Top team leads the way at Samara

To get to Samara head north from Gqeberha on the R75. 

Ten minutes past Kariega and you’re into the Karoo and the vervet monkeys will be there on the side of the road to welcome you.

We stopped off at the Ark Farmstall in Jansenville, which is on the left as you enter town, and enjoyed super-friendly service and filter coffee.

Twenty kilometres this side of Graaff-Reinet you turn right onto the R63 to Pearston, and then after a couple of kilometres left onto a signposted dirt road to Samara Karoo Reserve.

From there it’s about 15km to reception.

Driving slowly and stopping like we did, the trip took us four hours (but most people, as my sons would tell you, would take an hour less).

Having checked in at reception, we parked our car and hopped onto a game drive vehicle for the drive across to Plains Camp.

Our ranger Roelof Wiesner was not only knowledgeable, but seemed as delighted by what he was showing us as we were, which was a great pleasure.

Tracker Rowin Benade, son of Pokkie Benade, arguably SA’s greatest tracker, was sharp-eyed and soft-spoken.

Senior ranger and anti-poaching head Jan Dunn, who led our walks in the veld, showed us how to keep the sun in the eyes of the animal we were stalking, and how the plants and animals were all linked in a circle of life.

The first night we were sitting in the boma and I had my feet stretched out to the fire, when the soles of my boots suddenly popped loose and started unpeeling.

Having tramped many kilometres over many years, they had obviously decided enough was enough and the heat of the flames melted what was left of the glue holding on the soles.

I operated the next few days in my Crocs which looked silly but worked fine, and Plains Camp manager Sascha Delport did what he could, out in the middle of nowhere, and in the short time I had left, to get them fixed.

In the end, we had to leave before this was accomplished — but thank you for trying, Sascha.

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