Our Trip To Sanbona Wildlife Reserve
by Sean Rapaport
It’s handy having a brother who works for a travel company. Thanks to his persuasive and organisational skills as Rhino Africa’s photographer/videographer/marketing man, Ryan Rapaport, the youngest member of the Rapaport clan signed us up for a three day family getaway to Sanbona Wildlife Reserve.
Catering for a very busy and diverse family that seldom find ourselves in the same country, let alone city, cannot be easy. Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, a relaxing 2.5 hour drive from Cape Town, managed to strike the perfect balance and offer something for everyone.
Twice daily game drives, superb three-course meals (along with a good selection of wines), spa experiences, luxury tented villas and a setting in a Klein Karoo valley with just enough of a slope to ensure a bit of a workout if one felt so inclined, meant that we were anything but bored.
The game drives in customised vehicles allowed us to cover a fair portion of the 53 000 hectares of land that make up the reserve and ensured that we were able to tick all of the ‘must-see’ animals off the list, save for the hippo that managed to elude us. We were fortunate enough to spot the white and tawny lions on two occasions, the first of which saw a seemingly trapped oryx make a cautious, if unspectacular, escape from the cats that seemed content to laze in the sun a little longer instead.
There were a good few encounters with a somewhat curious herd of elephant, including a close inspection of the interior of our means of transportation and a bull fight, a walk with some rhino, a showdown with a herd of buffalo that forms part of a breeding project, and various interesting bird and plant sightings and information sessions.
The highlight, however, came when our intrepid guide, Rudi, got us out the truck and led us into a relatively densely bushed area on foot with the words, “I don’t want to get your hopes up, but if I find what I’m looking for it will blow your mind”, and proceeded to bring us, after a short walk, face to face with a pair of cheetah brothers who allowed us to come within touching distance of their hangout for the afternoon and then decided to put on a roll-around show in impressive unison while we stood in awe.
If all of the above wasn’t enough to appeal to our senses, JP, Rudi and Ricardo, along with the rest of the team, added the little touches that make an awesome getaway special.
Our highlights included:
- Heated bean bags wrapped in our blankets on particularly cold drives
- Hot chocolate made from scratch
- Petrol for one of our cars that had gone into reserve
- One-yolk omelettes
- Farewell breakfast in the middle of nowhere, complete with crisp white linen
- Breathtaking views
Having fully absorbed the memories on the leisurely drive back to Cape Town and dispersed back to our respective lives, and reality, we came to a unanimous agreement on two points: that we will head back to Sanbona in a heartbeat if the opportunity arises and that Ryan and Rhino Africa be installed as our permanent family holiday planners.
Thanks Sanbona and Rhino Africa, you outdid yourselves!
More Information
Getting There – Sanbona Wildlife Reserve is situated approximately 3 hrs from Cape Town on the renowned Route 62 between Montague and Barrydale. The turn-off is 40km from Montague and 19km from Barrydale and is signposted at the Vlakte, the main entrance to the reserve is 7km from the R62, where a member of the staff will greet guests.
Accommodation – The Rapaport family stayed at the luxury Sanbona Dwyka Lodge. There are other options within the reserve, such as Sanbona Gondwana Lodge and Sanbona Tilney Manor.
Contact one of our consultants to find our more and to book a trip to this spectacular Western Cape wildlife reserve.