Samara Karoo Reserve

Samara Karoo Reserve A leader in luxury conservation-driven tourism in the heart of South Africa’s breathtaking Great Karoo region.

Three authentic lodges welcome guests for considered, meaningful and exceptional safari encounters. Award-winning Samara Karoo Reserve is one of South Africa’s most diverse safari destinations, comprising five vegetation biomes across strikingly varied topography, home to over 60 mammal species including the Big Five and cheetah, as well as 225 bird species.

What an honour to be named as one of renowned travel journalist Brian Jackman’s seven favourite safari camps. At 91 year...
10/06/2026

What an honour to be named as one of renowned travel journalist Brian Jackman’s seven favourite safari camps. At 91 years old and with fifty years in the industry under his belt, the Africa travel veteran’s knowledge on where to go is second to none.

It was our rewilding ethos that first drew Brian to Samara, and especially our lion reintroduction in 2019. Brian is, by his own admission, a lion addict, seeing these most iconic of Big Cats as symbols of the state of African conservation.

In his own words: “Samara is a born-again big-five wilderness of burning plains and lonely mountains that is unlike anywhere else in Africa. The last lions had been two centuries ago, but they brought them back and now those desolate valleys roar again with a sound that hasn’t been heard for 200 years.”

Read the full, fascinating account of Brian’s career and his latest book in The Times and The Sunday Times article: https://www.thetimes.com/travel/inspiration/ive-been-a-safari-expert-for-50-years-heres-how-africa-has-changed-285j28vvf



Images: Roelof Wiesner

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Samara is on a journey to regenerate South Africa's semi-arid Great Karoo region through rewilding and responsible tourism. As a member of The Long Run, Samara strives to achieve a holistic balance of the “4Cs”: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Staying at one of Samara's lodges acts as a direct contribution to this vision | www.samara.co.za |

Whether you’re celebrating your honeymoon or simply escaping the rush of everyday life, a safari is the perfect getaway ...
09/06/2026

Whether you’re celebrating your honeymoon or simply escaping the rush of everyday life, a safari is the perfect getaway à deux.

At Samara, you can choose your own pace. Slow mornings with coffee in hand, or an early start to spot wildlife?

Bush walks side-by-side, or a relaxing couples’ massage?

Wine tasting for two in the comfort of your lodge, or an adventurous night in the star bed?

Even the simplest moments feel romanticised here. Learn more about the full Samara experience: samara.co.za/experiences



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Samara is on a journey to regenerate South Africa's semi-arid Great Karoo region through rewilding and responsible tourism. As a member of The Long Run, Samara strives to achieve a holistic balance of the “4Cs”: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Staying at one of Samara's lodges acts as a direct contribution to this vision | www.samara.co.za |

With the cooler months upon us, game drives and safari walks turn into all-day opportunities to seek out Samara’s treasu...
05/06/2026

With the cooler months upon us, game drives and safari walks turn into all-day opportunities to seek out Samara’s treasures.

Venture out on a game drive after breakfast, stretch your legs on a walking safari and enjoy exceptional viewing of iconic Karoo species like cheetah, blue crane and aardvark.

Spend a leisurely afternoon enjoying a spa treatment and sweet treats at tea-time, before making most of the afternoon light for photography.

As night falls, gather around a crackling fire beneath a winter sky filled with stars so brilliant they seem within reach.



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Samara is on a journey to regenerate South Africa's semi-arid Great Karoo region through rewilding and responsible tourism. As a member of The Long Run, Samara strives to achieve a holistic balance of the “4Cs”: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Staying at one of Samara's lodges acts as a direct contribution to this vision | www.samara.co.za |

Golden, creamy and utterly indulgent. The Samara chefs share their mouthwatering Farm-Style Eggs Benedict recipe — perfe...
03/06/2026

Golden, creamy and utterly indulgent. The Samara chefs share their mouthwatering Farm-Style Eggs Benedict recipe — perfect for a slow morning breakfast or brunch at home. Save this one for your next weekend spread.

Farm-Style Eggs Benedict – 30 minutes – SERVES ONE

Ingredients:
- Bread of choice (sliced & toasted)
- Crispy streaky bacon
- Avocado pulp (smashed avocado with lemon, salt & pepper)
- Fresh rocket
- 2 poached eggs
- Hollandaise sauce (recipe below)
- Butter
- Salt & pepper to season

Method:
1. Add a bed of fresh rocket to toasted bread.
2. Add a layer of avocado pulp.
3. Top with crispy streaky bacon.
4. Poach two eggs by bringing water to a gentle simmer and adding a splash of white vinegar. Carefully slide the eggs into the water and poach for 3–4 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks remain soft. Lift out gently and place on top of the bacon.
5. Spoon over warm hollandaise sauce.
6. Finish with cracked salt & pepper and micro herbs or edible flowers.

Hollandaise Sauce – 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 egg yolks
- 150g butter (clarified & melted)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt & cayenne pepper

Method:
1. Whisk egg yolks with lemon juice over a bain-marie until slightly thickened.
2. Slowly drizzle in warm butter while whisking continuously.
3. Season to taste.
4. Keep below 65°C to avoid splitting.
5. Spoon over the eggs while warm.



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Samara is on a journey to regenerate South Africa's semi-arid Great Karoo region through rewilding and responsible tourism. As a member of The Long Run, Samara strives to achieve a holistic balance of the “4Cs”: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Staying at one of Samara's lodges acts as a direct contribution to this vision | www.samara.co.za |

One early morning, we set out in search of cheetah — crisp Karoo air flushing our cheeks as the sun peeked over the moun...
01/06/2026

One early morning, we set out in search of cheetah — crisp Karoo air flushing our cheeks as the sun peeked over the mountains.

