The Karoo has always been a place for wanderers. The soles of the nomadic San Bushmen were the first to raise plumes of dust from South Africa's great semi-desert as they trod the sun-baked plains they called 'Garob': dry thirstland.
Living in harmony with the seasons, they followed the rain and the game, inscribing their lives and visions on the walls of overhangs throughout the Western Cape.
To the south and east of the Great Karoo, beneath the basalt cliffs that tower over the expansive Plains of Camdeboo, they followed vast herds of springbok. Herds so great that later settlers said they took days to pass through town, and yet more days for the dust to settle once the buck had moved on in search of greener pastures.
Greener pastures that are few and far between, for searing heat, sun and dust are a fact of life in the Karoo.
"It is a country flooded by sun; lonely, sparse, wind-swept, treeless on the flats for many miles," writes Eve Palmer, whose book 'The Plains of Camdeboo' is perhaps the most evocative history of the Karoo ever written.
Yet the harsh conditions didn't stop settlers and explorers from following in the Bushmen's footsteps. And unfortunately, it wasn't a happy meeting.
The arrival of Europeans inevitably led to clashes over scarce resources, with both sides fearing the other. Colonists and travellers regularly hunted Bushmen in the hills, while "no man journeying across the Karoo, no farmer tending his animals, was ever safe" from the Bushmen's poisoned arrows, writes Palmer.
In the end muskets trumped arrows and today the only evidence you'll find of these ancient people is their mysterious rock art daubed on cave walls in paint of ochre and blood.
However, many travellers came to explore, not exterminate. Some of the 19th century's greatest naturalists wandered through the Plains of Camdeboo, collecting and documenting as they went.
Carl Thunberg, 'the father of Cape Botany'; Andrew Sparrman, the Swedish naturalist; and William Burchell all passed over the Plains which stretch to the horizon around the present-day town of Graaff-Reinet.
Burchell went on to become one of the century's greatest botanists, and in his four-year journey through the Cape he covered 4500 miles and catalogued over 40 000 plants, writes Palmer. Robert Moffat, who would later become father-in-law to one David Livingstone, also passed through in the early 1830s.
They would stop at places like the Melkrivier (Milk River) and Leeufontein (Lion Fountain), to find precious water in the desert. And if they were lucky they would arrive in the rainy season, when the landscape is transformed.
Eve Palmer, whose family have farmed on the Plains of Camdeboo for over 120 years, puts it best: "Within days – hours, it seems – the dust-dry soil is engulfed in succulence, every bare twig covered with leaves, the plains enamelled with flowers, the air filled with scents. The mountains cascade water, the rivers and pools brim over, frogs bellow, birds fill the trees and bees make honey all over the countryside. The great intricate web of Karoo life begins to function once again."
There is without doubt an abundance of life and vitality in the Karoo, yet few things put down roots. It's only the hardy, determined and passionate that can grow a dream, blurred by the shimmering heat, into a reality.
Mark and Sarah Tompkins managed to see through the mirage when they first came to the Plains of Camdeboo in 2000. Wavering above the over-farmed landscape they saw a vision of the Plains restored to how they once were.
"Here moves a steenbok, a springbuck, a lark clapping its wings above us; here are the tracks of an ant-bear in the soil;" writes Palmer. "Red dust and a mottled egg upon it; arrowheads; the smell of rain, karoo bush, wild asparagus; mountains and hills floating in a mirage of water; a white hot sky; the sound of cicadas and wings and wind."
Falling head over heels in love with the Camdeboo, the Tompkins' set about achieving their dream of restoring the land to how it was before settlers arrived.
A land where Sweet Thorn Acacia coloured the land; and grass, not gravel, blanketed the hillside; where herds of antelope roamed the plains, keeping a wary eye out for the cheetah that hide in the shade of a Shepherd's Tree.
"The dream ensued," says Sarah. "Amass enough land to have a self-sustaining eco-system that would carry the game, the herds of antelope that used to inhabit this area and the predators to keep the balance that helps maintain these fragile eco-systems."
And so they began buying up overgrazed farmland and Monkey Valley was the first of 11 farms that would, eight years later, form the 70 000-acre Samara Private Game Reserve. These old Karoo farms were famous for their hospitality to passing travellers and, happily, nothing has changed.
The five-star Karoo Lodge is the heart and soul of Samara Private Game Reserve, where twinkling paraffin lamps welcome you home after an evening game drive out on the Plains.
There are three luxury Lodge Suites in the old homestead, each individually decorated with an Afro-chic collection of antiques, zebra skins, African ceramics and nineteenth-century memorabilia. They all open out onto a deep wrap-around 'stoep' that's simply perfect for long, lazy afternoons gazing over the veld.
A stone's throw from the homestead are three free-standing Karoo Suites which offer the same level of luxury, with the added benefit of a bit more privacy and quirky touches such as an outdoor shower in an old Karoo water tank. Expect a romantic fireplace for those chilly Karoo nights, free-standing Victorian baths to wash away the dust and Yellowwood four-poster beds to lull you to sleep.
The Karoo Suites are without doubt your best bet if you're looking for uninterrupted peace and quiet, as Samara prides itself on being a family-friendly game reserve.
