Waterberg Safari Lodge

Introduction
Waterberg South Africa
Discover exotic game such as rhino, giraffe, zebra, buffalo and Africa's largest antelope, the eland, on professionally guided horseback or jeep safaris, while learning the mysteries of spoor (animal tracks) and medicinal use of the local trees, plants and fruits on the walking safaris. The mountains and gorges create amazing views and vistas in the Waterberg region of South Africa, the perfect backdrop for "sundowner" drinks and bush breakfasts. Located on a stunning private game reserve owned by Ant and Tess Baber, the two luxury lodges are in a very picturesque part of the Waterberg mountains, one nestled in a secluded valley and the other sits atop "the hill." It is home to a large diversity of game, bird life and flora and a first class staff and stable of horses!

Ant’s Nest and Ant’s Hill are two very unique bush homes, located in the 100% malaria free region of the Limpopo province of South Africa, with architecture and furniture fashioned from local timbers, a creative blend of authentic African style and contemporary twists, its warm fireplaces and crisp plunge pools make this the ideal place to simultaneously unwind and explore. With a fine selection of nearly 65 fit, reliable and responsive horses and ponies and over a decade of experience in making the perfect horse and rider safari connections, here you will find some of the most exciting and quality game viewing on horseback in the country! Due to the varying topography and ecology across the reserve, the bushveld is teaming with an incredible variety of game species from rhino and buffalo to leggy giraffe, the rare sable antelope, herds of massive eland, zebra, wildebeest, the big spiral horned kudu to the fleet footed oryx... just to mention but a few. The riding pace can vary, from cantering alongside the giraffe and wildebeest to meandering at a walk along the high rocky bluffs as we watch the setting sun. Both properties are ideal for not just the serious horseback rider looking for an equestrian safari in South Africa, but will also be enjoyed by non riding companions or families. The lodges offer a wide range of other activities on the property such as jeep game drives, guided walking safaris, mountain biking, clay pigeon and target shooting, as well as a host of different activities in the nearby area such as elephant-back safaris in a Big Five reserve and historical or cultural tours. Some are perfectly pleased just relaxing to the dreamy pace of Africa by the pools with a drink and book. Each guest can do as much or as little horse riding or activities as they wish and we pride ourselves in our flexibility!

Accomodation

Accommodations
This is a stationary ride, so all nights will be at the same location.

Description
Both lodges were uniquely designed by the owner to blend into the natural environment around them, yet create spacious and luxurious living areas with the splash of bright African colors and fabrics, and the warmth of the local rock, timber, and thatch materials. The property offers heated swimming pools to lounge in between safaris, a delicious blend of local and international gourmet cuisine, and al fresco dining after a long day in the saddle! Also included in your stay is laundry, WIFI, English and European adapters. All rooms are equipped with the necessary amenities such as safes, fans, hair dryers and mini bars.



Ant’s Hill
Ant's Hill is the newest property built on a cliff offering breathtaking views across the Waterberg, and consists of two privately appointed "honeymoon" cottages, one family cottage with a master bedroom and 2 twin rooms, and a special twin/single lodge room with a spectacular view over looking the gorge as well as a luxurious two bedroom cottage with its own plunge pool. The impressive and welcoming thatched lodge is exotically furnished, and is both sophisticated and comfortable. The draped four-poster beds in the rooms of the cottages and lodge are seven foot wide and each en-suite bathroom is spectacular, offering guests sunken baths and waterfall showers. Ant’s Hill caters for a maximum of 16 guests at a time and is usually booked on a non exclusive basis with multiple parties at a time; however, if you wish to book the lodge on an exclusive basis, this can be done! There is a communal dining room, a sitting area with a fireplace for evening socializing, and a charming wet bar to keep the drinks flowing if you wish!



