Take a walk on the wild side with Eloise

With the recent global health crisis leaving many people feeling alone and isolated, Buffelsdrift Game lodge has decided to counter that isolation and bring our family closer together than ever before. Today we’re meeting Eloise Olivier, one of our trained nature guides at the lodge, and taking a peek into her day-to-day world.Eloise has flung herself fully into her role as Nature Guide here at Buffelsdrift, but that’s pretty typical for her. She’s always been active, and loves spending her free time in a vast array of sports, (from netball to squash) as well as enjoying the pool. She makes certain to squeeze a little self-care in with naps, however, so she doesn’t get fits of the grumps.Eloise hails from the Cape originally, but has spent almost a decade in the beautiful surrounds of Oudtshoorn. This has given her the chance to have some spectacular wildlife encounters. She was actually one of the very first guides to spot our rhinos after their acclimatization, coming across them during a night drive. She’s also been chased by a buffalo in a rather hair-raising incident! Rhinos remain one of the animals Eloise enjoys seeing most on her drives. She’s also keen on zebras- and a massive fan of our elephant trio, of course. Then again, who isn’t?

Enjoying your time at Buffelsdrift

Her top tips for your time at Buffelsdrift? Be sure to book a dusk/evening safari drive, and don’t skip out on the lion experience and meerkat safari, either. She also suggests you load up on the spectacular food from the restaurant, too, and eat as much as you can.Eloise never pictured herself becoming a guide, and says for her it’s like a dream come true. She’s found the recent droughts in the Karoo to be an eye-opening, humbling experience that’s encouraged her to focus on the small joys in life and appreciate what you have. It’s also encouraged her to get involved in our habitat conservation project focusing on the spekboom. Not only is the spekboom an excellent converter of carbon dioxide, it’s also perfectly designed for semi-arid environments like the Karoo, a keystone native species, and one that provides food for many grazing animals. Our project is carefully balanced, and many other native species are also introduced at the same time, ensuring the unique character of the bush is maintained without detriment to the animals, birds or plants here. While we at the Lodge hope she gets to enjoy her dream of one day visiting New Zealand, we’re glad to have her on the team. If you’re keen to get the ball rolling on her suggested itinerary, we strongly suggest you check out our package deals, which will allow you to try out all the exciting experiences she recommends in one convenient package. Don’t forget to stop by our Buffelsdrift Game Lodge specials, too! Here we run exciting monthly promotions on both our accommodation and activities, and you’re sure to find a deal to delight your heart. The Lodge team, and Eloise, are looking forward to meeting you!