Woodbury Lodge

Set spectacularly against a cliff above the Bushman’s River valley, Woodbury is a four star lodge on the malaria-free Amakhala Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. We are an intimate, family-run lodge, taking special care in providing heartfelt service and a memorable safari experience.

Woodbury Lodge is an ideal destination for families, small groups or those seeking a romantic retreat to relax and enjoy the African bush together. Guests are accommodated in seven comfortably appointed stone-and-thatch sleeping lodges, nestled within an indigenous forest.

Each room has air-conditioning, spacious en-suite bathrooms with heated floors and a private deck with magnificent views over the plains. The seclusion of each suite enables our guests to enjoy the unique setting and breathtaking views at their leisure. Exciting wildlife such as elephants, zebra and giraffe are regularly seen from these lookouts!

Game Drives on Amakhala Game Reserve are sure to be one of the highlights of your stay at Woodbury Lodge. These are conducted by our professional field guides who are passionate about the African bush; join them in tracking down the Big Five and other exciting wildlife such as zebra, giraffe and hippos that Amakhala has to offer.

A range of extra activities can also be booked at the lodge during your stay, including guided bush walks, river cruises and horse trail safaris. We are tremendously proud of our staff at Woodbury Lodge, whose friendliness and attention to detail are a hallmark of our accommodation.

It is this outstanding service, along with hearty South African meals, fantastic game viewing and our intimate bush setting that will make your African safari an unforgettable experience.

For guests who are excited by the prospect of a safari on Amakhala Game Reserve but may prefer a “glamping” environment, take a look at our other accommodation in the Woodbury portfolio, three star Woodbury Tented Camp.

KING/TWIN ROOM
Woodbury Lodge has seven elegant stone-and-thatch lodges, each with its own private balcony and magnificent views of the Amakhala Game Reserve. Natural furnishings are combined with contemporary finishes to create a restful but stylish ambiance.

Each lodge has a tea station, mini bar fridge and air conditioning. The spacious en-suite bathrooms have underfloor heating and the baths are adjacent to large windows, allowing for your own private view of the bushveld. The beds are equipped with mosquito nets and electric blankets to keep you warm during those cold nights.

The seclusion of the lodges away from the communal areas allows guests to enjoy the breathtaking views at their leisure while surrounded by the sounds of the African bush.

Stone walkways meandering through the indigenous trees connect each lodge to the lounge and dining room. Free WI-FI is available in the dining room and communal lounge areas. All meals, drinks and game drives are included.

FAMILY ROOM
Woodbury Lodge has two family-friendly stone-and-thatch lodges, each with its own private balcony and magnificent views of the Amakhala Game Reserve. The furnishings reflect the tranquility of the African bush with modern comforts, creating a restful and stylish atmosphere.

Each Family Lodge sleeps up to four guests, separated by a wall partition to provide privacy. As with our other lodges, each Family Lodge has a tea station, mini bar fridge and air conditioning.

The spacious en-suite bathroom has underfloor heating and the large window adjacent to the bathtub allows for your own private view of the bushveld. All beds are equipped with mosquito nets and electric blankets to keep you warm during those cold nights.

The seclusion of the lodges away from the communal areas allow guests to enjoy the breathtaking views at their leisure while surrounded by the sounds of the African bush. Stone walkways meandering through the indigenous trees connect each lodge to the lounge and dining room.

Free WI-FI is available in the dining room and lounge. All meals, drinks and game drives are included. Specialized children’s bags are provided to keep the little ones occupied between drives.

For bookings with children aged 6 – 11 years sharing a Family Room with parents, a supplement charge of 50% of the adult sharing rate will apply per child per night. We regret no children under 6 years old.

GAME DRIVES
Game drives are sure to be one of the highlights of your stay with us. The drives are conducted in open 4×4 vehicles by our friendly and professional guides who are passionate about the African bush. Morning drives depart in time for the African sunrise (after a quick cup of coffee at the lodge, of course).

This is the best time to look for some exciting species that are active at this time, such as lions. Mid-way through the drive your guide will find a good spot for a break and you will be welcome to disembark the vehicle and enjoy home-made biscuits and tea or coffee.

Afternoon drives depart mid-afternoon and go into the early evening, including a stop for sundowners to stretch your legs and sample South African snacks such as biltong, while sipping on a drink of your choice.

As you make your way back to the lodge after the sun has set, there’s a chance to see the weird and wonderful nocturnal wildlife emerging, such as springhare, brown hyaena and porcupine.

