General Information:

Situated at the foot of the towering Warmwaterberg Mountains in the heart of the Little Karoo, Sanbona celebrates the spirit of the San people who once roamed this distinctive area. Only 3 hours from Cape Town, Sanbona boasts 54 000 hectares of undulating mountains and plains, indigenous flora and fauna, rock formations and rock art. This is a destination not to be missed. Sanbona is home to white lions and big game as well as the rare riverine rabbit. The White Lion Project at Sanbona that aims to return white lions to the wild has been heralded a success. This makes Sanbona home to the only free-roaming white lions in the world. One of the true joys of Sanbona is the freedom to do nothing at all in absolute luxury. But for those who choose to venture beyond the comfort of the luxury lodge accommodation, a world of new experiences awaits...

Accommodation:

Dwyka Tented Lodge - Once the range of ancient Khoisan hunter-gatherers dramatically situated in a horseshoe bend of a dry Karoo ravine and surrounded by awe-inspiring rock formations. These luxurious and secluded tents exude an atmosphere of pioneering adventure in this vast landscape. Gondwana Lodge - Gondwana Lodge offers endless views over the plains of Bellair Dam and onto Anysberg-mountains. Children of all ages are entertained with its exciting “Kids on Safari” program. Tilney Manor - Tilney Manor has six luxuriously appointed rooms. This exclusivity ensures that guests can experience personal service and world-class cuisine in an atmosphere of privacy and tranquillity. Comfortable lounges with fireplaces for winter nights, private verandas, romantic freestanding baths and carefully sheltered outdoor showers are just a few of the pleasure that guest can enjoy. More modern comforts include air-conditioning, satellite television, private bars and tea and coffee making facilities. The fully equipped Spa offers guest the opportunity to recover for the rigors of the outside world and restore their sense of inner harmony. This is the perfect environment for rediscovering creativity and regenerating energy. Cape Georgian décor draws on the natural colours of the surrounding stone and vegetation, with subtle touches of San culture influencing the design throughout the guest rooms and conference facility.

Dining:

The Welcoming Lounge is located 15km from the main gate. The scenic drive to the Welcoming Lounge offers breathtaking views of Sanbona’s unique landscape. At the Welcoming Lounge, guests can enjoy a refreshment while they wait for transfer to their respective lodges. These Lodges provide guests with an enchanting choice of settings in which to relax – from the airy dining room and cosy lounge with its fireplace, to the outdoor dining patio and barbeque facilities.

Activities:

Traverse the landscape of Sanbona Wildlife Reserve with a qualified ranger in comfortable open Landcruisers. During the drive, be it in the early morning or for sundowners, various species of plants, animals, big game and birds can be seen. Sundowner evening drives offer spectacular displays of light as the evening sun sets over the Little Karoo.

ANIMALS TO LOOK OUT FOR AT SANBONA

LIONS - Sanbona has initiated an ambitious rehabilitation programme that aims to introduce White Lions into the wild. This rare animal has been virtually wiped out in the Timbavati region, where they are endemic. Records indicate that the White Lion was spotted in the wild as far back as 1925. Its whiteness is not due to albinism, but due to a recessive gene - similar to that found in the rare white tigers of Asia. However, it is not a separate species of lion from the typical tawny African lion. We have integrated some wild tawny lions with the white lions in order to increase the success of the white lions to be self-sustaining and free-ranging. AFRICAN ELEPHANT - The African Elephant is the world's largest land animal, and a bull elephant can reacha shoulder height of up to 4 metres anda weight of 5 - 6 metric tons. This powerful pachyderm used to live anywhere south of the Sahara where water and trees occurred but since the massive decline in numbers during the 1970s and 1980s from ivory poaching, the Elephant’s distribution has become less widespread. Possibly the most versatile herbivore of all, the Elephant's trunk enables it to feed from the ground to a height of over 6 metres - higher than a giraffe can reach. Elephants inSanbona vary their diet from thetrees, bushes, and grass to a range of succulents. Elephants roamed the Karoo in large herds up to the late 1700s. LEOPARD - The Leopard is Africa's largest spotted cat, because it is stockier in build to the cheetah and serval. The average mass of a fully grown male leopard is around 60kg and the female is considerably lighter at an average 32kg. However Leopards in the Western Cape are known to be considerably smaller and lighter in weight, and a male may be as light as 25kg. Leopards generally have a golden coat, with brown to black spots on the head, legs and tail, and larger 'rosettes' on the main body. It has a wider distribution than any of the other large cats due to its ability to live anywhere - from rocky hills and mountain ranges to forests and semi-desert areas. Predominantly solitary, this animal hunts by stalking and pouncing. It is an opportunistic hunter that will eat whatever food is available in its home range of about 400 square kilometers. Sightings of this magnificent cat are very rare. There are many more animals to view on this safari experience.