Shamwari Game Reserve

There is something distinctly colonial about Shamwari Game Reserve. Perhaps it’s that I don’t get out much, but there is nothing like a lovingly restored Edwardian mansion, the cool verandah and furniture a throwback to a bygone era, to make one feel distinctly elegant, even if I wasn’t exactly attired for the occasion.

How I got there is another story, but I happened to ‘gatecrash’ Shamwari, in a way. We stumbled off an overnight train from Johannesburg, to find ourselves awaited by a 4×4 vehicle and escourted onto the Shamwari grounds … Continued

The Oliver Foundation has a mission …

Oliver Foundation

The Oliver Foundation has a mission. To work with local communities to help build a sustainable future for people and the environment. The UK-based organisation made a commitment in 2007 to focus its support in the Eastern Cape. It works predominantly in rural areas, bringing about change by developing and supporting programmes that have a social, environmental, educational and economic impact on those it effects.

And with good reason. Over seven million South Africans live in dire circumstances,  surviving on less than R5 a day. 26% of the country’s poverty stricken households are based in the Eastern Cape. As a result of a lack of proper education, unemployment rates are believed to be as high as 70% … Continued

Discovering the Eastern Cape

Addo Elephant Park

For hundreds of years, the Eastern Cape has been the ancestral stronghold of the Xhosa people and while in many ways it has become westernised, remnants of this tribal history remain in the people and some of the unspoilt areas of the province.

On entering the Eastern Cape on the N2 highway one crosses the Bloukrans Bridge, the boundary between the Eastern and Western Cape. The very first attraction one is greeted with is the world’s highest commercial bungee jump, at 216 meters. This is a good indication of what is to come.

The Eastern Cape is an exhilarating experience for visitors from the bustling port cities of Port Elizabeth and East London with the blue flag beaches of the Eastern Cape such as Kings Beach, to the rural tranquility of the Transkei. Despite the cosmopolitan feeling in some of the urban centres, there is always an element of the untamed, just below the surface. Continued

Lalibela Game Reserve Children’s Programme

Lalibela for Kids

Since opening, Lalibela were aware that there is a huge demand for families wanting a safari holiday in a malaria-free area. Lalibela’s location makes it ideal for adults travelling with children who are wanting to combine a family safari with the Garden Route and Cape Town.

Over the last 12 months Lalibela have looked at various programmes catering for families and have come up with a children’s programme which optimizes the safari experience with quality family time.

Each family is different and children require varying degrees of attention, which is why the emphasis at Lalibela is to be as flexible as possible to ensure memorable family holidays.

In the early morning Lalibela’s child minders come on duty so that parents can leave for their morning game drive. The children are given a chance to wake up, get dressed and be ready for the day. Parents are welcome to stay behind and accompany their children on the kiddies game drive. Continued