Game drives afford our guests the opportunity to explore the diverse landscapes of Amakhala Game Reserve, from its towering cliffs and the meandering Bushman’s River to open grasslands and dune forests.

Our guides will do their best to find as many special wildlife sightings for you as possible, and don’t be shy to tell them which animals you’d like to see the most on your safari! Expect to learn about more than just the big animals, too: our guides are knowledgeable about birds, trees, reptiles and much more.

Amakhala Game Reserve is a complex and diverse ecosystem, providing habitat for over 60 mammal species, including the Big 5. The reserve is also home to hippos, cheetah, giraffe, zebra and numerous antelope, as well as over 250 species of birds. Here you can return to nature and experience the abundant wildlife, diverse vegetation and dramatic landscape of the Eastern Cape.

NIGHT DRIVES
When the sun goes down the diurnal (daytime) animals go to sleep and the nocturnal (nighttime) animals come out to play. Join your guide as they go in search of the more elusive species such as brown hyena, aardvark and porcupine under the spectacular African stars.

GUIDED BUSH WALKS
Discover the bush on foot with your guide as you explore the non-Big 5 side of Amakhala. Encounter herbivore species such as zebra, giraffe and a variety of antelope at ground level while tapping into the lesser-known world of trees, birds, insects and more.

GUIDED BIG 5 GAME WALKS
Stand a chance to encounter the Big 5 of Amakhala Game Reserve on a wilderness walk with a fully qualified Trails Guide, along with the diverse flora and fauna that the reserve has to offer. These walks are provided by independent trails guides and are subject to availability. Participants must be in physically good health. We regret no persons under the age of 16.

AMAKHALA HORSE TRAILS 
Amakhala Horse Trails is run by Giles Gush, a founding member of Amakhala Game Reserve and Woodbury Tented Camp, along with Woodbury Tented Camp Manager, Katrin Barlow. It started out as an idea inspired by guests requesting horse rides in the area, and became a reality after they came across an urgent sale of 12 horses in the local newsletter.

Today, guests at any lodge or camp at Amakhala Game Reserve can enjoy a personalised horse trail ride, an ideal activity between game drives. All horse trails are led by experienced and knowledgeable guides, equipped with first aid kits and two-way radios.

When they aren’t on the trail, the sure-footed and reliable horses roam freely on Giles’ farm Brentwood. Each day, the horses come to the stables to receive natural grain and grooming.

Amakhala Horse Trails offers a unique perspective of the bush: elevated on horseback, riders can enjoy incredible views of the surrounding landscape while gliding easily and quietly across terrain often inaccessible by vehicle.

The unobtrusive nature of a horseback safari also allows riders to encounter wildlife such as eland, wildebeest, zebra, hartebeest and giraffe at close quarters. The trails provide an opportunity to explore 1700 hectares of African bush on horseback, including the chance to canter across open plains, take a slow trot to appreciate the views or walk quietly along secluded riverbanks.

Horseback safaris typically last from two to three hours, and the speed of the trail ride is adjusted to the riders’ level of experience. This allows plenty of time for wildlife viewing and finding the perfect spot to rest the horses and enjoy refreshments and snacks.

Amakhala Horse Trails caters for small groups of up to 6 intermediate to experienced riders. Experienced younger riders between 10 and 15 years old may also join, if accompanied by a parent or guardian.

MAKHANDA (GRAHAMSTOWN)
This 1820 Settler town is only a 30 minutes drive from Woodbury Lodge. Makhanda is situated in Frontier Country and maintains its small-town while paying tribute to the turbulent past of the region. Beautifully preserved historical buildings line the streets and jacaranda trees colour the town purple every summer.

At over 160 years old the Albany Museum is the second oldest museum in South Africa. The museum’s collective includes the Natural Sciences Museum which houses a reconstruction of the first known dinosaur in the Southern Hemisphere. Paranthodon africanus was discovered by Andrew Bain and William Atherstone in 1845 on what is now Amakhala Game Reserve!

Makhanda also hosts the National Arts Festival in July every year. This is South Africa’s biggest arts and culture festival offering music, dance and art and attracting visitors and performers from far and wide.

PORT ALFRED & KENTON ON SEA
Port Alfred and Kenton-on-Sea are found in the heart of the sunshine coast, approximately an hour and a half from Amakhala Game Reserve. Picturesque scenery and beautiful beaches make these coastal towns a popular holiday destination both nationally and internationally. Boats and canoes may be hired for river activities on the Kariega and Bushman’s Rivers, or a game of golf enjoyed at the Royal Port Alfred Club.

