About
Just off one of the Garden Route’s main arteries, Route 62, Buffelsdrift Game Lodge offers a unique Bushveld experience in the Little Karoo, near to Oudtshoorn. A sprawling game farm, it offers game safaris to see elephants, rhino and hippos, plus meerkat trips and superb stargazing. The scenery is splendid, with a Swartberg Mountains backdrop, and there are luxury tents, a pool and an excellent restaurant.
Accommodation
Buffelsdrift has nine luxury ‘Waterfront’ tents right on the edge of a large lake where animals come to drink. Each has a sundeck overlooking the action. The four family tents, with two rooms, and 16 ‘Horizon View’ tents are set a bit further back but elevated to provide lovely vistas of the water and fynbos beyond. Simple and stylish, every tent comes with a king-size or twin bed, en-suite bathrooms, air-conditioning and outdoor hot-water showers.
Facilities
Between the tents and right beside the water is a small swimming pool for wildlife-viewing in and splashing about. Also facing lake-wards is a spa, where four permanent therapists can perform massages, treatments or facials to a soundtrack of chattering wildlife. The main lodge building is a fireplace-heated Look-Out Lounge, this time facing a dam where hippos tend to gather, an open-air bar stocked with local wines and the A La Carte Restaurant, specialising in local cuisine.
Activities
Bush safari drives, which are open to non-guests, hope to spy elephants, rhino, giraffe, hippo and over 200 bird species. Meerkat safaris at dawn, meanwhile, offer a chance to see the much-loved mongooses at their sentry duty, while each evening sees an hour’s guided stargazing. Elephant-feeding visits can also be provided, as can horse-riding and nature walks. Nearby are Oudtshoorn’s ostrich farms, the UNESCO-protected Swartberg Mountain Nature Reserve and scenic Gamkaskloof Valley (aka ‘Die Hell’). The neaby Cango Caves are not to be missed.
Child Policy
Children of all ages are welcome, with ages 0-3 free and ages 4-12 half-price.
The Best of South Africa Travel map displays the locations of the destinations and accommodation that we have selected and visited; for each item, hovering over or clicking the marker will display a short summary and photo of that place or hotel, and hotel pricing. Follow the links in the info box to the full page listing which has much more information.
Note that the online map offers both a satellite view (click satellite in the top right) and, for some locations, a street level view (Drag the person in the top left onto the map). These let you explore the country; and when you wish to explore in person, or if you have any questions about the places you see, give our staff a call, or request a quote. Our staff regularly visit the places and accommodation that we feature.
When you book a holiday with us we will provide full driving instructions for reaching your accommodation, where necessary; these can be used by yourself, or you could enjoy the luxury of a driver. Alternatively we will arrange private (car rather than coach) transfers for you; helicopter transfers are also possible for some destinations.
