At its best, Africa is a great place for kids - and for their adults, too.

The excitement of the wildness of things, the excitement of the things that you can discover, and the wonder of the things that you can do in the African bush have always been unique in the world - so there’s much to be said for any tourism attraction that, from the very core of its being, understands these things, and makes them accessible to its guests.

Buffalo Hills - at Wittedrif, near Plettenberg Bay on South Africa’s Garden Route coast - is just such a place.

“We started Buffalo Hills because we wanted to preserve a corner of the natural world for our children and their grandchildren - and we’ve  developed the attractions here in such a way that everyone who visits us can discover the bush in their own, individual way,” said Tony Kinahan, who owns and runs the place in partnership with his wife, Maria.

“But it’s also important to us that the bush should be a family experience - which is why we run our Kids Go Free specials every winter - and that it should be an interactive experience - which is why we have facilities for people like trail runners, walkers, and mountain bikers,” he said.

Actually, although it’s called Buffalo Hills, the reserve hasn’t any buffaloes - or, for that matter, any other particularly dangerous animals - so it’s ideal for activities like walking and birding (alone or with a guide), and the company offers scheduled departure tours every day of the year. It’s also contracted with Mountain Biking Africa - headed by the zany Tony Cook - to provide cycling tours on the property and in the adjoining area (these tours range in length from half a day to overnight - and even longer - and are tailored to the riders’ needs. Mountain bike hire is also available).

Buffalo Hills offers accommodation in luxury en-suite tents and also in luxury rooms in the lodge itself, and the intimate nature of the venue makes it ideal for small functions and conferences. It’s a favourite wedding destination, too - and what bride can resist arriving - in front of an audience of giraffe, impala, wildebeest, zebra, bontebok and eland - by horse and carriage for the most important day of her life? And it’s got one special attraction that no other game reserve in South Africa can offer - its own traditional mampoer distillery (which - granted - isn’t suitable for kids. But - hey! - it’s great fun for their parents. And a tour of the Nyati jjj Distillery and a mampoer tasting is part of every guided safari game drive at Buffalo Hills).

And, because Tony and Maria have vowed to keep their prices at their usual winter lows during this year’s FIFA World Cup (what with that Kids Go Free offer and all) - Buffalo Hills is the perfect choice for a quick two- or three-night breakaway this winter.

That, and the fact that it’s just the nicest place to be…

INFORMATION

Buffalo Hills and the Nyati jjj Distillery are open both to overnight guests and to day visitors.
Telephone +27(0)44 535 9739
e-mail buffalohills@mweb.co.za
Web site www.buffalohills.co.za
GPS Coordinates 33° 59′ 44.22″ South 23° 17′ 37.83″ East

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