Bucklands Private Game Reserve Mini vs Maxi Eastern Cape Tour

Turning off the road towards the Great Fish Nature Reserve we headed for Bucklands Private Game Reserve. This part of the tour was something I was really looking forward to and when we travelled along the gravel road to Bucklands I started to get really excited.

On arrival at Bucklands we were met by the owner Terry who welcomed us and showed us around the fortified guest house on the game reserve. With 4 luxury bedrooms to choose from he showed us which rooms had been booked for us. I settled in the very comfortable room which boasted a fantastic four poster king sized bed, tea & coffee station as well as comfortable chairs and dressing table. there was a wardrobe to store my things in and a en suite bathroom which had his and her basins, a bath as well as a shower. After I inspected the room to see how great it was we enjoyed a light lunch on the veranda enjoying the view while we chatted about the reserve. We were then told that we were going to enjoy a lesson in rifle handling. I had previously used a rifle but the others had never held a fire arm before and this lesson was thoroughly enjoyed by them as well as myself. The rifles that we used are used for management purposes on the reserve and also the guides walk with the heavy calibre rifles due to dangerous game being present on the reserve.

We returned to the lodge for high tea which was great as I had last enjoyed a cup of tea when we woke in the morning and it was a welcome treat. The kitchen prepared some fantastic sweets for us to enjoy with our tea or coffee and I could have had thirds or even fourths of the cakes and muffins that were baked for us.

We left on the evening wildlife safari which was a great excursion that gave us a great understanding of the vegetation and topography of the reserve and also the fauna and flora. We got to see a few Giraffe and Kudu while on drive before we stopped for a sundowners drink overlooking the reserve. We departed for the night part of the safari where we saw two Aardwolf which is a small predatory mammal that feeds of insects and is nocturnal. It was great to see these amazing animals again.

We returned to the lodge after the exciting drive and enjoyed a fantastic dinner. We enjoyed a three course home-made meal which was excellent before retiring for the night in our luxury rooms.

We got up early for tea and coffee with rusks and muffins so that we could get away early to enjoy seeing the wildlife as they come out to enjoy the morning sun.We enjoyed taking an excellent walk towards some giraffe which were only 20 meters away before they moved off. We then got a call from Terry that he had found the two rhino that we were looking for. We walked and searched for them again as they tend to disappear. They had pulled a sneaky move and headed back to where we had come from and were a little agitated. so we viewed them from a distance through the bush. We then took a leisurely walk back to the lodge with our guide to enjoy breakfast before departing the lodge and reserve to return to East London.

Mini vs Maxi Day 3

Once again waking up to the sounds of the crashing sea at Stokkies & Skuilpies in Sunrise on Sea on the Jikaleza Route we got out of bed and enjoyed a cup of tea or coffee which ever was ones addiction in the morning. We checked out and travelled to Lavender Blue where we had the Farmhouse Breakfast. The place was busy and it was great to see the fun people were having there just enjoying a good meal and in the company of family and friends.

We departed along the N2 towards King Williams Town where we had a quick stop at the old soldier barracks and to see the fine handy work of the original British Royal Engineers guttering along the roads. Hard to believe that these were built over 100 years ago and have lasted and we can't even get roads to last over a year now a days. We then proceeded to visit Steve Biko's Garden of Remembrance where we paid a visit to his resting place. He was a great man who died before his time as many did in that era. 

A quick visit to Steve Biko Garden of Remembrance

We continued to Grahamstown where we turned off the N2 towards the Great Fish Nature Reserve and Bucklands Private Game Reserve and into the Frontier Country where numerous battles were fought over these lands. 

Frontier Country



We arrived at Bucklands Private Game Reserve where we were welcomed by Terry the owner and our ranger Werner. We enjoyed a light snack and then were taken for a rifle handling lesson at a shooting range. We had the opportunity to fire two rifles and a handgun which was an excellent experience for those who had never done this before.

Jonker learning how to handle a rifle

The next activity on the cards was a drive through the reserve and enjoyed a fantastic view and a sun downer drink before we set off again returning to the lodge for dinner. We got to see a number of wildlife species but for me the highlight by far was the Aard Wolf. 

Getting ready for our afternoon drive

On returning to the lodge an excellent dinner was waiting for us, A curried butternut soup for starters, Venison pie with veg for the main meal and crumbruele for desert. 

Maagies vol, oogies toe - as the saying goes and then it was bed time.

Until next time, explore and enjoy the journey