So from Oudtshoorn it was onto the Eastern Cape and a safari at Kichaka Safari Lodge, just outside Grahamstown on the Lalibela Reserve. With time to spare, I thought, having never visited East London before, I would stop by and see what the Buffalo City had to offer. Well the answer is a simple nothing. East London Tourism would probably disagree, but this has to be one of South Africa’s ugliest coastal cities – one of those places you definitely need to be born in to appreciate. With not much happening, we headed up the Wild Coast, and I must confess if like me you enjoy rugged un-spoilt beaches them this section of coast line is well worth a visit.
With much excitement it was back to Grahamstown and onto Kichaka Lodge for our two day safari. This was probably one of the most interesting safari experiences I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying, and was pleasantly surprised by what Kichaka had on offer. Unfortunately the weather didn’t quite play ball, although the electric storm we experienced was something to behold.
I generally evaluate lodges on four criterions, that I believe make up the ultimate safari experience – The Lodge itself, food and wine, the ranger team, and the game viewing experience.
The Lodge itself is almost faultless, but what really stood out to me about Kichaka was its people. It is quite apparent that the owner Tim has looking beyond a bricks and mortar investment and spared no expense in ensuring that the overall experience really is five star. From hosts Jason, Megan, and Charne to Keith the general manager, one could not ask for a more professional team to take care of your every need.
The public areas are grand and well planned, creating a wonderful relaxing setting, be it for breakfast, lunch or afternoon cocktails. The rooms are private spacious, well appointed with spacious decks and private plunge pools. If like you looking to get away from it all, this is the ideal place, and you’ll never want to leave the rooms. The beds are almost the size of a football field, and without a doubt the most comfortable I have ever experienced in all my travels.
The food and wine too was exceptional, and having dinned at almost every top hotel, lodge and restaurant in Southern Africa, I would certainly rank Kichaka’s chefs up there. In fact we had the pleasure of dinning with two Swedish couples, who travel the world with one criterion – food and wine – and they were particularly impressed with both the food, wine and dinning service at Kichaka.
And then there are the rangers. These are the guys who in my opinion and experience make or break a safari. Fortunately Chris, Daryl, and François make one formidable team. Having been on more game drives than I can remember, very few rangers have made an impression, but these guys were exceptional, and I’d go as far as recommending Kichaka on there Ranger Team alone.
If there was going to be something to fault this beautiful property on it would be the game experience and land management. One needs to take into consideration that the weather was certainly not at its best, which severely affected our game drives, and while we had excellent rhino, elephants and Lion sightings, I found the general lack of plains game a little disconcerting. Lalibela is restored farm land, and while I understand the politics, the land needs some work, least of which the removal of hectares worth of alien vegetation. On that note, Tim has given us the assurance that this is indeed underway and we look forward to following the progress.
All in all I was very impressed by Kichaka, and if you are a first time safari goer, or looking for a malaria free safari option, I would highly recommend Kichaka as an include on your South African itinerary. Speak to your Rhino Africa consultant about adding Kichaka to your Garden Route itinerary.