Guests per Safari Vehicle
10 Guests
A striking oasis in the semi-desert Karoo, The Manor’s uniquely warm design reflects the local landscape and traditions with a light, modern twist. Upon arrival, your eye is drawn through the glass double doors flanked by beaded African artwork and Karoo antiques to the breathtaking views beyond. The mountain landscape unfolds over a 21-metre infinity pool, descending to a waterhole frequently visited by wildlife.
The Manor is small enough to feel intimate, yet large enough to give all guests a feeling of space and privacy.
The villa opens up into two living areas and two smaller breakaway lounging alcoves. Unwind by the fireplace where a crackling fire burns in the winter months and the large glass doors to the patio are cast wide open in summer. Dining takes places in a well-appointed dining room adjacent to the comfortable bar area. There is also a small breakfast room next to the kitchen, which can double up as a study.
When the weather is fair, candlelit dinners are set up on the verandah, on the lawn under the purple-flowered Jacaranda tree, or out in the bush beneath a star-studded sky. A Karoo-style boma, fashioned out of an old water reservoir, is the perfect place for pre-dinner drinks around the fire.
Four spacious suites are found in the Manor House - two King suites and two twin suites.
Each suite comprises a bedroom and bathroom with shower and free-standing bath. A private patio with outdoor seating looks out over a mountain landscape – the perfect location for lazy afternoons reading Out of Africa.
When booked exclusively, the Manor can sleep a maximum of 8 adults and a limited number of extra children. Exclusive-use guests have access to a private vehicle, ranger, chef and host. A tailor-made programme of activities is designed to suit the interests and needs of the entire group.
Children of all ages are welcome and permitted on game drives when The Manor has been booked exclusively. A minimum 2-night stay applies to exclusive-use bookings. We recommend at least 3 to relax into the Karoo frame of mind
Spanning 27,000 hectares of breathtaking wilderness, Samara Karoo Reserve, formerly known as Samara Private Game Reserve offers a Big 5 safari with a difference – a unique conservation passion project in a singularly beautiful setting.
Samara’s story is one of restoration. Since 1997, 11 former livestock farms in South Africa’s Great Karoo region have been painstakingly rehabilitated. Thousands of indigenous animals have been reintroduced, including the first cheetah, elephant and lion to return in over a century. The dream? To restore to its former glory a mesmerizing landscape in the country’s magical heartland.
Key to Samara’s vision is the concept of co-creation, where every guest plays a role in rewilding the landscape and preserving it for posterity.
And what a landscape: an unexpected semi-arid paradise of astonishing diversity, once home to the epic springbok migrations, where spine-tingling views abound and vistas feed the soul. Vast herds thrive on the extensive plains; predators once again stalk the savannahs. Dramatic purple mountains unfold above grasslands rivalling the Maasai Mara for splendor.
A total of 26 guests are invited to join this conservation journey, a guest to land ratio almost unparalleled in Africa. Accommodation is in two intimate lodges: Karoo Lodge, an authentic and lovingly-restored farmstead and the Manor, a striking yet understated villa.
Located in the malaria-free Eastern Cape, a 2.5-hour drive from Port Elizabeth or 1.5-hour charter flight from Cape Town, Samara is easily accessible yet retains a true wilderness feeling. A safari for the soul.
All ages welcome
All ages welcome
10 Guests
Port Elizabeth International Airport
2.5 hours from Port Elizabeth
The Manor at Samara, Graaff-Reinet, South Africa
All ages welcome