Accommodation at Blaauwbosch Private Game Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Safari Lodges and Accommodation in South Africa

Accommodation at Blaauwbosch Private Game Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa

BLAAUWBOSCH PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

Luxurious game lodge in the Eastern Cape
Spacious, air-conditioned chalets
Wide variety of African wildlife
Fine dining accompanied by local wines

Blaauwbosch is an exclusive big five private game reserve in the malaria free Eastern Cape. The reserve offers a unique and private African wildlife safari experience where guests can relax in comfort.

Luxurious chalets are spacious, air-conditioned and have their own dressing rooms, full bathrooms, personal bathrobes, verandahs and mountain views of the beautiful Eastern Cape.

Discover a wide variety of game on your African wildlife safari, including lion, buffalo, elephant, leopard, rhino, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, antelope, abundant birdlife and rare flora on game drives with professional rangers.

Enjoy fine dining with the best of local wines, with meals prepared by the resident chef.

Blaauwbosch Private Game Reserve is a TGCSA 5-Star Lodge, close to the Addo Elephant Park in the Eastern Cape.

LOCATION:
Blaauwbosch is situated in the Karoo, 110 km's from Port Elizabeth on the R 75 road to Graaff-Reinet. Follow the signs to our thached entrance gate where you will be welcomed to our Game Reserve.

Port Elizabeth - Blaauwbosch: 110 km (70 minutes)
Addo Elephant Park - Blaauwbosch: 70 km (50 minutes)
Graaff Reinet - Blaauwbosch: 140 km (90 minutes)

THE LODGE:
Blaauwbosch Private Game Reserve Lodge is a discrete collection of thatch roofs in a crisp unspoiled landscape. Set in the heart of the Malaria free foothills of the Winterhoek mountain range in the Karoo, Eastern Cape, the lodge is newly established but is mindful of the sensitivity of its location. The reserve, in the heart of the Karoo, Eastern Cape, offers a unique and private experience where guests can relax in comfort. Blaauwbosch Private Game Reserve Lodge's luxurious chalets are spacious, air-conditioned and have their own dressing rooms, full bathrooms, verandahs and mountain views.

THE CLIMATE:
Blaauwbosch enjoys an extremely healthy climate all year round. The air is crisp and clean with no pollution. Star gazing is spectacular. Summer is from November to April and temeperatures vary from 20 Degrees Celsius in the evening to 40 Degrees Celsius during the heat of the day. Winter is from May to October and temperatures vary from 5 Degrees Celsius in the evenings to 20 Degrees Celsius in the day.

LUXURY ACCOMMODATION:
Space for new tastes - there are moments when you need your own space in the bush. Blaauwbosch big five private game reserve in the Eastern Cape offers six world class suites that accommodate fourteen guests.
The luxury accommodation is spacious and designed to create your own sanctuary. They all have mountain views, generous bathrooms and dressing rooms. At Blaauwbosch private game reserve, beds are not simply made; they are dressed in fine linen with an eye to a private or romantic cocoon in the Eastern Cape.

The accommodation at Blaauwbosch is luxurious and spacious. All rooms ofer full bathrooms, dressing rooms, air-conditioning, reading couches, 100% cotton percale linen, verandahs and mountain views. Selected rooms also have underfloor heating, wooden decks, outside showers and free-standing baths.

Check-in time: after 14h00
Check-out time: before 11h00

RATES INCLUDE:
All meals and game drives.

YOUR HOSTS:
Growing our greatest asset.
Husband and wife team, Craig and Gill Cullingworth are hands on owners, and under their guidance Blaauwbosch private game reserve in the Eastern Cape has blossomed. Gill's eye for detail ensures that guests experience subtle luxury and good service. The development of Blaauwbosch Private Game Reserve is part of an energetic initiative to bring meaningful work to the families that live in the Eastern Cape beyond the more viable cities. With key experienced staff in place the talent is spread and expertise grows by the month.

ON AN AFRICAN SAFARI:
Your senses come alive as you encounter the sights, sounds and smells of the bush on an African safari at Blaauwbosch private game reserve. The smell of the bush is rich and exotic for those new to it but for others this familiar territory and a deep breath is always a reminder of why you return. Karoo sunsets turn the sky into a wash of burned orange and deep purple. It is at this moment that rangers pause for refreshments at a high vantage point. As night falls the open Land Rovers move on.

DISCOVER A WIDE VARIETY OF GAME:
Game drives at Blaauwbosch private game reserve are led by professional rangers. The rangers have extensive big five game knowledge, which means you are likely to view lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, rhino, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, antelope, abundant birdlife and rare flora on our game drives. This is a birdwatchers paradise and binoculars are trained to spot rare specimens amongst the abundant birdlife. The latest exciting project for the reserve is the introduction of cheetah. Visitors to the private game reserve are also treated to one of Blaauwbosch's specialties - an African wildlife "walk and stalk" safari. This exciting safari involves the shadowing of the fastest of all land hunters, the cheetah, as it stalks its prey.

PUTTING YOUR FEET UP:
A quiet luxury.
The colours of the Blaauwbosch lodge are earthy and muted, with the polished floors scattered with richly colored carpets. The cool, spacious interior offers a perfect sanctuary against the scorching African sun. The bush is all around you and while you may intend to read for an hour or so there will be distractions. The private game lodge is surrounded by bush where birds and animals appear unexpectedly. You are a spectator of their daily sport.

FINE AFRICAN CUISINE:
A late and substantial breakfast after the early morning game drive fuels you for the day. South Africans are renowned for loving good food and good wine. The emphasis of the dinner menu is on African cuisine with fresh contemporary flavours and a nod to universally appealing dishes. Guests are encouraged to venture beyond their familiar repertoire of tastes and match food with a fine selection of South African wines.

