South Africa has many famous safari destinations, but Kariega Reserve is certainly a hidden gem as it is home to various iconic species as well as some rarer mammals, such as caracal and aardvark.
The family-owned Kariega Reserve is tucked away in the Eastern Cape, off the beaten safari track. Kariega’s open plains are perfect grazing habitat for white rhino, zebra, and buffalo, as well as hunting grounds for caracal, lion and jackal. At night, aardvark and porcupine emerge to forage on the plains. The thick forests lining the plains provide cover for the more secretive black rhino and bushpig. Species like giraffe and the undeniably beautiful nyala browse along the edges where the plains and forests meet.
The reserve is home to more than 350 bird species, many of which are unique to the area. We’ll look along the forest fringes for the magnificent Knysna turaco, jackal buzzard and narina trogon, as well as the immensely powerful crowned eagle – a forest specialist capable of taking prey up to six times its own bodyweight. Kariega is home to six species of kingfisher, which we will search for on our river cruises, while secretary birds and ostriches roam the grassy plains.
We enjoy morning and evening drives throughout the itinerary and will mix these with the occasional short guided bush walk to get closer to the smaller wildlife, and river cruises to look for fish eagles, kingfishers, and the mammals that feed in the lush riverine bush. After dinner each evening, there will be the option to head out on the vehicles again on night drives to look for and hopefully photograph porcupine, owls, aardvark, wild cats and other nocturnal life in the company of wildlife photographer Emma Healey or Sean Weekly.
Typical Itinerary
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Day 1:
Depart UK
Today, we depart the UK on overnight flights to South Africa.
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Day 2:
Arrive Port Elizabeth & transfer to Kariega Reserve
On arrival in Port Elizabeth, we are met and transferred to Kariega Game Reserve. The journey will take approximately two hours depending on traffic, so we will arrive at our first lodge in the reserve during the afternoon. We check-in and settle into our new accommodation before dinner in the evening.
Accommodation: Ukhozi Lodge, 3-nights
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Days 3-4
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Game drives in Kariega Reserve
For the next two days, on our morning and afternoon game drives, we look for rhino and buffalo on the plains in the first light. We also introduce you to the remarkable story of Thandi, a very special rhino who roams the area near Ukhozi and whose story became known around the world.
We also keep our eyes open for colourful birds like Knysna turaco as they move through the forest fringes. Secretary birds also roam these plains alongside ostrich, both of which make for great photographic subjects. As the mornings move on and the sun becomes stronger, we keep an eye on the skies for raptors like jackal buzzard.
Each day, there is the opportunity for short photo workshops before afternoon tea and our late drives. These evening drives can be a good time to spot caracal, as well as other nocturnal species, waking up and becoming active in the last light of the day. After dinner, we have the chance to drive again to track down lions and other nocturnal specialists, like brown hyena.
Short guided walks are also possible. They allow us to stretch our legs and get closer to the tracks, signs and smaller species that we would normally drive past.
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Day 5:
Transfer to Kariega River Lodge
Today, we are transferred to our next accommodation which is Kariega River Lodge on the banks of the Bushman's River. The drive is another opportunity to observe and photograph any wildlife that we come across. We aim to arrive at Kariega River Lodge in time for lunch and enjoy another game drive in late afternoon.
Accommodation: Kariega River Lodge, 2-nights
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Day 6:
Further exploration and photographic sessions from Kariega River Lodge
Kariega River Lodge is situated on the banks of the Bushman's River. The camp is uniquely located to allow us to smoothly cruise down the river by boat, travelling from the reserve's interior all the way to the sea, photographing and wildlife watching as we go. We will hope to find iridescent kingfishers, majestic fish eagles and elegant egrets before enjoying a welcome drink on the soft sands at the river mouth. Not many safari destinations can offer this kind of experience.
On our daytime drives we again look for caracal, lion, elephant and Kariega’s abundant antelope, such as blesbok, nyala and kudu. For those keen to venture out at night, aardvark is top of our list, but there will be the chance of seeing and photographing owls, porcupine, spring hare and hyena.
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Day 7:
Transfer to Settlers Drift
From Kariega River Lodge, we are transferred to our final accommodation on the itinerary, Settlers Drift, where we spend the next three nights. This is a beautiful, tented camp in one of the reserve's more remote corners. Again, this transfer is another chance to encounter various species and capture any images should the opportunities arise. It all depends on what we see during the transfer, but we hope to arrive in time for lunch and a late afternoon game drive.
Accommodation: Settlers Drift, 3-nights
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Days 8-9
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Continue to explore Kariega Game Reserve
Our final destination in Kariega is Settlers Drift, set high above a meander of the Bushman's River and the open plains of Kariega’s western section. These open areas give us perhaps the best chance of seeing aardvark and, as well as night drives, we can set some camera traps with anyone interested to hopefully photograph this remarkable mammal.
On clear nights, the setting of the camp is also ideal for enjoying views of the night sky, and our leader will run astrophotography sessions for anyone wanting to capture landscapes with the night sky. We will also be served dinner under the night sky on one of our nights by our incredible lodge team.
During our morning drives, our guides will be able to take us on walks from the vehicles to get a closer look at our surroundings, especially the burrows used by aardvarks and other nocturnal creatures.
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Day 10:
Return to Port Elizabeth & departure
This morning it's time to bid farewell to Kariega Game Reserve as we are transferred back to Port Elizabeth in time to catch our return flights to the UK.
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Day 11:
Arrive UK