Children of all ages are welcome at the Karoo Lodge, with special activities such as fossil-finding and bug-hunts to keep them entertained between game drives. Thoughtfully there is even a special play area set up – a respectable distance from the lodge – for them to pitch tents, play games and generally go wild.
...What you want, when you want it, is the name of the game here...
Come dinner time, the lodge is your oyster as the team ensures every meal is an occasion in itself.
Executive chef Quintinn van Rensburg conjures up a feast of dishes inspired by the Karoo and served in a different spot almost every time; from local Karoo Lamb and crème brulée in the formal dining room, to a picnic lunch by the river or a braai in the boma.
You can expect something similar at Samara's latest addition, the exclusive-use Manor House.
'What you want, when you want it, is the name of the game here, with a personal chef, butler and ranger on hand to ensure your stay is perfect, and nothing seems to be too much trouble for the ever-friendly staff.
With dramatic vistas of the Aasvoëlberg (Vulture Mountain) and distant Tandjiesberg (Tooth Mountain) this intimate lodge sleeps just eight guests in four luxurious rooms, each with private patios and Karoo views. Your days will follow a similar pattern as guests at the Karoo Lodge, with morning and afternoon game drives out into the reserve in an open safari vehicle. In between game drives you can cool off with a few laps in the 21-metre infinity pool overlooking the waterhole, have a picnic out in the reserve or just treat yourself to a well-earned afternoon nap. Those 5.30am game drives take their toll, after all!
Bleary-eyed or not, it's well worth hauling yourself from under the down duvet and onto the open-top Land Cruiser for the morning drive.
Samara boasts a wide range of animal life; from the common Duiker and Kudu, to the magnificent Gemsbok, giant Eland, and flamboyant Nyala. Black Eagles soar above the crags and Clapper Larks leap into the air, beating their wings together as they fall back to earth.
Our ranger André says it's a male looking for a mate, but the Lark may just be applauding the recovering landscape, as abundant Spekboom and Sweet Thorn Acacia make the most of the late-summer rains. When the Tompkins' merged the farms they pulled down boundary fences, ploughed over eroded farm roads and removed alien vegetation across the reserve.
Six years ago, with the landscape well on the road to recovery, it was time to slot in the one piece of the ecological jigsaw which hadn't been seen on the Plains of Camdeboo for nearly 125 years. Cheetah.
Sibella was the first cheetah to arrive at Samara and is far and away the queen of the reserve. And, true to her feline ways, she's had to make full use of the nine lives at her disposal.
Born in the wild, Sibella nearly met her end at the hands of hunters in the northern Limpopo province. Then caged and cruelly treated in captivity, she was lucky to make her way to the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust, who operated and nursed her back to health.
In December 2003 she was given another lease on life when she was relocated (along with two young males) to Samara, and just one year later showed she was right at home by producing a litter of five cubs.
Fourteen months on, another six cubs arrived, providing offspring that have spread throughout southern Africa to boost the populations of this critically endangered species.
Today there are 12 cheetahs on Samara, but with Sibella proving elusive on our morning drive we head for the hills in search of two males; Mozart and Beethoven. Most of the cheetahs on the reserve are fitted with specialised radio collars, to ensure they don't stray off the reserve.
André hops out of the Land Cruiser and we listen through the crackle and hiss of the telemetry receiver for the tell-tale beep that will point us in the right direction. On the open grassy plateau of Bouwershoek it doesn't take long to find the two boys, out cruising the plains in search of their next meal.
With no lion or elephant to give you a nasty surprise it's safe to track the cheetah on foot at Samara, allowing you to feel the privilege of being a guest in their domain.
The two males are on the move; their powerful shoulders flexing as they pad silently through the shin-deep grass. They allow us to follow them – at a respectable distance – for a few hundred metres before a pointed look leaves us in no doubt that they would like some privacy now please. Perhaps they've got their eye on a wildebeest.
Back in the Cruiser, the sun is starting to burn off the mist that has shrouded the Plains of Camdeboo. Beyond a herd of wildebeest a few rare and endangered Cape Mountain Zebra gaze at us warily from the hillside.
The day starts to heat up. The glistening snares of Funnelweb spiders lose their droplets of mist collected overnight. Soon the afternoon thunderclouds will start to build once more, and rumble across the Camdeboo with flashes of lightning and torrents of warm rain. The game starts to disappear in search of shade to escape the heat of the day, and we do likewise.
It's a tough choice too; retreat to the shady stoep of the Manor House, or perhaps take a dip in the lap pool under the curious gaze of the Vervet Monkeys. With the cicadas buzzing in the trees it's hard not to doze off to the sound of a Clapper Lark performing its bizarre mating dance in the shimmering Karoo heat.
"Heat, I suppose, is the most positive and formidable thing on the Karoo," writes Eve Palmer, "and the beginning and sometimes the end of many a Karoo story."
For more information visit www.samara.co.za or call +27 (0) 49 891 0558. Karoo Connections offer day-tours in the area and transfers from Port Elizabeth Airport. Visit www.karooconnections.co.za or call +2749 892 3978.
» Originally published in Sawubona Magazine, March 2009
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