Activities at Bucklands …

Activities at Bucklands Private Game Reserve include an array of options to complement your safari holiday in one of Southern Africa's most beautiful destinations, catering for families and friends, corporate breakaway groups, special events, and honeymooners.

Our onsite activities:

Game Drives ~ Activity cost: R195 pp per 2 hr game drive minimum of 4 guests per game drive.
Morning and afternoon game drives within Bucklands Private Game Reserve, as well as within the 45000ha neighbouring Great Fish River Reserve, are offered to guests of Bucklands Private Game Reserve. Our qualified professional guides offer a holistic safari experience, with game drive snacks provided, and spectacular sunsets form part of the afternoon game drive experience at Bucklands.

Guided Walks ~ Activity cost: R130 pp minimum of 2 guests per guided walk.
Our guided walks focus on the unique subtropical thicket biome, bushman paintings, historical sites (see "Sites of Interest"), spectacular clifftop walks and unforgettable views over Bucklands Private Game Reserve and the Great Fish River too.

Specialist Guided Walks ~ Activity cost: R300 pp minimum of 2 guests per specialist guided walk.
Our professional guides focus on specific fauna and flora of the area, and elaborate on the conservation ethics and policies of Bucklands Private Game Reserve, bringing you closer to nature.

Fishing ~ Activity cost: R195 per rod hire per day.
Fishing along the banks of the Great Fish River, within Bucklands Private Game Reserve, with tackle provided, for barbel, carp and yellow fish, is highly recommended as a great way to relax and forget the hustle and bustle of city life.

Night Drives ~ Activity cost: R195 pp per 2 hr game drive minimum of 4 guests per game drive.
How about an early dinner, followed by a night out … not on the town … but in the wilderness within Bucklands Private Game Reserve, guided by our professional guides you will be on the lookout for sightings of some of our elusive nocturnal wildlife so as to observe them in their natural habitat.

Quad Trails ~ Activity cost: R380 per 2hr quad biking trail min 2 & max of 5 guests per trail (guided trail, with quads provided).
Game viewing from quad bikes … yes, we have our very own quads for you to enjoy whilst guided by one of our professional guides, your quad trail will be an adventure from start to finish and offers a completely different experience from a standard game drive.

Star Gazing:
Whether from the comfort of your deck at Bucklands Luxury Tent Camp, the Boma at Bucklands Rustic Tent Camp, the delightful veranda at Bucklands Boutique Guest House or the excitement of your Night Drive … the night sky is lit with bright stars and a clear milky way, in winter especially (although a little chilly) you will feel like you can reach out and touch the stars.

Birding:
Bucklands Private Game Reserve is a bird-watchers paradise, with over 245 birds listed, many of which are found within the riverine area along the Great Fish River ... so bring your Bird Book, Binoculars and Camera and join us in the sheer pleasure of bird watching at Bucklands.

Our sites of interest:

Rock Art / Bushmen Paintings:
Evidence of rock art on Bucklands indicates the past presence of San on the Reserve. For at least two million years the inhabitants of southern Africa were hunter-gatherers and some rock art dates back twenty six thousand years putting it on a par with some of the Paleolithic art of Western Europe. The early paintings of these peoples reflect mundane aspects of Stone Age life, contact between the San and black and white farmers and it also reflects the pivotal role of medicine men in their culture. The annihilation of herds of game and the reduced productivity of the veld led to the destruction of the San, although their creativity remains behind on the rocks of Bucklands Private Game Reserve.

Graskop:
The first attempt made by the British Government in South Africa to establish a means of telegraphic communication was proposed on the Eastern frontier in 1837 using lines of semaphores. Governors Kop, fifteen kilometers from Grahamstown, was prominent and chosen as the key site. The northern line from Fort Beaufort led to Daantjies Hoogte, and then to Stoneyfields and Botha's Post, with the next station being Grass Kop Tower on Bucklands, a round and prominent hill adjoining the Andries Vosloo Kudu Reserve. The signallers on Grass Kop sent their signals to Governors Kop high and visible on a clear day, although Grass Kop Tower was much lower lying. The system was later abandoned because of heat distortion, poor visibility, difficulties of the terrain and mist.