Buffelsdrift Game Lodge

Highlights

• Luxury tented suites on the edge of a 12-acre waterhole with free-roaming wildlife
• Bush safaris and two-hour night drives in search of the local Shy Five
• Close encounters with rescued elephants, lions and free-roaming cheetahs
• Dawn meerkat tracking with habituated wild colonies
• Karoo cuisine and Route 62 wines served on a deck above the dam

You Should Know

• Located 4 miles from Oudtshoorn on the Cango Caves road, a one-hour drive from George Airport
• Cape Town is a five-hour drive, making this a logical Garden Route overnight
• Family tents accommodate up to five guests across two interleading bedrooms with a shared bathroom
• Wildlife experiences are conservation-led, with rescued elephants and lions central to the reserve's work
• A wedding chapel overlooks the waterhole for guests planning a ceremony on site

The Details

Location

Buffelsdrift Game Lodge lies in the Klein Karoo on the Western Cape's Route 62, 4 miles outside Oudtshoorn, the self-styled ostrich capital of the world. The Swartberg Mountains form the northern horizon and the lodge entrance sits 300 yards from the tar road leading to the Cango Caves. George Airport is roughly an hour away and Cape Town a five-hour drive, which places the lodge within easy reach of the Garden Route circuit.

Accommodation

Accommodation is in luxury tented suites set around a 12-acre waterhole. Luxury Waterhole Tents sit at the water's edge with private sundecks for wildlife viewing. Luxury Horizon View Tents are positioned a few yards back from the waterhole on slightly elevated ground, with panoramic views across the reserve. Luxury Family Tents have a main bedroom plus a second interleading bedroom with shared en-suite bathroom, sleeping up to five, and are surrounded by Karoo fynbos within walking distance of the waterhole.

Dining

The Buffelsdrift Restaurant runs an à la carte menu built around authentic Karoo cuisine, homemade dishes and local produce. The deck looks out over the dam and the wine list draws on award-winning estates along Route 62, South Africa's longest wine route.

Activities

Guided bush safaris and two-hour night drives are the core game experience, with rangers trained to interpret birdlife and plants alongside the larger mammals. Night drives use spotlights to find the Shy Five, caracal, genet, porcupine, aardvark and aardwolf. Dawn meerkat safaris track habituated wild colonies as they emerge from their burrows. Elephant and lion experiences are run as educational encounters with rescued animals, and the free-roaming cheetah experience, introduced in 2020, gives guests a chance to learn about the species in its natural environment. A swimming pool, spa and the lodge's conservation foundation round out the offer.

Price Includes

• Accommodation in Luxury Tents
• Dinner and breakfast
• Choice of one activity: Bush Safari or Elephant Experience