Ant’s Nest
Ant’s Nest lodge property is where it all began. Lying in a natural amphitheater of the original Baber homestead, it has beautiful wide verandahs, and a classic African atmosphere. The luxurious en-suite lodge rooms accommodate a maximum of 12 guests (6 bedrooms). Tessa, who grew up in Kenya, brought their colonial home a new stylish warmth when she redesigned the property, using classic furniture fashioned from local fabrics, timber and stone. There is a 15 meter pool in the garden, ideal for cooling off after a day of riding; it is heated all year round. Extensive lawns (which the rhino herd often comes to graze on in the morning!) and beds of indigenous plants surround the pool and home and there is a wonderful thatched chill out spot with vast sofa beds to relax on during the heat of the day. It is ideal for larger groups travelling together or a multi generational group to take it up exclusively.

Room Options
The package prices are based on the 'Standard' category in Ants Nest and the 'Standard Superior' category in Ants Hill. Other room categories have a surcharge.
The Cottages are for families or parties of 4-6 and have a separate rate structure. Please inquire for rates.

Standard rooms



The Davidson (Ant's Nest)
These are two comfortable bedrooms located downstairs in the original homestead. The double room has a four poster bed and en-suite bathroom, with doors opening up onto a private verandah area with outside seating. Located just next door is a twin room (which can be converted to a double), also with en-suite bathroom and doors opening out to the verandah. These rooms can be booked individually or booked by a family as the rooms are adjacent to one another. These rooms are connected by a passage to a cozy sitting room with an open fireplace, perfect for relaxing on those chilly evenings, and an indoor dining and bar area. Approximate size is 85 square meters.

Kingfisher & Flychatcher (Ant's Nest)
Two en-suite bedrooms with access to private outside veranda. Shower only, no bathroom. Approximate size is 35 square meters.

Standard Superior rooms



Rondavel (Ant's Nest)
This is a charming double room, built in the traditionally African circular form with high thatched roof, set to the side of the main house. The outside verandah offers a private seating area with chill out day bed, leading into the bedroom with rustic four poster bed, perfect for couples wanting to enjoy a romantic escape. The room also contains a four poster day bed, suitable for a child sharing with parents. Leading off the bedroom is an en-suite bathroom with bath, shower and an outside shower. There is also a mini bar with tea and coffee making facilities. Approximately 60 square meters.



Eagles Nest (Ant's Hill)
Located above the main lodge, this delightfully appointed room has some of the best views the lodge has to offer, and it can be booked as either a twin or double room. It has an en-suite bathroom and spacious outside balcony with carved day bed the perfect place to chill out in the heat of the day. There is a mini bar with tea and coffee making facilities.  For those with older children, this room is ideal in conjunction with Lookout. Approximately 47 square meters.


Deluxe rooms



Sable Suite (Ant's Nest)
Upstairs in the main house is a very spacious luxury suite, perfect for families. The master bedroom features a king-size four poster bed with incredible views overlooking the gardens and bush beyond. This leads through to an exceptionally large bathroom and dressing area with bath and shower. Located beside this is an en-suite twin (which can be converted to a double), ideal for two children travelling with their parents. An additional ¾ four poster bed is located just outside this bedroom, for a third child. There is a spacious sitting room with comfortable sofas and a fireplace, alongside a dining area and full bar with tea and coffee making facilities. This opens up on to a very comfortable private verandah with shady seating area. Approximately 182 square meters.



Weaver Suite (Ant's Nest)
This is without a doubt our largest double room and private verandah that we have, with its expansive views across the valley, this room has a king-size four poster bed as well as a large four poster day bed and still lots more room for an extra bed should you have kids sharing. The en-suite bathroom has a bath and separate shower. The verandah overlooking the bush is perfect for relaxing in the heat of the day and is ideal for private dinners.  A perfect suite for honeymooners or families traveling with small kids.  There is also a mini bar with tea and coffee making facilities. Approximately 97 square meters.



