FIND YOURSELF - ECO-ACTIVE™
The Wild Ride - Sanbona Karoo Reserve - 2 Day Trip
Schedule - Day 1
Sanbona Wildlife Reserve spans a mammoth 54,000
hectares, making it the largest privately owned reserve in the Western
Cape and a beacon of conservation within the region. The
arid, semi-desert environment has fostered incredible biodiversity –
from plant species, through mammals, birds, reptiles and insects – as
they have amazingly adapted to the demanding climate and carved an
ecological niche in this haunting landscape.
Sanbona is a Big Five Reserve, but
with its Bushmen rock art, breathtaking vistas and unique, haunting
landscapes, it offers so much more.
Sanbona is home to three lodges, the colonial-style Tilney Manor, the earthy Gondwana and the stunning tented camp of Dwyka, each offering supreme luxury in the heart of the bush - click here for more information.
NB: Walking & Cycling activities on this trip take place mainly in the southern section of the reserve, where there are no predators and big game, so your safety is assured. A ranger is with you every step of the way and there is a back-up vehicle on standby. It is a unique wildlife experience, exclusive to Bike & Saddle and Mantis.
First Day:
Bike & Saddle's Wild Ride, 2-day Eco-Active Excursion departs 8am from the Dock House, Portswood Square, V&A Waterfront (follow the link for a Google Map and directions), after an orientation with your trip guides. The event offers guests the opportunity to meet Mantis Group representatives and have a small breakfast served by The Dock House kitchen, before departing on their overnight visit to Sanbona with Bike & Saddle Eco-Active Holidays!
The drive to Sanbona takes us through spectacular countryside and we stop at least twice to savor the roadside offerings.
We cycle in to Tilney Lodge (27km) from the R62 turn-off to Sanbona and arrive just in time for a sumptious lunch. Hereafter everyone has a chance to unpack and relax before our San Cave Trail Walk. The walk takes us to 7 caves in the area where the San people left some of their most intriguing art work in the Klein Karoo.
The evening we gather in the boma for a wonderful traditional bufet style dinner, before we get ready for our astronomy talk and stargazing under the clear Karoo skies. Close to midnight we say a last farewell to the day with a shot of apple liquer from the Montagu region.
Schedule - Day 2
We gather at 5am for an early morning coffee and croissant before departing on our 2nd bicycle ride on the visit to Sanbona.
The Trail:
Guests congregate at Tilney Manor,
as the sun begins to rise in spectacular fashion. After a short
briefing and safety check, an expert ranger leads the the descent into
the valley, with the Warmwaterberg peaks towering above. The various
vegetation types are noticeable and your ranger will stop to explain
such features and answer any questions you may have.
As one climbs out of the dry riverbeds, the sight of the impressive Leopard Gorge cutting its way through the Warmwatersberg takes one's breath away, a
sanctuary for the Cape Leopards that thrive in this region. The
vegetation soon begins to change as Renosterveld becomes dominant -
this is one of the richest ecosystems in the world with extraordinary
bulb diversity.
Before the climb to the Staging Post, we
pass three dams in the basin of the valley, a great opportunity to spot
wildlife as the scarce water attracts game such as Gemsbok, Duiker,
Steenbok, Ostrich, Zebra and Springbok. Once we reach the Staging Post,
the vistas are truly spectacular. The sense of space and scale of the
Karoo is best seen from these heights and the peaks of the Langeberg
Mountain range melt away into the horizon to the south.
The journey westwards through the hills along Khanni Pass provides an excellent opportunity for birdwatching with some of the
elusive endemics that grace the reserve. Species such as Southern Black
Korhaan, Cape Clapper Lark, Karoo Lark, Karoo Long-billed Lark and
Black Harrier can be seen, and many of them would reward a birdwatcher
with a new species for their life list.
Once past Khanni Lodge
the vegetation starts changing again as the drainage lines develop into
the dry river systems fringed with Acacia trees. The Great Wall of Sanbona is an impressive landmark and a fitting close to the route
through the reserve. This rock shows the power of geological patterns
where the sedimentary rock laid down over thousands of years has been
bent and folded through extreme pressures in the earth's crust so that
it now runs for kilometers vertically though the reserve.
The
beauty and splendour of Sanbona is experienced throughout the cycle and
one cannot help but be overawed by the sheer majesty of the geological
formations, the rich fossil beds, the implements and rock art left
behind by Africa’s First People, the spectacular and diverse vegetation
that support the incredible diversity of animal life and the sheer
majesty of size, space and quiet speak directly to the soul.
See the Google Map of the route.
We arrive back at our lodge in time for a hearty breakfast and at 11am we gather for our scheduled Game Drive.
Just after lunch, we depart for Cape Town and we stop near Roberston for our last bike ride of the trip. We cycle lush vinyards and farms of spectacular beauty - and cap it off with a wonderful wine tasting at one of South Africa's oldest wine farms.
We arrive back at the V&A Waterfront around 8pm.
This is the dream of Sanbona realized; this is your opportunity to share in a world far too long forgotten.
