Adventure South Africa - Malaria-Free 18 Days Upmarket Family Safari

Make a difference. Make unforgettable memories.

Spier’s wide range of Growing for Good initiatives empower our communities to unleash positive social and environmental change. With Time for Good, hotel guests are invited to be a part of the action!
Guests can now book one of these inspiring activities, and we guarantee their visit to our historic wine farm will be meaningful, moving and memorable. Whether they're on a family getaway, a romantic escape or travelling as a group, Time for Good activities are an essential, unforgettable add-on to their Spier experience. Each takes place either on our farm or in the surrounding community.

Volunteer in our Food Garden
On a tour of our Food Garden, they will learn all about regenerative agriculture and permaculture gardening from our team of friendly, knowledgeable gardeners — and get to meet the pest control patrol: a paddle of runner ducks! Fancy getting some dirt under their fingernails? Volunteers are welcome in this tranquil space, where they will help the team cultivate a bounty of nutrient-rich and delicious produce without inorganic pesticides or artificial fertilisers. Their time will be well spent, whether weeding and harvesting or packing seedlings and veggies that are donated to local community feeding schemes.

Donate essentials to under-resourced schools and the elderly
If guests have some space to spare in their suitcase, they can fill it with essential items to be donated to some of the Winelands’ most vulnerable residents. As a proud member of the global initiative Pack-for-a-Purpose, we’ll distribute any school stationery, art supplies, children’s books, educational games and sporting goods they bring to under-resourced rural schools. If they're able to pack adult toiletries, bedding and other household items, we’ll pass these on to Zandvliet Care Facility which looks after the elderly.

Tackling poverty one seedling at a time
Guests can enjoy an inspiring tour of the Tree-preneurs nursery on our farm, home to 23 000 indigenous plants! Project manager Lesley Joemat has empowered dozens of “Tree-preneurs” living in impoverished communities to grow indigenous trees and plants. Once the seedlings she’s given them to nurture have reached a certain height, they are exchanged for essentials such as food vouchers, clothing, agricultural goods, tools, bicycles and educational support.

Taste wines in our organic vineyard
There’s no better person than our Organic Winemaker, Tania Kleintjes, to show guests around our farm’s organic vineyards. At the tour’s completion, they will unwind between the rows of vines as Tania pours them a taste of our three acclaimed organic Farm House wines. The cost of the tour includes two organic wines for guests to take home. If the tour falls during the annual harvest (typically a several-week period in February and March), guests are able to both lend a hand with picking the perfect grapes and tasting them too!

Visit and volunteer at the Sustainability Institute
A close neighbour and longtime partner of Spier, the Sustainability Institute runs a range of activities and programmes aimed at creating more equitable and empowered futures. As a volunteer in its food garden, guests will plant, harvest and enjoy a wild food tasting, followed by a harvest table lunch. Other volunteer opportunities through the Institute include tree-planting, soup-making, knitting, children’s reading circles and youth sports. Guests can also tour the Sustainability Institute’s campus, learning about its educational programmes, as well as the renowned Lynedoch Ecovillage – an ecologically designed, socially mixed community built around the campus.

Explore regenerative agriculture and recycling
Our Segway tours aren’t just exhilarating fun in the fresh air: they’re also a great way to learn about Spier’s deeply rooted commitment to the earth. As guests glide effortlessly past our organic vineyards, they will get the lowdown on all things green — from recycling to regenerative agriculture. Along the way, they will meet happy, free-roaming chickens, visit our eco-friendly wastewater treatment plant (which recycles 100% of the farm’s black and grey water), and stop by the tranquil Food Garden, where delicious produce is cultivated without artificial fertilisers or inorganic pesticides.

Venture with raptors into the wild
Guests can walk amidst Cape fynbos with majestic hawks, learning how birds of prey keep ecosystems healthy and balanced as they enjoy their daily exercise and conduct natural “pest control”. Into the Wild sessions will begin at Eagle Encounters — the raptor rehabilitation, conservation and education centre at Spier — with an introduction to falconry. Guests will then enjoy a leisurely hike on the farm with the Harris hawks freely following on and gliding around them. Eagle Encounters is also open to visitors, with exhilarating personal encounters and spectacular interactive flying shows with even more birds of prey (including eagles, owls, kites and buzzards). Guests will also get to meet other critters, including foxes, snakes and lizards.

Become a patron of the arts
The Creative Block project invites artists, both established and emerging, to create work on a small blank block. The blocks are submitted for critique, and the best are purchased and made available for sale to visitors – showcased across the farm. Creative Block is ideal for the budding art collector. With a modest budget, guests are able to establish – or expand – a collection of delightfully diverse artworks. This will ensure they are among the early collectors that help to support artists at the beginning of their careers. Curious to learn more about South Africa’s thriving art scene? A walking tour showcasing the highlights of Spier’s art collection (one of the country’s largest) is available upon request.

Connect and craft with local artisans
The vibrant Craft Market at Spier is a sustainable social enterprise which improves local livelihoods, provides eco-friendly shopping and adheres to Fair Trade principles. As guests browse the stalls, they can chat with talented artists and artisans creating striking art and design. Their one-of-kind pieces range from paintings, carvings and jewellery to beadwork, textiles and ceramics. There are also extraordinary items made from recycled and upcycled materials. Give it a go! Individuals and groups can book a fun make-it-yourself session where they will try their hand at painting, jewellery-making, beadwork or wirework. Our experienced artisans will share their techniques and know-how, encouraging guests to unleash their own creativity.