Lookout (Ant's Hill)
Contains a king-size four poster bed, as well as day bed that can be used to accommodate a child sharing with their parents. The bedroom features a fireplace to keep you cozy on winter evenings and opens out onto a deck with carved daybed, overlooking the valley and a water hole where animals often come to drink. The open plan en-suite bathroom features a bath with a view, a waterfall shower and an outdoor shower overlooking the valley for that ‘in the bush’ feeling. The room has a mini bar with tea and coffee making facilities on the veranda. Approximately 48 square meters.


Superior Deluxe rooms



Hideaway (Ant's Hill)
The King-size four poster bed has stunning views across the valley with French doors opening up onto the outside deck and verandah.. The verandah features a carved day bed for relaxing in the shade, wooden steps take you down to a private garden and plunge pool. For those winter evenings there is a cozy seating area inside with an open fire. The open plan en-suite bathroom features a sunken bath and French doors which open onto the deck to bring the outside indoors. There is a waterfall shower inside and an outside shower overlooking the valley. The room has a mini bar with tea and coffee making facilities. Approximately 65 square meters.


Cottage



Family Cottage (Ant's Hill - for up to 6 pax)
Ideal for families of up to six people, this is a home away from home. The spacious en-suite master bedroom features a king-size four poster bed and open plan bathroom including a bath with a view and waterfall shower. The second bedroom, a twin with two four poster beds can be converted into a double giving you a king-size bed, should there be two couples travelling together. This room shares a bathroom with the loft bedroom, nestled under the thatched roof, which is perfect for children. This cottage has a large sitting room, with open fire place and dining area, opening onto a decked balcony with views over the valley. There is a mini bar with tea and coffee making facilities in the lounge area. Family cottage is based on a rate for the whole cottage up to 5 people, extra beds are available at an additional cost -- please inquire.
Approximately 120 square meters.


Superior Cottage



World's View (Ant's Hill- for up to 5 pax)
It is perfect for families of up to five people or two couples travelling together. The en-suite double bedroom upstairs with bath and shower opens up on to a private balcony with an outside bath overlooking the stunning valley below, where giraffe, zebra, kudu and eland can often be seen wandering. The spacious bedroom downstairs opens on to the private pool, can be either a twin, double or triple and has an en-suite bathroom featuring a bath with a view, a shower and an outside waterfall shower. There is a covered veranda with comfortable day beds outside for relaxing during the heat of the day, leading to the pool area with sunbeds. On chilly winter evenings one can cozy up next to the open fire in the sitting room with a glass of wine from the mini-bar. Tea and coffee facilities are also available. World’s view is based on a cottage rate up to 4 people, extra beds are available at an additional cost -- please inquire.
Approximately 200 square meters.


Room Occupancy
Single supplement is mandatory if we are unable to find another rider to share.



Meals
All meals are included. Lunch is included either on arrival OR departure.

We take great pride in our scrumptious home cooking, dining outside whenever possible under the shady trees. We often end morning game activities with a bush lunch, whilst at night we sit around open fires under the stars. Some of the best food you will eat at lodges in South Africa: simply delicious!

Lunch is usually served from noon to 2pm.

Excellent South African house wines and beer are served with lunch and dinner.
Cellar wines, premium spirits, liquors and champagne are available at an additional cost.

Dietary Restrictions
We can cater for all dietary requirements and have a vegetarian menu available.


 

This trip includes some wine with dinner and can accommodate special dietary requests.

Riding


Pace
The pace can be as fast or relaxed as the riders would like. You can canter along open sandy tracks or traverse high ridges with spectacular vistas. Often we can get so close to the game that the experience remains unforgettable.

Horses
It has taken us since 1996 to build a string of over 90 horses, which are fit, responsive and reliable and also totally adapted to the African environment. The horses range from big strong forward-going thoroughbreds, tough African boerperds, feisty Arab crosses and exciting Friesian crossbreeds, ranging in size from 12 hh to 17 hh. We also have some great kid’s ponies.
Our team of over 20 horse grooms / guides take pride in the wellbeing of each horse, ensuring that they are well schooled, but likewise not over-worked, hence each guest will have the opportunity of riding several different horses during their stay.
Our horses live out in the bush and graze amongst the game, thus giving guests possibly of the closest wildlife encounter on horseback in Africa.

