Bucklands Luxury Tent Camp

Grahamstown Eastern Cape - South Africa

Email Bucklands Reservations: booksa@madbookings.com

Our friendly local staff offer charming service, in true Eastern Cape spirit, and their passion for the reserve will delight guests from all over the world.
Our chef will provide first class South African Cuisine including coffee and traditional rusks to start your day and a hearty Brunch after your early morning activity.

Late afternoon high tea, at the camp, is the perfect time to enjoy the sounds of the birds and view the brilliant afternoon sunlight filtering through the valley.
A sumptuous three course dinner prepared by our chef is the ideal way to end your day, with a large range of South African beverages available to compliment your meals.

A choice of either a game drive or walking safari is offered in the morning and the afternoon; so take a game drive with our fully trained and experienced guides to view the extensive variety of wildlife at Bucklands Private Game Reserve, with a romantic sundowners overlooking the Great Fish River, or enjoy a guided scenic and informative walk through the valleys with your binoculars and camera close on hand to capture your Bucklands memories for a lifetime. Bucklands Private Game Reserve will transport guests to and from Bucklands Luxury Tent Camp from the Reserves office.

What to bring:
Bird & mammal books, binoculars, photographic equipment, sun block, insect repellents, hats, books, your own fishing tackle (or you can hire from us) and good walking shoes.

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
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
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
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
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
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
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.

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 signalers 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.

Local Attractions …
Grahamstown:
Grahamstown has more than 70 declared National Heritage sites. One of these is the highest church spire in the country, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of many famous buildings of the Victorian era. Grahamstown remains an important educational and cultural centre today, hosting the famous Grahamstown Festival every year, with easy access to game reserves and the unspoilt beaches of the Sunshine Coast.

Grahamstown's Historical Attractions:
1820 Settlers National Monument; 44 Air School & Grahamstown Military Base; Artificer's Square: the old artisan's quarter; Cathedral of St. Michael and St. George; City Hall, settlers Memorial Tower; Commemoration Church; High Street; High Street Facade; Rhodes University; St Patrick's Church; The Drostdy Gate; The Oldest Official Letterbox in South Africa; The Provost Prison; The Winged Figure of Peace.

The Grahamstown Golf Club:
The Grahamstown Golf Club was founded in 1891. Membership had reached 35 by 1902 and was up to 101 by 1906. It reached an all time high of 609 in 1990.
The 1909 South Africa Ladies Open was held in Grahamstown at the Grahamstown Golf Course which is situated off Cradock Road on the outskirts of Grahamstown, only a short drive from Bucklands Private Game Reserve.

Makana Botanical Gardens:
The botanical gardens adjoining Rhodes University are worth a visit, particularly on week-day mornings when few people are about. A one-hour walk can produce a list of 30 different species of birds.
From Somerset Street, turn up the road between the Natural History and Cultural History sections of the Albany Museum; the main gates to the gardens are on the left, soon after you pass the Eden Grove section of Rhodes University.

Egazini Arts & Crafts:
To get the best of locally produced arts and crafts, visit Egazini Outreach Project at Ext. 6 in Joza Township. Here Local Artists and Crafters show their own individual creativity; the result has been a production of a unique form of arts and crafts with strong Provincial identity.
There is a wide range of craft products to choose from like printed fabrics, printed T-shirts, bags, cushion covers, wishing cards and there are more formal works like linocuts, woodcuts, etchings and paintings. When you visit the project you will have a chance to meet the Artists themselves.
Talk to them about their work. See how they interpret their own history through their work and also see how their work is produced and packaged for marketing purposes. The Egazini Outreach Project opens Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 16:00.

Beach Picnics Near Port Alfred:
Arranged by Bucklands Private Game Reserve, we offer our guests a day's outing to a beautiful beach near Port Alfred. A scenic drive through the Makana District, combines the "bush" with the "beach" … with a Bucklands Picnic packed for a relaxing day at the beach and tranquil sundowners back at Bucklands Private Game Reserve in the late afternoon.
Should you wish to add this activity to your stay at Bucklands, kindly confirm arrangements with our Central Reservations Office prior to your arrival.

The History of Bucklands …
In 1865 Alfred Buckley purchased the farm Boschplaats from John Henry Dixon who had been granted the land in 1842.
It was probably previously a loan place belonging to Dutch farmers, although there appears to be no record of this. In 1813 a proclamation issued by Governor Cradock had encouraged the conversion of existing loan places into permanent quitrent tenure and eventual ownership.

The farm, renamed Bucklands, remained in the Buckley family until 1920, when the two remaining daughters, who had been living there, sold Kentucky, Bucklands and Schrikwaters Poort on public auction. It was bought by Archibald Kent who had two sons, Keith and Basil.

In 1922, Keith Kent, having trained at Grootfontein Agricultural College, returned to farm Bucklands, Lower Bucklands and Schrikwaters Poort.
He inherited the properties when his father, Arch Kent, passed away in 1940. He first married Kathleen Wallace who died in childbirth and then subsequently Stella Butt, producing five daughters.
Keith lived at Bucklands until his death in 1964. As he had no sons, the property was sold to Alf Johnson, and farmed by Tony and Lynn (nee Johnson) Phillips until 2007, when it was bought by Emerald Sky Trading 663 Pty Ltd (Terry Stewart).

"Having grown up in the Eastern Cape with vivid memories of walking through thick valley bush, tasting the sour young speckboom leaves and the sweet honey from the tecoma flowers, hoping as a young boy to catch a glimpse of the wise kudu or shy bushbuck, it was no wonder that it was love at first sight when Michele and I first viewed the property.

When we purchased the property, it was obvious that there was something special about this land that gets to you and it was clear that Lynn was extremely passionate about the property as well and thus we asked her to put together this potted history for us."

Email Bucklands Reservations: booksa@madbookings.com