garden Route.
e-mail Igna igna@shieldtours.co.za or call her at +27 (0) 84 508 0361.
