Travel report Mont Eco Private Game Reserve (South Africa)
Mont Eco Game Reserve and Kingsley Lodge
Mont Eco is a private game reserve covering almost 70 km² in the Little Karoo region of South Africa. The only lodge in the area is Kingsley Lodge, which has seven suite villas and opened in 2022. Two family villas are currently under construction.
The lodge is a five-star establishment with rates starting at €1,700 per night per suite. Interestingly, drinks are not included in this price, which is unusual in South Africa.
The Mont Eco concept is clearly designed for safari beginners who are looking for a safari with luxurious accommodation and excellent food, but who are also extremely happy with the few animals in the park. The lodge is less recommended for ambitious photographers or safari connoisseurs, unless you are in Cape Town and want to somehow incorporate a safari into your trip, which was the case for us.
Where are Mont Eco and Kingsley Lodge located?
What you should definitely keep in mind:
Local currencies: South African rand: “ZAR,” but US dollars are also widely accepted and welcome in lodges. Bring small USD bills for tips. Money can be easily withdrawn from any ATM. Credit cards are also accepted everywhere.
Vaccinations: No vaccinations are required for travelers coming from Germany. However, the standard vaccinations are recommended; see the suggestions from the Foreign Office. Malaria prophylaxis is not absolutely necessary between May and October, but of course everyone must decide for themselves.
Luggage: Your camera equipment should definitely be taken on board, so pay attention to cabin luggage dimensions (!). Otherwise, any type of suitcase or bag will do.
Clothing: Layering is best, along with functional clothing and sturdy shoes.
Getting to Mont Eco
Most visitors arrive at Mont Eco Private Game Reserve from Cape Town, and for many, the journey is part of the experience, as most guests actually come from the Mother City to enjoy a safari with the shortest possible travel time.
The journey starts in Cape Town and initially follows the N1 towards Worcester. After the Huguenot Tunnel, the landscape opens up and you reach the Breede River Valley. From Worcester, the route continues towards Robertson and then along well-maintained country roads to the Klein Karoo, where Mont Eco Private Game Reserve is located.
The route is scenically diverse – vineyards, mountain passes, and wide Karoo plains – and takes about 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on traffic. This is precisely why Mont Eco is particularly popular with Cape Towners who want to experience an authentic safari without having to travel far inland.
Kingsley Lodge in Mont Eco
The main house has a beautiful pool and three cabanas, as well as additional loungers and seating areas. However, there is little shade, which can be a bit of a problem, especially during the hot season.
The main house also has a small shop selling a variety of African trinkets and the usual range of jackets, shirts, hats, etc., all bearing the Mont Eco logo.
From the main house, you can also reach the higher viewpoint, which is ideal for getting a beautiful overview of the entire area or enjoying a glass of wine in the evening while watching the sunset.
There is also a so-called games room in the main building, which unfortunately has a TV, but also a pool table and a small selection of games.
What is not yet available is a spa, which is also a novelty in this price range and a great pity, as the rather short safari drives would leave plenty of time for it.
Kingsley Lodge Suites
The suites are equipped with all the comforts you would expect from a five-star hotel. Nespresso machine, coffee maker, stove, refrigerator, sink, a large king-size bed, air conditioning, an oven for cold days, and a fan. There are no mosquito nets, as the lodge is located in a malaria-free area.
What is not available, for example, is an outdoor shower, although the very large deck belonging to each villa would easily accommodate one. This is a shame, as outdoor showers often give you the feeling of really being in the wilderness.
Meals at Mont Eco
There are three meals a day and the food is of the highest quality. For breakfast, you can choose from a small buffet for cold dishes. Hot dishes must be ordered.
For lunch and dinner, you choose from a menu. At lunchtime, there is one dish, and at dinner, there is a three-course menu.
The service is good, but the wait between courses is very long, and you also have to wait an extremely long time for your hot food at breakfast, which can be a little annoying.
