The title says it all. Kichaka has quality throughout and quality in abundance.
I was fortunate enough to make my way there as part of an incessant ramble down the Garden Route with partner. And what a welcome awaited us! I left my car at reception and that was the last I saw of it for a few days as our ranger Reynardt ferried us to the lodge through the Big Five Game Reserve. It was the beginning of a great Safari.
We were greeted at the lodge with a fruit cocktail and by the lodge manager Jason, who seemed all too happy to cater for our every need. We were escorted to Aloe, one of only 10 thatched rooms within the lodge, that was to be our home for the next few days. The room was breathtaking – king-size bed opening up onto a plush sitting area with complimentary mini-bar, and a polished wooden feel adding to an air of elegance throughout. The en-suite bathroom had a heavenly shower, an oversized bathtub that could probably accommodate a family of Bushmen, heated towel rails and double wash basins. And to cap it all off, each room opens onto a private deck with a table and chairs facing the virgin bush of the Eastern Cape, and a heated plunge pool where you can soak in during the day.
It was refined luxury in the heart of the African bush and it was special – and we both knew it.
We emerged for lunch – set on the wooden deck overlooking the swimming pool which spills almost seamlessly into the hippo waterhole below. No hippos were to be seen, but three rather unperturbed giraffes and a small herd of elephants decided to join us for a glass of white wine and light lunch! They stumbled back into the bush afterwards and shortly after lunch, afternoon tea was served – a decadent selection of cakes, pastries and treats which were rather hard to refuse.
And before we knew it, we were off on our first game drive in the 7,500 hectare Lalibela Game Reserve. All the drives were excellent and Reynardt was a fantastic ranger who seemed almost more enthusiastic about the wldlife than we were! The highlights of our game viewing included seeing all 4 cheetahs in the reserve, and watching the mother teaching her cubs to hunt, only for them to scare off a variety of plains game! A family of elephants, with some incredibly cute little uns, were another attraction, as was a white rhino and her calf. Throw in giraffe, zebra, blesbok, wildebeest, eland, warthog, countless impala, duiker, red hartebeest, kudu, countless birds and even a baby puffadder on the way out! And we came very close to seeing lion at night. Not half-bad for a few days on Safari me thinks.
After the morning and evening game drives we were treated to a veritable feast in the restaurant, from a full English breakfast and steaming filter coffee to tender Kudu fillet doused in a pepper sauce, complimented by some great South African vintages. The roaring fire kept us cosy at night and we caught some sun beside the waterhole during the day or just relaxed in our ludicrously luxurious room.
But what made the difference was the attention to detail. As mentioned our ranger was fantastic throughout and Jason and Megan, the two lodge managers, saw to our every need with genuine warmth and smiles so often missing from the hospitality industry. Gabi, the Sales and Marketing Manager, welcomed us with open arms and everyone went out of their way to ensure our stay was a pleasure.
And they certainly succeeded. Our time at Kichaka was nothing but a true pleasure.
Keen on Kichaka? Contact us to plan your Safari here or elsewhere in Africa!