August 2024

We were barely back in East London after our quick visit to our hometown Langebaan, when a long weekend was upon us.

During our visit to Haga Haga last year (read here), we met the owner of Outspan Safaris and Lodge and he suggested that we should visit his lodge whenever we have time. Well, that time was now and we made a reservation for three days and excitedly set off to Outspan Safaris and Lodge late on a Thursday afternoon.

Where is Outspan Safaris and Lodge?

We only had 60 km/37 miles to drive on the N2 towards Mthatha (formerly Umtata), before we had to take the turn off to Outspan Safaris and Lodge. A fairly good dirt road of about 5km/3 miles took us to the gate of the lodge.

At the gate of Outspan Safaris and Lodge

The moment we walked into the lodge, we were already in awe of the view. The lodge is situated on the very edge of a sheer cliff that takes one’s breath away.

Entrance to the lodge

We were warmly greeted by the receptionist. She accompanied us to our unit and informed us what time dinner would be served, which was in the form of a ‘braai’ (barbecue). You can only imagine how happy we were to hear that.

The path on the edge of the cliff that leads to the units

There are 5 adjoining units and we stayed in the last one

Our lovely unit

Our unit had a double bed, two relaxing chairs, coffee/tea station and an on-suite bathroom. There is no television (although there is a big screen television in the main reception area/lounge), but you won’t really miss a television in your unit, because the view from there is insane and will keep you occupied for most of the time.

Beautiful aloes with the cliff in the background

The view towards the cliff and gorge from our unit

We quickly dropped our luggage in the unit and then walked to the shared lounge to enjoy a cold beer.

Entrance to the shared lounge

The deck, with a fire pit, facing the huge cliffs opposite

Inside the shared lounge area

Fireplace for the cold evenings

All day coffee station (left) and honesty bar (right)

Because Outspan Safaris and Lodge is located on a working farm/game ranch, there is plenty of wildlife to see. Animal mounts are displayed in the shared lounge.

Animal mounts in the lounge area

Animal mount

Animal mounts

As the sun set, we moved closer to the fire. Stuart Renton, the lodge manager, came to greet us and invited us to hang out with him and a couple of his friends. It was great to get first-hand information about the lodge and also the surroundings.

Sunset at Outspan Safaris and Lodge

A fire to prepare dinner

Sunset colours

The cliff from the deck

While drinking a glass of wine, we really enjoyed the company of Stuart and his friends. We ended the evening with delicious home-made carrot cake and were looking forward to exploring Outspan in the next few days.

Wine and dessert

We woke up the next morning to a beautiful sunrise. While sitting outside our unit drinking our early morning coffee and tea, we saw so many birds. Outspan is definitely a bird-watching paradise.

Our first sunrise at Outspan

Early morning hot drinks

Breakfast, included in our stay, was prepared every morning at a time we had agreed with the chef the night before. Staying at Outspan Safaris and Lodge is almost like being at your own home – except you don’t clean, cook or wash the dishes! We love this kind of weekend breakaways.

Breakfast in the lounge

Stuart told us about a scenic hiking trail the night before. He mentioned that we could see the Kei River from the highest point and that we could even walk down to the river. It was a lovely sunny day and so we packed our backpacks and put on our hiking shoes.

A warm and sunny day – ideal for a hike

Stuart’s dog, Turbo came to see us off

*The hike was indeed scenic, but also quite challenging. You can read about that hike here.

After coming back from our hike, we enjoyed a few cold beers and then lunch which was prepared by the chef. We rested for an hour or so before taking a short walk to find two military graves Stuart had told us about.

Military graves

*The graves are those of two British soldiers who died here in 1835 and 1836. You can read about our visit to the graves here.

As we walked back to the lodge, the sun was casting its last golden rays over a nearby field – for us, late afternoon remains one of the most beautiful times of the day.

Cows in a field on a golden afternoon

Sunset colours at the lodge

We had delicious hamburgers for dinner and very tasty home-made lemon meringue pudding.

Dinner (that lemon meringue pudding was the best)

The next morning, we got up very early to watch a rugby match between the Springboks and the Wallabies (Australia). Just before the game started, we were treated to the most beautiful sunrise.

Another beautiful sunrise

Early morning colours

What a gorgeous sunrise

The lodge in the early morning colours

*With the Springboks walking off the field victorious, we decided to explore another trail that Stuart had told us about. Later in the afternoon, Stuart also had a wonderful surprise for us – you can read about that here.

At our last dinner we were treated to more stories from Stuart and his friends. We had such a wonderful time at Outspan Safaris and Lodge and wouldn’t mind going there again. The beautiful surroundings, kindness of the people and delicious food will undoubtedly call any visitor back.

Our last dinner at Outspan

Lovely sunset over the pool at Outspan Safaris and Lodge

We will be writing a few more posts about our time at Outspan Safaris and Lodge. Next week we’ll tell you about our first hiking trail where we saw the Kei River (and encountered a very steep climb).