Read more here https://www.spier.co.za/time-for-good. If you have any questions, please contact Comien Grobler on comieng@spier.co.za.

Award-winning wine is paired with innovative food at Spier’s Tasting Room which is located on the banks of the Spier dam, with stunning views of the Helderberg Mountains. Wine is available for sale at cellar door prices. The Tasting Room’s retail space offers wine-related products, locally-made homeware, gifts and books.

Tastings include:
• Spier Tasting: choose wines from the Spier Signature range, Spier Seaward, Spier Creative Block and 21 Gables
• Chocolate and wine tastings
• Winemaker Selection: Taste from our 21 Gables and Creative Block ranges plus the organic red blend, Spier First Stone.
• The Children's Grape Juice Tasting is the ideal way to keep the youngsters busy with a tasting of two different grape juices and an educational activity sheet highlighting the role insects play in our vineyards.
• Food platters to pair with the tastings are also available for sale

Spier Wine Tasting is open from 10:00 – 16:30 daily, with Sales from 09:00 -17:00. Contact us on +27 (021) 809 1143/7 or visit https://shop.spier.co.za/ to order wines online.

The Spier Elemental Garden is just a stone’s throw from Spier Farm Café and Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery – both much loved by families. It was conceptualised by landscape architect Ed Brooks and local landscape architect Danielle Croly, using mostly indigenous plants.
The garden is divided into quadrants representing the four elements: water, air, fire and earth. Intersecting all four is a spiralling waterway that symbolises the Fibonacci Sequence – a set of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones. Many patterns in nature follow this rule — such as the spiral shape of a seashell, the arrangement of leaves on a branch, or the petals of some flowers (such as daisies and sunflowers).
Features of the garden include a slide landscaped into earth mounds, a tunnel to crawl through, a Charl Conradie wind sculpture and a swing bridge. The water in the Water quadrant has been treated and is safe to splash about in – perfect for hot summer days.

The Elemental Garden is open daily until sunset; entry is complimentary.

The Segway PT (personal transport) is a two-wheeled, self balancing electric vehicle. Users lean forward to go forwards, lean back to go backwards and turn using a "lean steer" handlebar. As you glide through the farm past our beautiful vineyards and pastures, your guide will share interesting insights about farming, Spier’s river walk and wastewater treatment plant.

Eagle Encounters has been going strong since 2001, rehabilitating and releasing birds of prey, promoting conservation and education, on land donated by Spier. Birds of prey keep the farm’s ecosystem in balance, making it possible to naturally control pests, without pesticides. Enjoy up-close-and-personal interactions with eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, kites, buzzards, snakes and lizards. Take part in heart-stopping falconry displays, where we fly birds to you. Kids will also enjoy our piglets, rabbits, tortoises, chickens and unique playground.

Take time off from real life and indulge in a facial or massage at the Spier spa, set inside the spacious Spier Hotel. Melt away tension and feel revived and refreshed with a full programme of skin, body and massage treatments on the menu.

Close to our Tasting Room, the Spier Craft Market showcases craftwork at eight custom-designed units – each manned by a cluster of artists. Wire and beadwork, 3D paintings, mosaics, items from recycled materials, jewellery, textiles, ceramics and woodcarving are all represented. Whether you want something simple like a key ring or fridge magnet, or a collectable art piece, there will be something to win your heart. Many of the artists work on site several days a week and would be happy to answer your questions and share the production process with you.

Spier has two audio tours you can listen to on your smartphone using the VoiceMap app (available on Google Play and the App Store):

· The Gables tour takes you around Spier’s historic farmyard, the Werf, offering a fictionalised account of the world of a Stellenbosch wine farm around 200 years ago. It was researched and written by acclaimed playwright, Brett Bailey. The narrator is Sannie de Goede, a slave woman on the Spier Estate in 1836, on the eve of her freedom.
· The hour-long Walk the Spier Farm tour will introduce you to the farm’s many facets: from art and wines to hospitality and heritage. You’ll also discover our efforts to forge a sustainable future, through biodynamic farming, the rehabilitation of fragile indigenous ecosystems and our eco-friendly wastewater plant and water-wise winery.

Discover the farm for free, using one of the Qhubeka Buffalo Bicycles located at the Spier Hotel entrance. These are sturdy and strong machines, designed for rough African terrain (and prove more than a match for our farm roads). Designed by Chicago-based World Bicycle Relief and assembled in South Africa, these bikes were named by the BBC as one of the 10 most beautiful bikes in the world.

Find everything you need for a challenging workout at Spier’s gym. Feel the burn, then pour the wine. Exclusive to hotel guests. Situated above the Kids Club.

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

Each day brings something different, as your explore the endless fascination of Africa's wildlife in an open Land Cruiser. Enjoy refreshments on morning and afternoon game drives.

Rejuventating spa treatments can be enjoyed in the privacy of your suite overlooking the bush

Tuningi is one of the few lodges in a Big 5 reserve specializing in families with children aged 6 years and up.

Children are kept busy with activities such as treasure hunts for natural items collected from the bush. Bush Bumbles are also offered for kids who do not go on game drive. baby sitting services are also available at cost.

Relax at the rim-flow pool overlooking the waterhole where you can indulge in the sights and sounds from a just a few feet away.

Share your exciting stories after the game drives in the lounge or main deck

Get up close and personal in our new underground hide. Keen photographic enthusiasts will love the new addition at Tuningi.