Mont Eco Private Game Reserve is a place where ancient landscapes, thriving wildlife, and heartfelt conservation come together. Rooted in history and shaped by vision, Mont Eco is a sanctuary where the African Big Five roam freely, and where the rhythms of the Klein Karoo guide every part of life on the reserve.
More than 30 years ago, a young conservationist named Craig Saunders dreamt of creating a Big Five wilderness reserve of his own. Working as a ranger in the Sabi Sand ignited a lifelong bond with the bush - and especially with elephants.
When he couldn’t be in nature, he painted wildlife and captured the bush through a camera lens, piecing together fragments of a vision that refused to fade.
A pivotal moment came during an excursion to Botswana’s Okavango Delta, where Craig encountered a group of elephants being rehabilitated back into the wild. That moment - raw, powerful, transformative - set the course for the rest of his life.
It became clear:
His dream would always centre around elephants, conservation, and restoring land to its ancient beauty.
Through years of dedication, entrepreneurial work, and unwavering focus, Craig and his wife Ann purchased what was then a simple nature reserve in 2015. From there, Mont Eco began its metamorphosis: from a self-catering farm to a fully restored, ecologically authentic Big Five reserve.
“I never knew of a morning in the Klein Karoo where I woke up and was not happy.”
Spread across 6,750 hectares, Mont Eco is home to ancient fossils, San and Bushman rock art, and historic remnants dating back thousands of years. The reserve sits within the extraordinary Cape Floral Kingdom, surrounded by three major biomes - Nama Karoo, Succulent Karoo, and Fynbos.
These ecosystems create one of the most biodiverse regions in Africa, rich with hardy succulents, aromatic shrubs, and rare plant species found nowhere else in the world.
When new custodians took ownership in 2015, they began the monumental task of restoring the land to its natural state. Years of careful rehabilitation revived the fynbos, rejuvenated old riverbeds, and brought back the ecological harmony that once shaped this landscape.
After extensive research into species that historically roamed the Klein Karoo, Mont Eco successfully reintroduced the African Big Five:
Lion
Leopard
Elephant
Rhino
Buffalo
Today, these iconic animals live in balance with herds of eland, springbok, wildebeest, oryx, klipspringer, giraffe, brown hyena, and aardvark - re-establishing the wildlife patterns last seen here centuries ago.
Mont Eco Private Game Reserve stands as a powerful example of what can happen when land is restored with intention, respect, and love.
Far from city lights, Mont Eco offers some of the most awe-inspiring stargazing opportunities in South Africa. The clarity of the night sky transforms evenings into a celestial theatre, perfect for astrophotography or simply reconnecting with the silence of nature.
Everything at Mont Eco is designed to honour the wilderness.
Structures are handcrafted from natural wood and stone, built to blend seamlessly into the landscape. Being fully off-grid means no powerlines, no visual interruptions - just the sweeping beauty of the Klein Karoo, uninterrupted.
Mont Eco reflects the rhythms of the Karoo: slow, grounded, intentional, and deeply connected to the land.
This project has brought:
The mountains
The plains
Old river systems
And the wildlife of the Karoo
back to life, creating a thriving ecosystem as it existed in the early 1800s.
The lodge, handcrafted on the footprint of an ancient river bend, features seven private suites, each with its own character and connection to the surrounding wilderness. Every detail is designed to honour the land rather than compete with it.
Mont Eco is not just a reserve - it is a dream realised, a landscape restored, and a sanctuary for wildlife and people seeking deeper connection. It is a place where nature leads, where conservation is personal, and where every sunrise feels like a beginning.
This is the Mont Eco story - written over thousands of years, rekindled in 2015, and unfolding still today.
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