No wifi, no electricity, no high-tech distractions — just a grounding, humbling experience in Nature. This is the ethos of Samara’s ecotourism offering, Plains Camp. Four tents welcome 8 guests for a unique explorer-style experience with a focus on the ultimate luxuries — time and space. Located in a remote part of the reserve with spellbinding views and abundant wildlife including the Big Five, this unpretentious eco-conscious camp lets the landscape do the talking, allowing guests to disconnect from their busy lives in soothing solitude.

The guest tents are tastefully furnished with all the essentials. The intimate bedroom and seating area are warmed by a small fireplace in winter and cooled by a fan in summer. A simple en-suite bathroom at the back of the tent contains an indoor loo, a washbasin and a separate open-air "bucket" shower — filled from the outside with hot water on request.

A communal mess tent houses an indoor dining and lounge space with open sides for soaking up the views. Antique and locally-made furnishings add a touch of authenticity to the setting without compromising on comfort, creating the perfect spot to cosy up with a book or binoculars. Lit by candlelight and oil lanterns, the camp has no electricity, but plenty of atmosphere. A small farm-style plunge pool provides respite from the midday heat.

Samara Karoo Reserve is situated near Graaff-Reinet, about 250 km or 2.5 hours drive north of Port Elizabeth in the Great Karoo area, more precisely on the Plains of Camdeboo.

The owners of the Samara Karoo Reserve purchased Apieskloof Farm in 1997, which is now the heart of Samara. Knowing that in earlier times huge herds of springbok, rhino and lion roamed this barren land overgrazed by agriculture, they lived the dream that someday it could be like this again.

Over the years, several adjacent farms were added and today there are a proud 271km² of former farmland that is gradually recovering from agriculture. The five distinct biomes in the Samara area allow for healthy wildlife diversity and several formerly native and locally extinct wildlife species have been successfully reintroduced.

The story of Samara began with a cheetah named Sibella, who was rescued from a life-threatening situation and brought to Samara, where she gave birth to nine cubs during her lifetime. In the meantime, elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, eland antelope, springbok, zebra, giraffe, etc. live again in the vast area of Samara. The scarce Aardvark is relatively often seen – what a hightlight for safari fans!

Activities are centered around guided walking safaris and are designed to bring the semi-arid ecosystem to life. Daily morning bush walks focus on the little things so often ignored or unseen from the vehicle. Tracks, flowering Karoo bossies, ostrich eggs and beetles — all these natural wonders form part of the day's sightings. In the afternoon, game drives provide an undeniable thrill as guests are able to get up close with cheetah, rhinoceros and giraffe under the supervision of expert guides and trackers. As the coolness of evening approaches, sundowners are just what the doctor ordered, followed by spectacular stargazing.

The game drives lead to the open plains and also up to the beautiful high plateaus. The journey steep up the hills itself is an experience! Here on the high plateaus unfolds a new world, far away from your daily routine, close to the sky and indeed beautiful. Grass plains as far as the eye can see, memories of the Serengeti are awake, a perfect environment for cheetah. Your guide can track some of the cheetahs with an antenna and when found, they can be approached on foot up to 5 meters distance without feeling disturbed. Further there are some well-preserved rock paintings in the area.

SwissAfrican Travel Service
Dammstrasse 27
8702 Zollikon
Zurich, Switzerland


Telephone: +41 (0)44 451 40 51