Taking our children on safari was something we had been wanting to do for a long time. In fact, going on safari was one of the biggest motivations for turning Joe’s work trip into a family trip. Since we’d be driving the Garden Route from East London, we wanted to do safari on South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Kariega Game Reserve was highly recommended to us. It was only a 2-hour drive from East London and close to the start of the Garden Route.
Located on the South Africa’s Eastern Cape, Kariega Game Reserve is a private safari reserve easily accessible along the Garden Route. The reserve is huge, with over 11,000 hectares of wilderness, including 2 rivers. It is a dreamy place where the stars shine bright at night and wildlife roam free everywhere. An added benefit is that the Eastern Cape is malaria free, so one less thing to worry about when trip planning!
Here are some details about our 3-night stay at Kariega Game Reserve:
Getting There
We drove to Kariega from Crawfords Beach Resort. About a half hour before arriving to the reserve we stopped at Kenton-On-Sea for coffee and snacks. I really loved this little town’s main street lined with cafes and cute shops. We went to Mn Coffee and picked up some delicious pastries, a couple of date balls, and a pack of craft gummy balls. The date balls were super nice to have for the early game drives! We enjoyed this stop so much that we went there again on our way out of Kariega!
Check-in instructions for Kariega said to arrive between 1-2pm if possible. Arriving at this time would allow us to eat lunch at the lodge, and join an afternoon game drive. We arrived at around 1pm, checked in, and met the person we’d be the drives for our entire stay. After we settled into our beautiful private lodge, we headed to lunch. Afterwards we rested for about an hour before being picked up to head out on our first game drive!
Game Drives
During our 3-night stay we went on six game drives in total, and saw four of the Big Five. Of course, we also saw a lot of other animals in addition to those four! Every day there was a morning game drive. Our driver picked us up at 6am, and then dropped us off at the main lodge around 9am for breakfast. During the game drives we explored different areas. Our driver always asked us if there were any animals we really wanted to see, and he always tried to find them! When the weather was nice, we stopped at a scenic spot a couple of hours into the drive for coffee, tea, and snacks, which was really perfect!
In the afternoon, the drives started at 4pm, and also lasted about 3 hours. Like in the morning, towards the end of the drive, we stopped at a scenic spot to enjoy a glass of wine, or a beer, along with some tasty local snacks. Afterwards we were dropped off at the main lodge for dinner.
If you want, you can swap one of your drives for a night drive. We did that, and we totally recommend it! On our last full day in Kariega we decided to do a night drive. We swapped it for the morning drive on the day we left. Being out at night in the bush was an incredible experience! The stars were probably the brightest we’ve ever seen! Joe thinks Death Valley stars might have been better, but I disagree. At different times during the drive, we stopped to absorb the stillness of this wild place! It was incredible!
The highlight of the night drive? Seeing two male lions work as a team to catch a baby impala! It was a moment we’ll never forget!
During our time at Kariega we had a couple of rainy drives. Fortunately, it was not a problem at all because we were provided with heavy duty rain ponchos, so the rain was never a problem! We also had thick blankets in case we got cold, so we were always comfortable, regardless of the weather
Lodge Facilities And Food
Kariega Game Reserve was the perfect place for us to experience safari during our trip in South Africa! The lodge’s facilities were beautiful and luxurious! The main space was modern, but also warm and inviting. I loved the spaces dedicated to hanging out by the fire, and the big windows from where you could spot wildlife in the distance. They also had a gym, a kids’ club and a beautiful swimming pool.
Our lodge was so luxurious too! We were surprised with our own private pool, which was super exciting for the kids! The space was huge and very comfortable. We didn’t spend much time in our own lodge because we were just busy having fun, but the time we had there was perfect! They also provided us with a water jug, and gave each of us a reusable glass bottle. A perfect souvenir!
There is a spa onsite. I booked a facial there and thoroughly enjoyed it!
We all loved the food at Kariega! They served the most scrumptious spreads with options for everyone! I took the approach of eating all the food at each meal so I’d be powered until the next one. They served fresh juices with every meal, and the most beautiful desserts as well. They also had a kids’ menu, but we never even looked at it because our kids eat basically anything, and the buffet had plenty of options to keep them happy!
Also, like I said, an added bonus was that the Eastern Cape of South Africa is malaria free, so we didn’t have to worry about that at all!
Final Thoughts
I am so happy we chose Kariega Game Reserve for our Eastern Cape Safari experience! We loved every aspect of our time there, including the food, accommodations, the staff, our driver/guide, and the amazing experiences we had. Also, we feel like we got luxury without really breaking the bank, which is always a plus!
I really liked that they made our kids’ experience very special by giving them a junior ranger program that involved identifying leaves, spotting animals, and even collecting rhinoceros droppings! At the end, once they completed all activities, they received a certificate. Going on safari is such an educational experience for both kids and adults, so we appreciated the emphasis on that!
Finally, I loved that our experience during the game drives felt very ethical and respectful of the animals. I never felt like we were chasing wildlife, or encroaching on them. We always maintained a good distance, unless the animals willingly approached the vehicle, and we were asked to never call animals and to be respectful of them.
Want to learn more about our time in South Africa? Check out this post. To read more about our travels, click here.
