Hotel Botlierskop Private Game Reserve (Mossel Bay, South Africa)

Nestled in the foothills of the majestic Outeniqua Mountains of South Africa’s verdant Garden Route, lies Botlierskop Game Reserve. This 4.200 hectare Private Reserve is home to over 26 mammal species, including four of the Big Five, rare Bontebok antelope and the highly-endangered Cape Mountain Zebra, over 200 species of birds and an inestimable number of endemic fynbos and flora. The original Botlierskop Farm was bought in 1996 by Dr Dirk Neetling, a veterinarian with a passion for wildlife and conservation. After four years of painstaking rehabilitation of the land, long-absent wildlife was reintroduced. The reserve welcomed its first visitors in 2000. Dirk was the mastermind behind the successful breeding of rare Black Impala which are now resident here. Named for its striking, almost mushroom-shaped rock formation that dominates the area, Botlierskop has been a landmark of the area for hundreds of years.