Tack
We use comfortable McLellan saddles made locally for long hours in the saddle. These are based on the famous US cavalry saddle designed for the comfort of both horse and rider alike. We do also have a few English saddles available.

Hard Hats
No client will be allowed to ride with us unless they are wearing a riding hat so we do stock a selection of sizes. However, we do recommend that you bring your own well-fitted helmet if you plan to spend many an hour in the saddle. Wide brim riding hat covers are advisable.

Guides & Staff
Our compliment of over 85 staff members have been selected for their love and dedication of conservation, wildlife, horses and hospitality, many of which have worked with us since the start.
Rides are always guided by two professional local guides who add to the experience their infinite knowledge of the game, flora, tracks, natural medicines and love of the bush.
As we always have two guides on each ride, novices can go out with their more competent partners without slowing the ride down. 

Children
We welcome children of all ages & have a variety of activities to keep them entertained during their stay. We have trampolines, board games, toys, books, rackets and balls etc. We also provide baby sitting and children’s meals can be specially planned.
We have a selection of wonderful ponies catering to both the novice and experienced child rider. Beginners will be led by a competent guide and riding lessons are also available. Under 4 year old children will be led on a pony in and around the lodge area as they are still too young to be taken out on long outrides.
Children under 12 years old need to be accompanied by at least one parent, while riding.

Itinerary



Horseback Riding
Waterberg's riding safaris are based on our own private game reserve, which not only offers incredible diversity of terrain and scenery but also a wide variety of game including many of the rarer species not easily encountered elsewhere.

There is no such thing as a typical riding day here! Each day is tailor made according to each guest’s wishes: guests can wake up when they want, ride when they want, and for as long as they want. Our horses live out and graze amongst the game on a daily basis, this has allowed the game to become habituated to the horses thus giving one a unique opportunity of getting really close to the various species whilst on your riding safari. The diverse topography of the reserve enables us to naturally sustain over 40 species of game including giraffe, white rhino, sable antelope, roan antelope, buffalo, nyala, gemsbok (Oryx), kudu, Livingstone eland, blue wildebeest (gnu), red hartebeest, zebra, impala, bushbuck, duiker, steenbuck, mountain reedbuck, waterbuck, warthog, blesbuck, baboons, bushpig, klipspringer, leopard, jackal, brown hyena, caracal, civet and genet. For those horse riders who are passionate about birds, there are well over 300 species of resident and migrant birds. Guests are always welcome to join in on any management activities which are taking place on the reserves such as game capture and relocation, treating injured animals, all of which is done on horseback. An annual game census and capture is done in June and is predominantly done on horseback.
Game Census dates: please inquire

There will be no more than 6 guests on any one ride and each ride is accompanied by two guides as safety is of paramount importance. We are able to accommodate all levels of riders including children. However, riders of different abilities will not be mixed unless they choose to do so.

Non-riding spouses, partners, friends and family can easily be catered for with a wide variety of other safari activities on offer. However, many guests learn to ride here and riding lessons are available for an additional cost.

To further enhance your African riding experience, each day ends with a sundowner in a scenic spot, meals are served in a variety of locations from bush lunches to dinners around the fire. It is compulsory to wear a riding helmet and although we have a selection of sizes, we do recommend that, if you have your own well fitted hat, to bring it with you.



Non-Riders
Non-riders are welcome to join this trip. Non-riding activities include game drives and walks, mountain biking, archery, night sky safaris, massages, snake and reptile handling and a number of other activities in the surrounding area.
Basic lessons for non-riders are available. Many guests learn to ride and gain confidence here.

