Garden Route Classic

Here at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge, we offer Bush Safaris not only to our residents but to the public as well.

“We call it Bush Safaris, as our guides are trained to not only educate our guests on our wide variety of animals, but also about our bird and plant species..”
– Andries van Schalkwyk | Managing Director

During our bush safaris ( game drives ), you can expect to experience true Karoo vegetation from our open game viewing vehicles. Our wide range of animals includes Hippo, Giraffe, Eland, Zebra, Buffalo, Springbok, and much more. The duration of our bush safaris is ± 2 hours. About midway through the safari, there is a refreshment break at one of our scenic lookout points. These offer 360° panoramic views of the area as well as the Swartberg Mountains.

Duration: 2 Hours

None of our elephants have been taken from the wild for captivity. The three elephants were orphaned when the adults were poached. Our elephants come from circumstances that if we did not intervene they would not be alive today. We did not choose this life for them but we rather chose to give them the best possible life within our means with the best possible love and care. All our elephant excursions have a most informative educational approach.

We are fortunate that they ended up here at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge as they are true gentle giants and have great personalities. Elephants are very affectionate and caring animals.

An early booking for an Elephant Experience is essential as our elephants are very popular. Clients should arrive 15 minutes prior to activity. Activity will automatically be cancelled if clients arrive 15 minutes after booked time and will have to wait for the next time slot. You are welcome to ask our elephant guides as many questions as you like.

Feeding: (Every hour from 08h00 to 16h00)
With this experience you get the opportunity to be educated on these magnificent animals while having the chance to feed then as well.

Duration: 30 - 45 min

Observation: (08h00 - 09h00 and 15h00 - 16h00)
Take in the natural beauty and go for an early morning or a late afternoon walk with them around the 5ha waterhold

Duration: 1 hour

At Buffelsdrift Game Lodge we offer night drives not only to our residents but to the public as well. A night drive is a safari that happens at night with the help of powerful spotlights to see the different animals. The two-hour night drive offers guest an opportunity to spot the elusive “Shy five” of Buffelsdrift Game Lodge – caracal, genet, porcupine, aardvark and aardwolf. The open game drive safari vehicle offers to witness other wildlife species such as hippo’s grazing, Giraffes, Buffalo, Cape Mountain Zebra, Sable, Eland and much more. About midway through the night drive, there is a refreshment break where you can enjoy the renowned Klein Karoo night skies. The advantage of a night drive is that it provides access to nocturnal species that are rarely seen during the day and there is a greater probability of seeing them hunt at night.

Duration: 2 Hours

The Spa @ Buffelsdrift has 4 permanent therapists onsite that are professionally trained to provide the feeling one gets of being in nature with a relaxing and revitalizing treatment. Choose your preferred massage, treatment or facial and be amazed by the view over the lake, sounds of wildlife and relaxing soft music in the background.

Some of our treatments include:
- African Hand and Foot Treatments
- Back, Neck and Shoulder
- Rolling Sands Full Body Massage
- Desert Glow Exfoliation
- Manicures and Pedicures

Buffelsdrift Game Lodge invites you to witness the incredible wild habituated Meerkats emerging out of their burrows at dawn, just in time to soak up the sun before they head about their daily activities.

The Meerkat Safaris at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge will bring you up close to these amazing animals. A trained ranger will meet our guests in the Lookout Lounge, where they will enjoy a warm cup of coffee and rusks, before heading to the Safari vehicle to go to the Meerkat burrows. On the way to the burrows guests are usually lucky to spot some of the 22 species of animals on the reserve.
The guests remain on the vehicle while waiting for the Meerkats to emerge at the break of dawn. The ranger will educate the guests on all the interesting facts and behavior throughout the experience.

Guests will be transported in a game vehicle to the 5ha lion enclosure where they will see our lions (Shumba, Tonga and Safia) close-up from the elevated view point. A trained game ranger will feed the lions while guests view them. It is advisable to have a camera at hand. Furthermore, the game ranger will fully inform the guests regarding important aspects of lions in general.

General Guidelines:
– These are wild Lions and will not be touched or handled by humans, including the rangers.
– Maximum of 20 guests per Lion experience. Book in advance to avoid disappointment.
– Duration of the Lion viewing experience may vary depending on their behaviour (± 1-2 hours)

In April 2020, we introduced our South African cheetahs to our guests. After two years of being on the Reserve and being a part of our family, our cheetahs are now adapted and have relaxed in their new environment. We are aiming to create a platform to educate tourists about this predator in its natural environment.

Activity information:
Duration of Activity: 3 – 4 Hours
Activity Pricing: R1245.00 pp
Meeting Point: Look-out Lounge @ 08:00

Strap your boots and come experience an adventure that will allow you to use all your senses to connect deeper with the Little Karoo and its history. A 5km trail swirls past dramatic scenes of the famous red rock formations of the little Karoo.

Activity information:
Trail Difficulty: Casual +- 5km walk
Duration: +- 4 Hours (depends on the group’s pace)
Departure Times: 06:00 (summer) | 08:00 (winter)

Guests meet at the main lodge, from where you depart in one of our game viewers towards the starting point of the trail.

Included in some of the packages, guests are transported by our guides to other activities in the vicinity e.g. Cango Caves, Cango Ostrich Farm, Cango Wildlife Ranch and Wine Tasting.

* Only included in specific packages

Robberg Nature Reserve to our west and the beautiful Natures Valley to our East

Seals, whales, dolphins, sharks, pelagic birds ... from the sea or from the land. A beautiful way to spend the day.