GQEBERHA (PORT ELIZABETH) 
Port Elizabeth, now formally called Gqeberha, is known as the “Friendly City” and overlooks Algoa Bay. The city dates back to the arrival by sea of 4000 British settlers in 1820 and the province is also famous for having been the birth place of Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa who was a leading figure in the struggle against Apartheid and led South Africa into democracy. Port Elizabeth is just an hour’s drive from Woodbury Lodge.

PE is now one of South Africa’s largest cities with an international port and the main airport in the Eastern Cape. There are many activities on offer in Port Elizabeth including seasonal whale-watching excursions, historical attractions, craft markets, shopping malls, pubs, restaurants and late night music spots.

THE HISTORY
Richard and Margaret Gush arrived in the Eastern Cape on board the Brilliant in the year of 1820 from their home village of Beer, England, along with 5000 British Settlers hoping to make a new life for themselves in Africa. They settled in what would become the village of Salem in the Albany District.

In 1853 Richard’s son, Joseph, bought the farm of Klipgat, meaning “Rocky Gorge”, near the village of Sidbury in 1853, renaming it to Woodbury after a neighbouring village in England.

Unbeknown to Joseph, this would form part of Amakhala Game Reserve nearly 150 years later. Joseph’s grandsons, Joe, Rex and Gurn, farmed the land with beef cattle, dairy and fruit orchards. Their brother, Ron Gush, was killed in action in WWII while serving in Italy.

John and Henry Gush were the fourth generation to farm on Woodbury, and were joined in time by their sons, Richard and Giles. At that time, land-use on Woodbury was beef cattle, Angora goats, chicory and lucerne.

When the decision was taken by the founding families to start Amakhala Game Reserve, the Gush partnership of Giles and Richard, along with their wives Jennifer and Cathy, turned their attention to providing accommodation for the guests that they hoped would visit this ecotourism destination.

The initial idea was to build a tented camp along the Bushman’s River. However, the views from the ridgeline to the north-east were too appealing, and the decision was made to build Woodbury Lodge into the thicketed and boulder-strewn slopes above the river basin.

Using mostly farm employees and material from the farm itself, the Gushes oversaw the construction of three thatched sleeping lodges and a kitchen-dining room lodge.

The signing of the Amakhala constitution took place on the deck at Woodbury Lodge on 29 October 1999. In the ensuing years, four more sleeping lodges, a lounge, pools and an outdoor dining area were added, while still retaining the intimate bush setting.

In 2002, the Gush partnership added a rustic camp on a wooded hilltop to the west of the lodge, using traditional ox wagons as sleeping units. In 2005 this was transformed into a tented camp and hosted the Field Guide Training Academy, Ulovane, for four years.

The camp was also used as a base for vet courses run by William Fowlds for a few years before becoming a camp exclusively for safari visitors. In 2018, Woodbury Tented Camp was expanded to its current capacity of 10 tents.

The layout of the camp was specifically designed to recreate the memory of previous bush camps hosted by the farmers in the area, with paths woven in amongst indigenous bush between the tents and a central campfire built in a small clearing.

As part of this historical atmosphere, sneezewood poles that had originally been harvested from the Alexandria forest and used as fence posts by Giles’ grandfather were planted along the paths – a symbolic return to nature after 100 years in an agricultural setting.

The development of Woodbury Lodge and Woodbury Tented Camp has always had a generational aspect, with John, Jennie, Henry and Cam Gush – Richard and Giles’ parents, respectively – supporting the transformation from agriculture to tourism.

In the early days of hosting guests, Richard & Cathy and Giles & Jennifer worked at the coal face of the business, cooking meals, hosting guests and guiding the game drives, while the grandparents helped with much needed child-minding and home-keeping duties.

As the business grew, employment opportunities could be offered to more people, particularly local families who previously had only one or two members working on the Gush farms of Beacon Hill and Brentwood.

This was a key aspect to the development of Woodbury Lodge and Tented Camp and today the two ecotourism products provide meaningful employment to 50 people.

Additionally, Jennifer and Cathy have managed to incorporate their independent skills into the Amakhala sphere by heading up community engagement and environmental education based at the Amakhala Conservation Centre. This commitment to community and conservation has defined the Gush family’s philosophy.