Non-Riding Activities- included in rates
There is much more to offer than just riding through the African Bushveld. There are a number of other safari experiences for those who wish to take a break from riding or are travelling with non-riding companions or families. As a rider, you may wish to join your non-riding companions on any of the other activities, alternatively you can ride and they can enjoy one of the following:

Guided bush walks
For those who prefer walking, our guides will guide you through the bushveld on foot. These walks are informative and interactive, enabling guests to gain knowledge of the flora, fauna and animals resident on the reserves. Learning to recognize tracks is great fun. Whilst these walks can be in the form of a gentle stroll, the more energetic can hike over the plains and down impressive gorges.

Game jeep drives
Our guides will be available to take you out in an open 4x4 Land cruiser either for a morning or afternoon game drive or using a spotlight at night to find elusive nocturnal animals, such as the rare brown hyena, aardvark and porcupine. The advantage of a game drive is that you are able to cover more ground across the reserve. Game drives and walks can often be combined to make game viewing and photography more exciting.

Mountain Biking
For those wanting a bit of exercise, try out our mountain bikes, the incredibly diverse terrain offers extreme technical cycling as well as gentle meanders. Enjoy cycling alongside herds of game in the more gentle plains and valleys, alternatively for those who are fit, you can cycle in more challenging terrain, (routes vary from 5-20 km).

Fishing
Fishing in summer months we can take you to fish in one of the dams, for bream and bass, which is great fun for children.

Snake & Reptile Talks
Spend some time interacting and learning about these amazing reptiles and find out what really makes these creatures so fascinating and awe inspiring. Understand their importance in this magical environment we, and they call home. Talks and demonstrations will be conducted by a qualified and experienced handler with an excess of 20 years snake handling experience.

Air Rifle & Archery



Non-Riding Activities- additional fees

Massages 
Lounge by the pool or enjoy a massage.  We offer half or full body massages, this can be in the comfort of your room or private verandah.

Wine Tasting Evenings
This has become very popular. As South Africa can be proud of so many fantastic wine estates we would like to share this marvel with our guests and this is just one of the special extras we can add to your tailor-made day.

Library & Curio Shop
We have a selection of books available and a curio shop stocked with original, handmade crafts.

Night Sky Safari
See the night sky as you have never done before. With our advanced telescopes, astronomical video cameras and talented astronomers and communicators (who have decades of experience), let us introduce you to the wonders of the universe – live and in colour. The experience is designed for those with no previous knowledge of astronomy and the aim is to take you on a tour of the wonders of the amazing African night sky. We display a live feed from our telescopes of whichever of the planets are visible. See the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn or the phases of Venus. Understand the myths and extraordinary science of the planets. Follow the life story of a star from its stunning birth to its dramatic and beautiful death. Then we take you deeper into the universe to see an amazing glimpse of clusters and galaxies so far away that light itself has taken millions of years to reach us from them. Watch the craters and seas of our very own moon, and understand its amazing secrets. Get a personal tour of the constellations of the night sky, and learn their fascinating myths and facts.

Local Excursions in and around the Waterberg
- A local “Big Five” game reserve, where it is possible to see Lions and Elephants
- A tour of Bushman paintings and Iron Age Sites as well as stunning river walks and picnics.
- On Sundays we go to a historic thatched church where you can meet local people and see the 1914 building designed by Sir Herbert Baker. Children can attend a colourful Sunday school where the Sotho children sing choruses in rousing harmony.
- We are happy to take you into the local town where you will find a wide variety of African arts and crafts.

Weddings and Honeymoons
Waterberg offers you the opportunity of getting married on horseback or to enjoy a riding honeymoon. With its spectacular views, it is the perfect place to escape for a riding safari experience tailored to your personal desires.

* Please check with the lodge on arrival as some of the above may not be available at the time.

Rates and Dates for Waterberg Safari Lodge

Dates Note:
Game Census dates: please inquire

Arrival can be any day of the week

Available with minimum 3-night stay. No max.

Other Info
Meeting: Vaalwater
Airport: O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB)
Transfer: Johannesburg Airport

Climate:
                                                Mokopane area