Sanbona Wildlife Reserve

Rooms

Sanbona offers 3 luxurious lodges and a wilderness experience. Gondwana is the one for families though all have double and twin rooms.

Tilney Manor is a restored 1898 Cape Georgian homestead with 6 suites, a communal lounge and a dining room. Surrounded by gardens, there’s also a lovely porch with views over the Karoo, a shady inner courtyard with a bar, and a deck with rim-flow pool and great views. All of the suites run along the side of the manor and face out to the Karoo wilderness. There’s air-conditioning for summer and a coal fire for winter (though feedback suggests the heating could be better). They are spacious and warmly decorated in creams, beiges and yellows. In addition to the opulent bedroom with a four-poster double bed, there's an open-plan bathroom with a freestanding bathtub, and a private veranda with deck chairs. A shower room and a loo are hidden behind closed doors, while sliding glass doors lead out to a private garden with a double slate shower.

Dwyka Tented Lodge, dramatically situated at the foot of a sheer cliff face and sheltered from the wind, opened in 2009. From private decks and plunge pools to fabulous kingsize beds and underfloor heating these 9 spacious tents are the bees’ knees. Shower rooms are half indoors, half out, while shared facilities include a game lodge with dining area and bar/lounge (cosy with fires), a spa lodge, a steam room, a wine cellar, an open-air boma and a wine cellar. Bear in mind it's a pretty dark walk from lodge to tents at night!

Gondwana Lodge has been designed with families in mind and offers ‘Kids on Safari’ programme. Views from the lodge sweep over the plains of Bellair Dam to the Anysberg Mountains. The 12 rooms have indoor showers, private balconies/patios, underfloor heating and all mod cons; family rooms interconnect. There's also a bar/lounge and a dining area with coal fires, a small relaxation retreat, a swimming pool with a shallow area for kids, a children’s playroom, and an open-air boma. The entire area is protected by a perimeter electric fence.

The Explorer Camp 2-night trail package offers a more authentic bush experience. The unfenced minimalist camp has 3 rustic tents and sits in a shaded spot in the northeast of the reserve. Trails run from Friday to Sunday and walks last up to 4 hours. The focus is on experiencing the wilderness so don't expect 5-star luxury; each tent has a bio-box loo, there are only 2 showers and meals are eaten alfresco. Explorer’s Camp is only suitable for those between 16 and 60 years of age and opens from October to April.