Set on more than 28,000 hectares of breathtaking wilderness in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, the award-winning Samara Private Game Reserve is a malaria-free luxury safari destination in South Africa that’s perfect for kids.
Family-owned and operated, Samara’s mission is conservation and the team is wildly passionate about educating the next generation of conservationists. Its aim is to welcome children of all ages to discover the wonders of the wild, inspiring them to recognise their place within the natural world and, in time, fight to protect it.
From dedicated family suites to the fact that kids’ activities are included free of charge, Samara offers a natural playground – and classroom – in which to inspire, energise and connect children with nature. And to have fun!
Located just north of the famous Garden Route and 40 minutes from South Africa’s fourth-oldest town of Graaff-Reinet, the malaria-free Samara offers a rejuvenating and pampering safari experience with a greater conservation purpose, and is the epitome of a child-friendly game reserve.
Samara is cool for kids
Samara offers a host of activities for kids of all ages at no additional cost, including rock art, beading and bush excursions with trained guides. Every child receives a goodie bag on arrival and the team makes sure the kids feel part of the tribe for their entire stay. You’ll have laughter aplenty during your stay and tears of sadness on departure. They say you arrive as a friend and leave as family.
Teen kicks
Banish the “What’s the wifi password?” torment and let teens and older children get their hands dirty with behind-the-scenes conservation sessions, and then sleep out under the stars on a Samara fly-camping adventure. Roasting marshmallows trumps Minecraft any day!
Family-friendly spaces
Samara is brilliantly designed for families, with multiple social areas and wonderful accommodation that offers options across two lodges: from the interconnecting Sibella Suites to the luxurious Manor House, which can be booked exclusively for a real family treat.
Family on the fly…
Samara has introduced an adventurous experience allowing guests to explore the wilderness just like the ‘old days’. You head off with your guide and an armed ranger for an afternoon bush walk. At dusk, you arrive with the family at your private camp that has already been set up complete with campfire. Your evening is spent sharing stories around the campfire and listening to the calls of the night like jackals, nightingales and the occasional lion roar. Next morning, you can opt to walk back or game drive to the main lodge. You need a 3 night stay and it’s on offer October to May (excluding Christmas period).
Co-founder of Samara, Sarah Tompkins said “we wanted to offer guests an authentic and convivial wilderness adventure, where they have the opportunity to experience the beauty of Samara on foot and to sleep out in the wild”.
Bring the clan
More and more we see family members from multiple generations holidaying together on a quest for precious time together. They seek adventures, shared experiences and, quite simply, time to connect. Unlike many safari properties, Samara welcomes children of all ages and aims to get kids of all ages out into the bush as much as possible. Samara also has a great long-stay family special so multi-generational families can spend quality time together reconnecting in Mother Nature’s playground.