Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve by Newmark

This venue exceeded our expectations ! Wow! Elegant luxury, attentive but not intrusive, friendly staff. Excellent honeymoon venue. 3-hour Game drives (optional) dawn and late afternoon. Each meal was a delight. For tourists wanting to tick off wildlife and see big herds, this is not the best option as the Karoo landscape doesn’t sustain big numbers of animals BUT for an amazing and dramatic landscape, tranquility and unrivalled hospitality we could not recommend better than Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve!

We booked for the 'best of both' package deal. We spent two nights in the lodge (not the main one which is where we took meals but one that is about 300m away down a well-lit pathway). Then we spent our third night up in the pod which is an absolute must. Both the lodges have swimming pools, and luxurious beds and typically luxurious lodge furnishing. For the pod experience you get taken up to the pod with your meals and dropped off for the night. There's a glorious wood-burning hot tub, unbelievable views, and a sky so full of stars it will take your breath away. We didn't see any animals besides impala from the pod but the night air was full of lions roaring and baboons barking. The food is excellent and all local alcohol is included. Also included are two game drives a day. We saw lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and all manner of buck. Our ranger was Charl, and he is incredibly knowledgeable about not only animals but also birds and plants. He was really great. To be fair, all the staff are great - Nthabiseng communicated with us throughout and made sure that my vegetarian request was attended to. Highly recommend - if you're looking for a spot for an indulgent get away... this is it.

We stayed in Camdeboo Manor for 2 nights during which time we were the only guests in the whole estate, this gave me the opportunity to look at the other options. Courtyard Manor, Hillside, Peppertree and the Pods....the pods were very luxurious given their location but I think we made the right choice. The room and manor as a whole was gorgeous, spotlessly clean and very well equipped. The gardens were just a please to relax in. The staff were all so freindly and the food was very good. If you're going to Camdeboo for Game Drives you could be dissapointed as there is a lack of sightings but they are there. What made the drive special for us was the scenery which was beautiful ....and how elephants can climb up the steep hillsides I will never know.