Kuzuko

Where the foothills of the Zuurberg Mountains transition to the open Karoo plains lies a unique place of peace and purpose …

Kuzuko, meaning ‘Place of Glory’ in Xhosa, is the only lodge on an exclusive 35 000 acre private reserve in the Greater Addo Conservation Area in the malaria free Eastern Cape.  Situated 2 hours from Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) airport, right on the edge of the Karoo Heartland region and bordering the northern boundary of the Addo Elephant national Park.  Conveniently found between the Garden Route and Wild Coast in South Africa.

Addo is not only the third largest park in the country – it is also home to an impressive elephant and buffalo population, thought to exceed 600 and 400 in number, respectively. The park’s borders extend to the Indian Ocean, making it the only park in the world to have the so-called ‘Big 7’: lion, elephant, rhino, leopard, buffalo, great white shark, and whale.

With a total of 24 chalets, each have thatched roof and are beautifully furnished with breath-taking views from your private decks. Each chalet has en-suite bathrooms, baths and walk-in showers, while the bedrooms have mini-bars, tea/coffee-making facilities, TV’s and private viewing decks.

5 of the chalets are ideal for families with children under 13 with a pull-out sofa to accommodate 2 children or 1 child aged 13-17. 3 of the chalets are accessible and offer premium wheelchair access with ramps throughout the lodge and ramp access to game viewing vehicles. Accommodation with properly equipped bathrooms and spacious surrounding for ease of mobility throughout the lodge.

There are a variety of facilities to keep you busy during your stay at Kuzuko such as the pool, spa, gym, bird hide, sunset deck, lounge and bar area. Daily life at the lodge revolves around game drives at dusk and dawn, cheetah rewilding project, guided nature walks to  400 year old Khoisan paintings and star gazing, plus 4 x 4 trails.

Gourmet cuisine at Kuzuko is inspired by the land around them – whether that be their unique Karoo lamb that is naturally infused by flavours of their unique biome or spekboom salad, a homage to the special tree that play such a special role in the restoration project.

Perfect for couples, honeymooners, families, multi-generational, special occasions, wedding (up to 60 guests) and conference (up to 40 delegates) getaways.

Kuzuko’s Conservation Vision – In 2001 we bought up 22 farms to combine into a huge 35,000-acre reserve where elephants, buffalos and lions could once again roam after being absent for more than 150 years. We have numerous conservation projects taking place, including rewilding and breeding of cheetah to contribute to the metapopulation, we are home to an important population of the endangered Cape Mountain zebra, and we have the largest spekboom reforestation project to date at Kuzuko with 26 million cuttings planted over 12,000 acres that will capture an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of carbon a year.

Kuzuko believes that sustainable businesses are the best way to create secure long-term employment and they have now been creating sustainable jobs for over twenty years.

Kuzuko is what is known as an ‘Impact Investment’ – a business with one of the main goals being to create jobs or solve a social issue.

Kuzuko’s other key social focus lies in environmental education and training which we do through the Kuzuko Foundation. The Kuzuko Foundation run environmental education programs for young people from the local community, organises educational visits to Kuzuko for local children to experience their natural heritage, supports two local farm schools and runs training and mentoring programs for disadvantaged young people from the local community.

Interesting facts about Kuzuko – All their game drives are 100% carbon neutral, 35,000 acres of land protected for conservation, 26 million spekboom planted, 1,182 tonnes of CO² captured already. 45 mil tonnes of CO² projected to be captured, 23 species reintroduced, 14 cheetah rewilded, 2 species specific conservation programs, 2 schools supported, 470 fixed term jobs created, 45 permanent jobs created, 8 endangered species protected, 70 km of game fence erected.

LOCATION

Kuzuko is situated in a 35 000 acre private reserve in the Greater Addo Conservation Area in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Right on the edge of the Karoo Heartland region and bordering the northern boundary of the Addo Elephant national Park.

Conveniently found between the Garden Route and Wild Coast in South Africa.

How to get there:

The easiest way to get to Kuzuko is via a transfer from Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) airport. The scenic transfer takes approximately 2.5 hours taking in the beautiful Eastern Cape coastline including Colchester’s majestic sand dunes at the mouth of the Sunday’s River before moving inland crossing the Zuurberg Mountains past the baboons of the Olifantskop Pass (Elephant’s Head Pass) then on to Kuzuko.

Landing strip  – You are welcome to charter or fly your own plane or helicopter to Kuzuko. The 1.2 km gravel strip has previously hosted an 8-seater King Air. Please make pre-arrival arrangements with reserve management.