From Sanbona's main gate, drive for just over an hour across the Little Karoo plains and you'll reach Bellair Dam and, on its shoreline, the thatched, Karoo-homestead-style Gondwana Lodge. This family destination has 12 generously proportioned luxury suites, never-ending views and plenty for everyone to do. Stay in super-comfortable style, see the Big Five on game drives, watch out for the reserve's impressive white lions, get close to hippos on a boat safari and enjoy the silence, the smiles and the starry moonlit skies. Children will have fun on the action-packed Kids on Safari programme.
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The communal areas have high ceilings and chic, comfortable furnishings with vivid yellow highlights. There's a lounge with a fireplace and TV, a lovely dining room with a long table, a playroom for children, a relaxation spa and steam room, an outdoor dining boma (meals are another of the highlights here), a cool pool with a shallow section, a gift shop and wi-fi connection in case the exterior world interrupts your stay.
There are 12 suites in all, six on the ground floor with a private deck and six above them with balconies and views to the horizon. In all, four have large and super-comfortable twin beds, and the remaining eight have king-sized beds and a sleeper couch. The suites are sleekly furnished, with top-quality linen, big comfortable couches, underfloor heating and aircon, a private deck or balcony with seating and a luxurious en-suite bathroom with shower, freestanding bath and twin basins.
Take guided game drives to see the Big Five, including snow-white (almost) lion, rhino, brown hyaena, black-backed jackal, cheetah, hippo, giraffe, zebra, antelopes. Go birdwatching – Sanbona has a recorded 200 species, from raptors (African fish-eagle, black and booted eagles, black harrier) to southern grey tit and, near the water, black-winged stilts. Skim the dam aboard the Peregrine to watch the animals and 40-plus bird species that visit the dam. Children will enjoy the kids' club and its lively game-ranger teachers.
he Kids on Safari programme is brilliant! Scorpion hunts by torchlight, rock art workshops, a skull garden trail and storytelling around the fire - the kind of stuff that turns little ones into lifelong wildlife enthusiasts!
Grab a window seat on the upper level if you can. The balcony views over the dam and plains are superb, and on cooler evenings you'll often spot wildlife coming down to drink.
It's the biggest lodge on the reserve, so the atmosphere is livelier than at Dwyka or Tilney - great for sociable families, but not necessarily the place for a quiet escape.
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Out-of-time and off-the-map allure abound in this stretch of mountain-flanked semi-desert.
