ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE COURTESY SANBONA GONDWANA FAMILY LODGE
Location, location: One of three
lodges sharing a 54 000 hectare reserve in
the Klein Karoo, a three-hour drive from
Cape Town. Family nosh: You won’t go hungry
at Gondwana, with three generous
meals a day served in the airy lodge
restaurant. While the main (read: adult)
menu changes daily, the children’s menu
remains the same. That’s no hardship,
though, with a kid-friendly mix of pizza,
pasta and grills on offer. The ever-friendly
staff are also happy to make menu
changes as needed.
Creature comforts: A major revamp
of Gondwana Family Lodge has added a
new sense of style to this family-focused
destination. The dozen rooms have been
revived with new carpets, bedding and
décor. Each room can accommodate
one child on a spacious sleeper couch,
but larger groups, or those who prefer
additional privacy, should opt for one of
the four pairs of interleading rooms. What to do? The twice-daily game drives
are a highlight, with highly qualified guides
taking guests on 4x4 drives into the
expansive Big Five reserve – but be aware
that most game drives last around three
hours. Understandably, children under
four years old are not allowed on game
drives. The lodge boasts a large, sparkling
swimming pool (with a shallow area for
younger swimmers) and a small kids’
SANBONA WILDLIFE RESERVE,
GONDWANA FAMILY LODGE
Best for… A long weekend of quality
family time.
“The lodge boasts a large,
sparkling swimming pool…
But the best fun is the
Klein Karoo classroom,
an outdoor gallery of
spoor and skulls for
kids to explore.”
club. But the best fun is the Klein Karoo
classroom, an outdoor gallery of spoor
and skulls for kids to explore. Stargazing is
offered on request.
Kids will remember… The colourful
Sanbona backpack and sun hat that all
kids receive as a gift to take home. And
the dung-collecting activity books!
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE // 53