A safari experience is only a few hours drive from Cape Town. There are several options to choose from but we opted for a two night experience at Inverdoorn Game Reserve in the Karoo which was about a three hour drive from Cape Town.
We were given clear instructions how to get Inverdoorn and the route was not complicated. The drive through the mountains was the highlight and we saw baboons on the side of the road. The final twenty minutes is along a bumpy track but a 4wd car is not required. The reserve itself is vast and the accommodation is like an oasis in the middle of nowhere just outside of the reserve. There is a reception, a pool, restaurant, a small souvenir shop and areas to relax while you wait for your next game drive. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and experience here. It is very well run, accommodation was comfortable and the staff very friendly. We had a drink offered to us on arrival which was a nice touch. The buffet meals were included in the price and there was a good selection of food on offer. There was also a fine selection of wine, this was extra, but very affordable unless you went for posh.
Inverdoorn focuses on conservation and the rehabilitation of animals. So the lions are kept in a separate [very large] reserve away from the zebras and other animals in order that they do not eat what we have come to see! Rhino’s have their horns removed so they won’t be targeted by poachers. They also have a cheetah rehabilitation programme, teaching cheetahs that have been in captivity how to hunt. It’s sad that this is necessary but it is clearly essential in order to preserve the very wildlife that humans continue to threaten. Our two nights here meant that we had four game drives to look forward to and we were not disappointed.
Of the ‘big five’, we had close encounters with four of them- lions, rhinos, elephants and buffalo. We also saw plenty of zebras, springboks, hippos, ostriches, flamingos and more.
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