CONSERVATION LEVY
The Amakhala Conservation Levy is designed with two functions in mind. The first is to fund the reserve’s anti-poaching unit and a dedicated rhino monitoring program to protect the rhinos of Amakhala Game Reserve. In this way, every guest who visits Woodbury Lodge contributes to the preservation of this iconic species.

Secondly, a portion of the levy is administered by the Amakhala Foundation to maintain and expand our award winning Conservation Education Programs. Every year, over 2000 people including children from local communities visit the Amakhala Conservation Centre to learn about wildlife conservation and sustainability for future generations.

AMAKHALA FOUNDATION 
The Amakhala Foundation is home to the community and conservation projects of the Amakhala Game Reserve, as well as the educational projects of the Amakhala Conservation Centre. It was established in 2009 to coincide with the Reserve’s 10th anniversary.

The Foundation is overseen by a Trust with five members and its two focal points are Environmental Education and Literacy and Education in the community.

In addition, the Foundation manages Lifeskills and Community Development projects for Amakhala staff and their families, as well as projects that uplift the Broader Community, such as the Amakhala Craft Centre and support for the Isipho Charity Trust.

The Amakhala Foundation’s goal is to build strong individuals, families and communities in the rural and conservation context in which the reserve is located. From relying heavily on the commercial lodges for practical and financial assistance after its inception, the Amakhala Foundation now has an independent budget.

This is funded by the Conservation Levy paid by guests staying at Amakhala’s commercial lodges, as well as fundraising initiatives such as the sale of reusable water bottles.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
The Foundation’s Environmental Education programme aims to cultivate an understanding and love of nature in the children who visit the Amakhala Conservation Centre (ACC), thus increasing awareness so that future generations can protect and enjoy our natural habitats.

Local primary school children attend education days at the ACC, notably during National Water Week in March, on World Environment Day in June, and during Arbor Week in September.

High school pupils are sponsored to enjoy a day of learning about habitats and ecosystems as well as experiencing the animals in their natural environment while on a game drive. A partnership with Coaching for Conservation also sees numerous 10 year olds learning about rhino while playing soccer.

University students benefit educationally by visiting the Centre and conduct specialised research projects within the reserve. Each year, close to 2000 people, young and old, are able to connect with nature through these different programmes. University students from Rhodes University and NMU have the opportunity to run selected research projects on the Reserve.

CRAFT CENTRE
Unemployed members of the local community are given an opportunity to generate income through our Craft Centre, where beaded articles, sewing items and printed items are sold. Beaded rhino medals are lovingly produced each year for a Rhino Run organised in the USA by Texas Christian University.

The beaded items are made by a group of local women working from their homes, while the sewing is done on site by a woman who operates her own small business within the Centre.

Beaded bracelets made by the teenagers of the Isipho Project in nearby Paterson are also sold here. One-quarter of the sale price of the bracelets goes to a bursary fund to assist one or more of these teenagers with some tertiary education after leaving school.

Duduzile Dumana is the first recipient of this bursary and recently graduated with a diploma in Journalism at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth. Guests and members of the public may visit the Craft Centre during the week to purchase articles and meet Feziwe, the co-ordinator.

ISIPHO CHARITY TRUST
The Isipho Charity Trust is an independent charity operating through a Centre in the nearby town of Paterson. It supports over 300 children through 2 preschool classes, an after-care programme, feeding scheme, materials support for schooling, and psycho-social support. It also provides much-needed HIV/AIDS education in the local community.

Amakhala has been part of Isipho’s development almost from the outset: assisting with food parcels, raising half the funding required for the Isipho Charity Trust to buy its own property, and giving time and expertise through the services of two Amakhala members that serve on the Isipho Board.

The Amakhala Volunteer programme also makes a valuable contribution to this organization by providing manpower to assist with general maintenance of the property, the after-care programme and the running of computer classes, as well as beading afternoons.

EDUCATION & SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Staff members have been put through various in-house training programmes on an ongoing basis, to enable them to take on new positions and responsibilities. Staff are involved in Hospitality/Guiding Learnerships, leadership, parenting and financial skills training.

Young children of staff families have access to a bursary for the nearby local school, ensuring that the children can live at home and attend school until they are 10 years old. The Amakhala Foundation also provides funding for one small preschool –known as iJosi, and plans are afoot to open a second preschool.

Rooms: 7

Price: from 431 EUR per night

Source: www.woodbury.co.za