A luxury ‘Big Five’ safari at Inverdoorn at their Private Game Reserve in the Klein Karoo, just 2,5 hours from Cape Town.
The Karoo is already one of our favourite places in South Africa, so adding in some wildlife at Inverdoorn Safari is just the cherry on top for us.
Inverdoorn is 60 kms outside of Ceres and right in the heart of the Tankwa Karoo. Think endless views of rust-coloured wilderness as far as the eye can see, broken only by the dusty mountains and blood orange sunsets across the horizon. Now, add luxurious pools, succulent gardens and wildlife. JUST WOW!!!
Inverdoorn makes up 10 000 hectares of this flat Karoo veld land, all dedicated to the conservation and growth of threatened wildlife. Their purpose is different from that of the bigger National Parks, like that of Kruger where their main aim is to allow animals to be wild and exist naturally (without human intervention). Here’s a little explanation on what we mean:
Are Inverdoorn’s animals wild?
We believe it’s always good to know what to expect when visiting a game park, to avoid disappointment as well as to appreciate a place for its own unique wonder. Kruger in South Africa, or the Serengeti in Tanzania are examples of incredible places to see WILD animals, in their natural habitat, roaming free, hunting, mating and all those “Lion King”/ “circle of life” miracles that are quite life-changing to witness.
Inverdoorn to us is an example of a “conservation safari” that allows you to view wildlife that perhaps is not as “wild”, but equally as meaningful. If you were expecting to see “animals in the wild”, then this may be slightly underwhelming. If you’ve come from overseas or your dream is to see true authentic wildlife – then our first instinct would be to recommend you to the two options in the paragraph above.
So now that we’ve managed your expectations on “African Safaris” (we’re really passionate about these types of holidays), we would love to tell you why Inverdoorn is an incredible place to view wildlife – and for what reasons we believe they are truly and uniquely wonderful:
The Inverdoorn Safari Experience
Inverdoorn’s animals may not all be truly wild, but they are saved, rescued, rehabilitated as well as simply just retired :). So if seeing an animal in the wild warms your heart, then your heart is going to explode seeing a rescued animal roaming free in 10 000 hectares of open land.
If you want to know all the facts of what they do you can visit their website, but here’s a few of our favourite stories from our stay.
We learnt that their lions were rescued from ‘Canned Hunting‘ (lions bred in cages or confined spaces to be trophy hunted without a “fair chase”). Due to their life spent in captivity, they do not know how to survive in the wild and when released, often engage in surplus hunting (excessive killing where predators kill for fun, or to simply eat the best parts of each animal).
These lions have had their claws removed by their breeders, making complete rehabilitation almost impossible in their case. When we drove up to Inverdoorn’s two old rescued lions, they were lying happily under a tree, in their own fenced off area of the reserve. Inverdoorn has provided a space for them to simply ‘retire in nature’ after a life lived in cruel captivity. So sweet!!
Another sweet story from our trip is learning of the one of two elephants they have wandering through Inverdoorn. This elephant was once a movie star featured in South Africa’s popular Leon Schuster movies. He was rescued from a life lived to serve humans and is now trekking through the Klein Karoo.
Lastly, Inverdoorn is home to the Cheetah Conservation. On our last morning we were taken on a game drive through the conservation area with one of the main conservationists. He told us about their entire programme and of how they have successfully released seven cheetahs into the wild already. This game drive was incredible, because not only did we get to view cheetahs in the morning’s golden light, but we got to learn so much about this beautiful cat from a true expert.
The other guests..
As locals from Cape Town, we noticed that we were the only non-international guests during our stay.
All the guests who stay in the Ambassador chalets are put together in one safari vehicle for all the game drives, and we loved chatting/ eavesdropping on the group of young American travellers with whom we shared our safari experience.
There is something SO humbling about experiencing a local attraction with someone from a completely different continent. They almost jumped on top of us when they saw a Zebra for the first time, they squealed to their families on FaceTime about the gravel roads they had to drive to reach Inverdoorn and they nearly cried when they heard about the rhino situation in Africa while seeing a baby rhino for the first time in all its adorable glory. Their reactions to the wildlife, the Karoo sunsets, the stars at night … all of it just made us so happy, and proud to be African.
The Lodge
Wildlife aside, we would recommend Inverdoorn just because of how beautiful their 5 star lodge is. A romantic escape away from society, with all the spoils!!
We stayed in one of their Chalets which was just stunning!! White gowns, huge rainwater showers, incredible views over the Karoo… all the things !!
Right outside our room is a pool that looks out over the Karoo – a sunrise view that will make you cry (not joking)! This pool is for guests only and is never crowded – which we love!
The food is absolutely to die for at Inverdoorn and a massive highlight during our stay. Between the chalets, two pools and the dining lapas you will find endless birdlife, local tortoises and the most insane garden of succulents. The greenery and flowers really amazed us, being in the dry dusty Karoo. It really feels like you’ve arrived in a lush oasis in the middle of a desert.
Our tips for your luxury Big Five Safari at Inverdoorn
- Before your morning game drive, go view the sunrise with some coffee in front of the ambassador chalets.
- Take an extra blanket to cuddle up with on your sunset game drive.
- Step outside or on to your roof before you go to bed to look at the stars.
- Check in as early as you can to make the most of your time there!
View our stay at their neighbouring Big Five Safari Game Reserve just 40 minutes away >> Aquila Private Game Reserve.
