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ROBYN TOBIAS EXPLORES THE EASTERN CAPE

In April 2009 I was offered the opportunity to see some of the Eastern Cape and also to learn a little bit more about the complicated and fascinating history that shaped South Africa into this complex and wonderful country it now is.

Xtra/ecape_1.jpg [© 2004 gondwanastudio.com]    Xtra/ecape_2.jpg [© 2004 gondwanastudio.com]    Xtra/ecape_3.jpg [© 2004 gondwanastudio.com]    Xtra/ecape_4.jpg [© 2004 gondwanastudio.com]    


We set off for Grahamstown by road along the N2 which leads you along the pretty beachfront of Port Elizabeth before passing the inner city and then the township area of Motherwell. Once out of the city, this is a lovely drive along good roads.

Grahamstown is a gorgeous little town tucked away in the hills and known these days mostly for its education facilities. This somewhat innocuous little town was a key element in the early days of white settlement. Alan Weyers, of "Spirits of the Past” historical tours, is deeply passionate about the history and the people involved and shares his knowledge in guided tours and over drinks or dinner at 7 Worcester Street and pretty much for as long as you will listen to him! He is a mine of information which, combined with a wicked sense of humour, makes him an ideal dinner companion and he needs no second invitation.

We stayed at 7 Worcester Street an elegant colonial home that has been magnificently restored and now without changing any historical features offers accommodation in ten individually decorated, unique rooms.

Alan's talk was so educational and interesting and although his focus is on the settler history, he brings in much of the known history of the southern African region and sets the scene brilliantly for the rest of the history of South Africa to unfold. I truly feel that this should be at the top of any visitors' list of "MUST SEE & DO” in South Africa. The food was sublime and ambience faultless.
 
From Grahamstown we drove to Samara Private Game Reserve, a drive of about an hour trough quaint Karoo towns that are still somewhat lost in time. Samara is truly one of Africa's best kept secrets and is a little gem of a place, in what it is, what it offers and the extraordinary philosophy of its owners.

To get to Samara you drive through typical Karoo farmlands of large open spaces covered by low Karoo scrub and bush and dotted with sheep. There is little industry here and the skies are very clear and the colours dramatic. Samara is tucked away at the foot of several large hills and is a restored and adapted farmhouse to which three custom-built separate suites have been added.

On Location In The Eastern Cape- Robyn Tobias - Pulse Africa Tour Operators - Bespoke African Safari - Xtra/ecape_4.jpg [© 2004 gondwanastudio.com]

Samara has an extraordinary serenity created by the understated colonial elegance of the homestead, the soft natural light that makes it a photographer's dream and the quiet respect of the environment that is the core ethos of the lodge. There are four biomes on Samara ranging from Karoo scrub to a mountain escarpment that looks remarkably like the Mara or the Serengeti and is home to herds of wildebeest, zebra and eland as well as white rhino. From up on the plateau, you can literally see forever. A few days at Samara is like time at a retreat, here you feel grounded and connected to the earth, it just happens.

I reluctantly allowed myself to be dragged off to the next stop, vowing to be back.

The drive to Blaauwbosch took us through ever less inhabited karoo mountains and scrub to the greater Addo environs.

Blaauwbosch is a one-man (and his wife!) success story in game reserve creation, management and community involvement. Craig and Gill Cullingworth have carefully researched the carrying capacity and impact of the reserve and created a little oasis. Endemic game has been reintroduced and although this includes the, in my opinion, overrated Big 5, this is not the emphasis at all.

In the relatively short time that they have had Blaauwbosch, the number of repeat guests stands as testimony to the success of the lodge. The staff all come from the local area and are fiercely loyal and have been there since the start. The cuisine is sublime and in all my years in the industry I have never been anywhere where a lodge took such care over special dietary requirements and, in fact, any small request.

Guests are accommodated in simple but luxurious chalets with air-conditioning, heating, indoor and outdoor showers etc. They happily accommodate children, but those under the age of 16 may not walk in the bush.

Blaauwbosch is all about harmony and deference on all levels and you can feel it in the game management, the game viewing, the ranger's outlook and attitude towards the bush, the animals and the guests, between all staff and the owners.

A highlight for me at Blaauwbosch had to be "walking into cheetah”. Our ranger, a sweet, gentle bear of a man showed a surprising turn of speed as he lead two of us through the scrub tracking moving cheetah on foot.  It was an extraordinary experience getting so close to a mother and her sub-adults cubs and being able to spend time simply being with them and watching them watching us with equal interest.

On Location In The Eastern Cape- Robyn Tobias - Pulse Africa Tour Operators - Bespoke African Safari - Xtra/ecape_3.jpg [© 2004 gondwanastudio.com]

From Blaauwbosch it was back towards Addo proper as we headed for River Bend Lodge. This is a sort of colonial English home meets real Africa with pretty gardens and manicured lawns inside the discreet fence, while outside, large herds of elephant move past to play at the waterhole or graze in the open areas.

River Bend Lodge is family friendly with two lots of two interleading chalets. Children can go on all game drives but cannot walk in the bush. The lodge has its own private concession within the greater Addo Elephant National Park. On the private concession, guests may walk, but once on Addo National Park territory, this is not possible.

Intsomi Private Reserve is home to a number of species that are not endemic to the area and compliments the Addo game experience. There is SO much to do here that River Bend Lodge can easily be a stand-alone destination for a many days! We did not have time to do very much, but there is horse riding, walking, an elephant back safari, hot air ballooning, fruit and/or flower tours and more available in addition to the lodge activities.

The lodge offers fine dining, a spa, children's programmes and immaculate attention to detail. The managers, Marius and Lorraine Malherbe have a solid background in hotel and lodge management which shows up in the way the whole operation flows effortlessly. The fact that there entire team is extraordinarily good-looking seems to enhance the experience! I renamed the team as "The Young and the Beautiful”.

An hour's drive had us back in the bustling concrete sprawl of Port Elizabeth en route to the airport and back to the body-shock of the real world.

I loved the Eastern Cape. They have a gentler, much more holistic approach to the bush down there and the Big 5, box-ticking madness to which many other lodges have fallen prey, has been successfully kept at bay down there. There seems to be a genuine love and respect for each other and the environment.



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