As Route 62 — the popular inland tourist route that runs from Paarl to Oudtshoorn — wends its way through lush valleys of trellised vineyards and orderly orchards, perhaps the last thing you expect to encounter is a wildlife sanctuary boasting elephant, lion and leopard deep in the Klein Karoo.

The wide flat valleys of Sanbona Wildlife Reserve might be over a thousand kilometres from the bushveld game farms of Mpumalanga, but free-roaming antelope, herds of elephant, a pride of cheetah and even white lion are once again a common sight on the plains beneath the Warmwaterberge.

It all dates back to the 60s — 1969 to be precise — when the massive earthquake that destroyed Tulbagh shifted the tectonic plates beneath the Karoo plains, effectively turning off the tap from the underground springs that allowed fruit farms to thrive this far into the arid Karoo.

As the fruit farms died off, Adrian Gardiner (he of Shamwari fame) saw an opportunity to restore the land to the way it would have been hundreds of years ago, when the nomadic San tribes lived off a land brimming with wildlife. Indeed, the very name of the reserve is testament to the original people who thrived here before settlers drove them to extinction.

After buying up over a dozen of the failing fruit farms and pouring millions into rehabilitating and restocking the land, Gardiner has created the country's largest private game reserve, with over 54 000 hectares of pristine Karoo landscape under conservation. Just how big is 54 000 hectares, you ask? Well, when you're sitting in the open-top game viewing Land Rover, eyes scanning the horizon for elephant, it's basically as far as you can see in every direction.

Game viewing is the reason most people visit Sanbona, and the reserve boasts the Big Five and more besides. While the chance to see free-roaming (not in bomas, as you'll find at many other so-called 'Big Five' reserves in the Cape) cheetah, lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo, hyena, wild dog and almost every antelope under the sun is certainly a major draw-card, the sheer size of the reserve means that a game-drive at Sanbona isn't the 'identity parade' of the northern reserves, where half a dozen vehicles compete to tick off the major sightings in the space of a few hours.

At Sanbona, the animals compete with the otherworldly landscape for your attention, and the real attraction is the chance to have a huge tract of unique Karoo almost entirely to yourself. From horizon to horizon you're unlikely to spot a single vehicle other than your own.

And if the animals are keeping a low profile, the highly-trained game rangers do a great job of bringing the Karoo to life, pointing out the intricate ecosystems and smaller species that often go unnoticed.

The perfect place to get away from it all

Getting back to nature is just half the pleasure of a stay at Sanbona though, and Tilney Manor, the main lodge in the reserve, is the perfect place to get away from it all for a few days. Each of the six suites boasts a private veranda with unobstructed views over the reserve, outdoor showers for hot summer days and cosy fireplaces for those chilly Karoo nights.

The Cape Georgian decor, inspired by the original owner of the farmhouse, draws on the natural tones of the sandstone hills and unique Karoo vegetation, with subtle elements of San culture making a refreshing change from the Africana and animal prints that seem to be the stock decor of most safari lodges. Still not feeling relaxed? The fully-equipped spa offers a range of treatments for you to recover from the rigours of the outside world.

Sanbona's second lodge, Khanni, is named after the San word for Eland - the antelope revered by the nomads as the ruler of the animal kingdom. Tucked away in a secluded valley on the other side of the reserve, Khanni Lodge is an idyllic Klein Karoo summer house, with wrap-around verandas, high lime-washed ceilings and exposed beams providing the perfect place to escape the searing summer heat.

From the verandah and rim-flow swimming pool guests can keep an eye out for animals visiting the watering hole to drink, and the private verandas of the lodge's four spacious suites offer fantastic views of the surrounding landscape.

When you're not out on a game drive, relaxing by the pool or enjoying lunch on the patio, the most popular way to while away the hours is to simply sit back and soak up the views. If you're the energetic type, one of the ever-helpful rangers will be on hand to take you on a walk through the reserve or on a bird-watching excursion.

Despite the arid landscape, the Karoo is a great spot for birding, and with over 160 species recorded on the reserve it's a real twitcher's paradise. Given the area's rich San heritage, it's no surprise that Sanbona also boasts a number of impressive rock art sites, several of which are visited on one of the two daily drives through the reserve.

One of the joys of a stay in the Karoo is marvelling at the crystal clear night skies, so after dinner — a five-course affair served al fresco on warm summer evenings — resist the lure of the fireplace or another glass of wine and pull a chair up to the lodge telescope for an awesome view of the Milky Way, unchanged since the days when nomadic San roamed these plains.

And that’s just what the team at Sanbona are hoping to replicate on the ground; restoring this vast section of the Little Karoo to the way it would have looked before farming and development took its toll. With such an enormous area under conservation, spotting all of Sanbona's animal attractions is by no means guaranteed, but at just a few hours from Cape Town Sanbona Wildlife Reserve is without doubt the most authentic game-viewing experience in the Western Cape, with the added benefit of an awesome landscape to boot.

    For more info...
  • To find out more about Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, visit www.sanbona.com or call (028) 572 1365.
  • Sanbona is a member of the renowned Mantis Collection which operates lodges and hotels throughout South Africa.