Sanbona Explorer Camp

The mobile safari tents can sleep a maximum of two people, with cosy sleeping bags and pillows provided. The tent is snug, with a bed and a small cupboard and an outside hand basin with warm water supplied in the mornings. A small covered verandah area sits at the front of the tent where guests can unwind after a long day spent hiking while gazing over the sweeping views in which they are in the centre. Warmly lit by the glow of traditional lanterns in the evenings, these mobile tents offer a comfortable place to rest your head before moving on the next day.

Guests can enjoy dinner around the crackling fire, or underneath a canvas cover around a communal dining table, at Sanbona Explorer Camp. The cuisine celebrates a variety of styles and flavours which are inspired by colours and dishes from all over Africa. Guests can grab a drink from the pop-up bar, and while away the evenings enjoying refreshing beers or a cooling gin and tonic around the fire.

This two-day walking safari will give guests an immersive and informative experience of Sanbona Wildlife Reserve. Accompanied by a friendly and knowledgeable guide, guests will travel through the reserve looking out for animals, such as the rare riverine rabbit and aardvarks, as well as marvelling at the micro-ecosystems of the bush, such as insect life and plant life.

Your guide will be trained and armed to keep you safe at all times, and each day a different area will be explored, with guests setting out on foot in the morning to a different part of the reserve, or being driven in a game vehicle to a new section of the reserve.

The land of Little Karoo was formerly agricultural land, meaning road networks, fences, overgrazing and ploughing are scars which still affect the land to this day. It is the Wildlife Departments job to try and facilitate new growth and the rehabilitation of the landscape. To do this they work to remove alien species of vegetation and combat soil erosion. The reintroduction of species is important to create the diverse landscape which was once there, the reintroduction of the larger predators and herbivores has taken a few years and is ever-ongoing. All animals are constantly monitored to make sure the process is sustainable and successful, and that a careful balance is maintained between predators and prey.

Currently, there are many flora and fauna species which are found in Sanbona which are on the Red List of Threatened Species. One such example is the Riverine Rabbit which is the 13th most endangered mammal in the world. Sanbona provides riverine rabbits with the spaceneeded to function as they should, which they are being denied in other areas of Africa. Due to this, Sanbona has become one of the major players in the conservation of this species. Sanbona has an anti-poaching and security unit which helps to keep the land protected, as well as the guests and staff. Due to the conservation work which Sanbona are participating in, they have a stewardship with CapeNature which has led to the area receiving ongoing ‘Protected Area’ status.

The three fronts which influence the management philosophy of Sanbona Wildlife Reserve are financial, social and ecological. Partnered with the renowned Wilderness Foundation and the Green Leaf Environmental Standard, Sanbona makes sure that the sustainable management of the land surrounding them extends to the running of the lodge too. They focus on using water and energy effectively and efficiently, capturing rainwater and using wood from removed alien species for fireplaces.

They recycle all their raw materials, compost their food waste and use greywater for watering lodge gardens. To make sure the sustainable initiatives reach everyone in this area Sanbona also focuses on the upliftment, empowerment, and education of the local communities and their staff members. They partake in all these sustainable initiatives to help reduce their carbon footprint, improve education on conservation, and create a more responsible tourism brand.