Safari Africa

The results of the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards 2024 have been announced!

For the second year running South Africa’s Great Karoo region is showcased on the world stage as Samara Karoo Reserve is listed in a prestigious hotel award. Samara Karoo Reserve, near Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape’s Great Karoo region has been named as a winner on both the United States list of the Top 15 Resorts in South Africa (#15 in South Africa) and the United Kingdom list of the Top 10 Resorts in South Africa (#6 in South Africa).

For the first time in five years, Condé Nast Traveller opted to run separate surveys in the USA and the UK and more than 575 000 readers in the USA and 125 000 readers in the UK voted in this year’s awards. As the longest-running, guest-driven awards in the tourism industry the Readers’ Choice Awards represents the epitome of excellence in hospitality. 

“We’re thrilled to be recognised in these awards for the second year in a row and we extend a warm Thank You to all of our guests who voted for us”, says Isabelle Tompkins of Samara. “We are immensely proud of the Samara team for consistently delivering exceptional experiences and unforgettable memories and we are delighted to play our role in showcasing the Karoo as a world-class destination.”

Samara Karoo Reserve is a conservation journey on 67,000 acres of born-again wilderness in South Africa’s heart-stoppingly beautiful Great Karoo region. Founded in 1997 with a bold rewilding mission, today Samara is one of South Africa’s most diverse safari destinations comprising five vegetation biomes across strikingly varied topography, home to over 60 mammal species including the Big Five and cheetah, as well as 225 bird species. Three intimate lodges with a true sense of place welcome guests for considered, meaningful and exceptional safari encounters in a malaria-free environment. Every guest that stays at Samara plays a role in safeguarding the landscape in perpetuity. Its low-footprint approach to tourism ensures an exclusive wilderness experience for guests, inspiring a deep connection with the wild spaces of the Karoo. 

“We believe that a world in which biodiversity and humanity thrive is well within reach and staying at one of Samara’s lodges and participating in our unique experiences – from planting Spekboom with the restoration team to tracking wild cheetah on foot – acts as a direct contribution to this vision.”  

Samara Karoo Reserve

www.samara.co.za 

Reservations: 049 940 1111| Lodge: 049 940 0059

reservations@samara.co.za

Facebook|Instagram: @SamaraKaroo

For further information please contact Theresa Gibbon on theresa@theresagibbonpr.co.za or 082 820 8437.

About Samara Karoo Reserve

The award-winning Samara Karoo Reserve is a conservation journey on 67,000 acres of born-again wilderness in the heart-stoppingly beautiful Great Karoo. One of South Africa’s most diverse safari destinations, Samara comprises five vegetation biomes across strikingly varied topography, home to over 60 mammal species including the Big Five, cheetah, aardvark and vast herds of desert-adapted antelope, as well as 225 bird species. Located 270 km from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and 53 km from Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape, Samara is easily accessible by road or by air yet retains a remote wilderness feel. Three intimate lodges welcome just 40 guests at a time for slow, meaningful and exceptional safari encounters:

  • Karoo Lodge, a lovingly renovated farmstead overlooking an amphitheatre of mountains, sleeping 24 guests is, after recent major refurbishments, powered by 100% renewable energy and makes use of innovative wastewater recycling systems. 
  • The Manor is an elegantly appointed villa in a Karoo contemporary style, sleeping eight guests and bookable on an exclusive-use basis with private vehicle, guide, tracker and chef.
  • Plains Camp, is an off-grid safari experience focusing on walking safaris and reconnecting with Nature in elegant simplicity.

Activities on offer to Samara guests include game drives, bush walks, wilderness picnics, conservation activities, a star bed, fly camping and photographic safaris and its new slackpacking experience – Samara Cheetah Trail  –  a 3-night, 4-day guided hiking adventure. Children of all ages are welcomed with a dedicated children’s programme. A member of The Long Run, Samara strives to achieve sustainability across the “4Cs”: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Staying at Samara acts as a direct contribution to this vision.

Samara Karoo Reserve

www.samara.co.za 

Reservations: 049 940 1111

Lodge: 049 940 0059

reservations@samara.co.za

Facebook|Instagram: @SamaraKaroo