Not long into our outing, a few heads appeared above the Karoo bossies. There were Mbali and her cubs, perfectly positioned out on the open plain.

We approached on foot to get a little closer, but soon realised Mbali had her eye on a nearby herd of springbok. We climbed back into the vehicle, careful not to blow her cover. She stashed her cubs in a nearby bush before beginning a patient stalk through the vegetation.

Then, suddenly, she burst into motion. Bounding across the plain, the hunt was over within seconds. Moments later, her cubs came racing towards her, ready to feast.

We later approached again on foot and spent close to an hour with the family as the cubs ate, played and climbed all over their mother as she caught her breath after the excitement of the chase.

While sightings like these can be difficult to witness, they are a powerful reminder of the circle of life — and how privileged we are to experience it firsthand here at Samara.

📸: Roelof Wiesner



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Samara is on a journey to regenerate South Africa's semi-arid Great Karoo region through rewilding and responsible tourism. As a member of The Long Run, Samara strives to achieve a holistic balance of the “4Cs”: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Staying at one of Samara's lodges acts as a direct contribution to this vision | www.samara.co.za |

Thank you for the support on our previous post. We have been genuinely touched by the tributes, messages, comments and e...
29/05/2026

Thank you for the support on our previous post. We have been genuinely touched by the tributes, messages, comments and emails. Mark leaves behind a profound legacy. In large part thanks to his and Sarah’s foresight and determination, Samara stands as one of South Africa’s notable conservation success stories — a once-emptied landscape humming with wildlife once more.

Samara has lost its founding father. Mark Tompkins, co-founder of Samara, has died after a remarkable life characterised...
26/05/2026

Samara has lost its founding father. Mark Tompkins, co-founder of Samara, has died after a remarkable life characterised by vision and enterprise.

Born in England, Mark attended Bedford School and the University of Cambridge, where he rowed for Gonville and Caius College and was a member of the Footlights comedy society. After INSEAD Business School, he built a successful career in investment banking, healthcare and property — a trajectory that might have kept a lesser explorer firmly in the boardroom.

But Mark found in his South African wife Sarah a co-conspirator. A trip to the Okavango Delta in the early 1990s lit the spark, and in 1997 the couple turned their gaze to South Africa’s Great Karoo — a semi-arid area once roamed by springbok migrations rivalling the Serengeti in magnitude, largely denuded of wildlife through centuries of domestication.

A single farm for sale announced itself as a beacon of possibility. “We knew it was lunacy”, Mark said. “But we just fell in love with the place.” Flying in a small plane, he traced the ecological corridors between the coast and the Karoo. Those white-knuckle flights crystallized a vision — the restoration of a landscape that had lost its wildness.

Inspired by Sarah’s passion for nature, Mark proceeded to do what few might conceive of, let alone attempt — assembling 11 farms across a little-known but uniquely biodiverse region into a 27,000-ha conservation project of global importance.

A stickler for the scientific method, Mark understood that ambition alone could not restore an ecosystem. Seeking the counsel of expert ecologists, he grounded Samara’s restoration in rigorous science, mapping a credible and defendable path back to wildness.

He also grasped what pure conservation often overlooks — that rewilding without an economic model is a dream with no engine. And so a world-class tourism business was born at Samara, creating local livelihoods and raising the profile of the Karoo.

A man of principle, deeply generous and with an irreverent sense of humour, Mark was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend. He is deeply missed.

22/05/2026

An elephant bull pushes over a tree – totally expected elephant behaviour, right? The interesting twist here is that this tree is an exotic invasive species, a pepper tree, which has colonised much of the Karoo after being introduced from South America.

Samara’s elephants have been observed feeding on, ring-barking and toppling these trees in the river systems in which they are prevalent. In doing so, they perform an important land rehabilitation function that is almost impossible to conduct by hand.

It remains to be seen whether new pepper tree seedlings grow from the elephants’ dung. Anecdotal evidence so far suggests that the elephants’ initial efforts are curbing the pepper tree population.

On this International Day for Biodiversity, this example reminds us of the importance of naturally-occurring species in keeping ecosystems resilient and healthy.



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Samara is on a journey to regenerate South Africa's semi-arid Great Karoo region through rewilding and responsible tourism. As a member of The Long Run, Samara strives to achieve a holistic balance of the “4Cs”: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Staying at one of Samara's lodges acts as a direct contribution to this vision | www.samara.co.za |

Step into stillness at the new Karoo Lodge spa.Warm sunlight streaming in, the scent of botanicals in the air, soft line...
18/05/2026

Step into stillness at the new Karoo Lodge spa.

Warm sunlight streaming in, the scent of botanicals in the air, soft linen and the sounds of the Karoo just beyond the treatment room.

Every restorative treatment invites you to slow down and add another layer of calm to your safari experience.



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Samara is on a journey to regenerate South Africa's semi-arid Great Karoo region through rewilding and responsible tourism. As a member of The Long Run, Samara strives to achieve a holistic balance of the “4Cs”: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Staying at one of Samara's lodges acts as a direct contribution to this vision | www.samara.co.za |

10/05/2026

Motherhood unfolds across daily moments — from fierce protection to loving tenderness. This Mother’s Day, we celebrate mothers of all kinds, including Mother Earth 🌍.



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Samara is on a journey to regenerate South Africa's semi-arid Great Karoo region through rewilding and responsible tourism. As a member of The Long Run, Samara strives to achieve a holistic balance of the “4Cs”: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Staying at one of Samara's lodges acts as a direct contribution to this vision | www.samara.co.za |

Address

Petersburg Road Off The R63 To Pearston
Graaff-Reinet
6280

Telephone

+27499401111

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