Breakfast and lunch are served in a small pavilion, while dinner is served in the main building. We found the musical entertainment coming from the speakers interesting, as they played every kind of music style except African.
Service Mont Eco
The service can be described as courteous and good. The staff were always attentive and special requests were always fulfilled. The refrigerator in the suites was restocked daily and cleaned twice a day, once for the day and once for the night. The overall cleanliness is excellent.
Game Drives Mont Eco
There are two game drives every day, which start at different times depending on the season. As the area is not particularly large, the morning and evening game drives, including a sundowner in the evening and coffee in the morning, only last around 2-2.5 hours.
In winter, the game drives start at 6:00 a.m. and you are back at camp for breakfast at around 8:30 a.m. In summer, however, the game drive does not start until after breakfast at 9:00 a.m. and you are back at camp at around 11:30 a.m.
The evening game drive starts at 5:00 p.m. in winter and you are back at camp by 7:30 p.m. at the latest. In summer, the game drive starts at 4:00 p.m.
A zoom lens such as the 180-600mm is best for photos and videos, and of course a cell phone for close-ups. Nothing else is really needed.
Seats in the safari car in Mont Eco
This was the most annoying thing for us and totally unexpected for a lodge in this price range. The safari cars are packed with up to 9 people!
Given the price of this lodge, this is actually unacceptable and urgently needs to be improved. As the area is not particularly large, the guides drive extremely slowly, but still try to vary the area a little on each drive. They also try to drive “alone,” so that the two vehicles do not meet in the area, which usually works.
Mont Eco is a Big 5 Reserve
Mont Eco is considered a Big Five area, which means that you should be able to see lions, rhinos, leopards, elephants, and buffalos. However, the chances of seeing a leopard here are less than 10%, and with fewer than ten lions and fewer than ten elephants in the area, you also need to be lucky. Your best bet is at one of the waterholes, where you can also admire the only hippopotamus in the park.
However, there are large numbers of giraffes and eland antelopes, as well as a large number of springboks. The area is also home to a wide variety of birds, especially songbirds.
In terms of landscape, the area offers a beautiful contrast to what you would otherwise experience near Kruger Park. There are many mountains, rocks, and gravel roads, but little taller vegetation. This is why the animals need to be fed, as antelopes in particular would not be able to survive in this area otherwise, as there is little water and therefore little grass or other things that antelopes need to survive.
One advantage is that you are currently still allowed to get out of your car and go on “food walks.” It remains to be seen whether this will remain the case as the lion pride grows larger.
What is also very strange is that you don’t drive off-road here, even though it is a private game reserve. The drivers also keep a relatively large distance from the animals, and this only changes when the animals themselves come to the cars. This is not necessarily a good starting point for photographers either.
Lions, rhinos, eland antelopes, and African ibexes are regularly seen, as well as ostriches, elephants, and, with a little luck, kudus and buffalos. There are also a large number of giraffes. All other sightings are purely a matter of luck.
Conclusion Mont Eco
Mont Eco is – with some reservations – the ideal safari destination for beginners if you are visiting the Western Cape, the Winelands, and Cape Town anyway and want to combine the whole thing with a safari.
Mont Eco offers top-class cuisine and excellent accommodation. The pool is also a highlight, and currently there are only 14 guests (although this will change with the family suites currently under construction).
You will definitely see four of the Big 5, but overall the safari experience is rather modest, especially for experienced safari lovers, and there are clearly better opportunities for photographers, just not in the greater Cape Town area. We would therefore visit Mont Eco again if we were near Cape Town, but only for two nights instead of three.
Want to order a calendar from our photo trip?
as of 18,90€, from A2-A5
What photography equipment should you take to Mont Eco?
The photographic equipment we took with us is listed below. You can also order the photographic equipment we used directly from our photo-Shop and request further technical details. There are also lots of extras available there.
Cameras:
- Z8 (Nikon)
- Iphone 16 Pro Max
Lenses:
- Z 70-200mm f/2.8 (Nikon)
- Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 (Nikon)