THE KAROO - EASTERN CAPE:
The Karoo in the Eastern Cape is one of the most diverse and breathtakingly beautiful areas in South Africa. It is home to a wealth of wildlife, ranging from the leaping Springbok to the soaring Black Eagle, the rare mountain zebra and various species of tortoise.

Blaauwbosch Big Five Private Game Reserve offers luxury accommodation and game viewing in the Karoo - the area with the largest ecosystem in the country. The Karoo boasts ideal game viewing conditions. The sparse vegetation ensures that the larger animals like Elephant, Buffalo, Black Wildebeest, Eland, Zebra and Kudu are all regularly seen on game drives. Besides the bigger wildlife, there are also smaller species that are not as big, but just as intriguing.

There is also evidence of life in the Karoo from 300 million years ago. Dioramas of ancient Karoo reptiles have been found. Fossil mammals of the Cape four million years ago have also been dug up and preserved. Blaauwbosch Big 5 Private Game Reserve is 110km from Port Elizabeth on the R75 road to Graaff-Reinet. The reserve offers game drives by professional rangers, a wide range of fauna and flora and unparalleled luxury accommodation in the Karoo.

Take a late afternoon safari drive to the water holes of the Blaauwbosch Big Five Private Game Reserve, and watch the setting sun turn the endless Karoo sky from pastel shades of pink and blue to glorious hues of orange and red.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A SOUTH AFRICA SAFARI:
Africa is an exciting and fascinating continent. Before embarking on a South African safari, tourists often have only Hollywood movies to guide their imagination. Movies like Born Free, Out of Africa, Gorillas in the mist and I dream of Africa all portray the beauty of Africa, with a Hollywood twist of course!

However, it doesn't matter how well photographed or directed, no movie could ever fully portray the indescribable sights, sounds and smells that are unique to a South African safari.

Going on a South African safari may seem a bit daunting to first-time visitors. Although Mother Nature may seem harsh and unforgiving to the untrained eye, she is actually a nurturer that lovingly takes care of all her creations.

While going on game drives at Blaauwbosch big five private game reserve to see the wildlife up close, our team of professional rangers will amaze you with unbelievable stories of the bush and how it maintains its fragile equilibrium.

They will also teach you about the medicinal uses of the wild herbs, tree bark, leaves and bulbs.

Blaauwbosch Private Game Reserve Lodge has perfected the art of combining luxury living with the raw elements of the bush. Our luxurious chalets are all air-conditioned, which provides welcome relief after an exciting day of big game watching and other related activities. The private bathrooms all feature state-of-the-art amenities, while still retaining a natural and earthy feel.

The resident chef at Blaauwbosch Big 5 Private Game Reserve Lodge offers a menu that is as rich and colorful as the fertile land itself. Visitors are also introduced to award winning South African wines specifically chosen to complement the intricate flavors of the cuisine and tantalize the palate.

ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK:
Situated in a malaria free area just one hour's drive from the South African coastal city of Port Elizabeth, our magnificently diverse national park offers a wide variety of game viewing, outdoor adventure, accommodation and cultural experiences. You will be amazed at the variety of natural landscapes and wildlife species that can be experienced in one easily accessible destination.

"Big 7" EXPERIENCE:
You've heard about Africa's Big 5 - the elephant, lion, rhino, leopard and buffalo. Well, we are about to become the only wildlife park in the world where you can view Africa's Big 7 in their natural environment.

Yes, with the expansion of our park, you will be able to see the Big 5 plus whales and great white sharks - all in one great park comprising a 240 000 hectare terrestrial zone and a 120 000 hectare marine zone.

HOW TO FIND ADDO:
The park is situated 72 km from Port Elizabeth in the Sundays River Valley and Zuurberg Mountain range. The access road from the main road (4 km) is tarred as far as the rest camp. Roads within the rest camp and some loops of the game area roads are tarred, while other game area roads are gravel.

The Addo Elephant National Park was established in 1931 to protect the last 11 wild elephants from extermination.

Today more than 350 elephants roam through an area that is so diverse that no matter how many times you experience it, its magic will never fail to captivate you. On a good day, Addo Elephant National Park offers the greatest elephant spectacle on earth. The park also offers excellent viewing of black rhino, Cape buffalo and leopard, as well as a host of other large and small mammals and over 400 species of birds in the greater park area.

HISTORY:
While elephants have pride of place in this Eastern Cape National Park, there are enough other animals and birds here to keep even the most discerning game - and bird - watcher happy. Today, about 160 tuskers roam the 7 735 ha area of creepers and trees, together with significant numbers of Cape buffalo, antelope, eland, red hartebeest, black rhino and hippo.

It seems quite unbelievable now that less than 100 years ago, Addo's elephant population was on the verge of being wiped out by the farming community. Clashes between elephant and settler farmers began almost as soon as attempts were made to cultivate the land in the vicinity of the Addo bush. Not suprisingly, the elephant population paid little attention to the fences put up by their new neighbours. In a series of night raids, they simply trampled down fences and helped themselves to the crops of the farmers.

In 1919, Cape administrator Frederic de Waal, faced with mounting anger from Eastern Cape agriculturalists called in the help of crack army marksman Major Jan Pretorius in a bid to exterminate the herd. Pretorius achieved great success, shooting 120 of the animals before a public outcry brought the slaughter to and end.

The popularity of Addo Elephant National park has grown steadily since its proclamation in 1931. Facilities on offer include chalets, rondavfels, a caravan park, a restaurant, picnic areas and a hide (near a dam) for birdwatchers.