About Us

Mont Eco Game Reserve is a 6 500 ha (16 000 acres) farm in the Klein Karoo in the Western Cape that has historic remnants, Bushman paintings and fossils, dating back thousands of years, spread over this vast landscape. The reserve falls within the Cape Floral Kingdom, encompassing three significant biomes: Nama Karoo, Succulent Karoo and Fynbos. Caring custodians have restored the reserve to pristine fynbos and succulent vegetation and now boast an impressive diversity of succulent plant species.

In late 2015, under new ownership, work commenced on the mammoth task of restoring the farm to its natural state.

Iconic Karoo species such as Brown Hyena, Aardvark, Oryx and Klipspringer occur naturally in this unique landscape, and herds of Eland, Springbok, Wildebeest, and Giraffe roam the parched plains of the “Klein Karoo” as they did centuries ago. After thorough research into the animal species that previously inhabited this region, the African Big Five – Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo have successfully been reintroduced to Mont Eco Game Reserve.

This unique project now has an opportunity to showcase the distinctive landscape and ecosystem as nature intended it to be, with the mountains, rivers, plains, and vegetation coming back to life.

The night skies offer an alternative to tech-powered entertainment with a nightly show of spectacular stargazing and astrophotography opportunities.

ETHOS 

Mont Eco has a philosophy of ‘less is better’. The man-made wood and stone structures are unobtrusive and designed to blend into the landscape’s natural beauty. Being off the grid, no unsightly powerlines spoil a Karoo sunset.

Mont Eco embraces and reflects the rhythms of the Karoo.

Over 30 years ago a young and aspiring conservationist, Craig Saunders started an ambitious journey of establishing a Big 5 reserve in a wildernesses space of his own.
This desire came about when he was a young man working in the Sabi Sand as a Game Ranger. “The bush had a profound effect on me and the connection I made with nature never left me. At times when I could not be in nature, I used photography and wildlife painting as an escape to slowly stitch together this dream of owning an African farm. During his time in the Lowveld, Craig developed a special love for elephants and it was this connection that set him on the most important leg of his journey.

Craig worked in Travel marketing and started an advertising agency in the 80’s and it is no coincidence that his marketing agency was called “scarab marketing” the idea was conceptualised around the dung beetle, Craig harnessed  the significance of the ancient scarab and the role it played into the mythology and the evolution of life.
During an excursion into Botswana Craig had a life changing experience with a group of African elephants in the Okavango Delta. Craig was introduced to a group of elephants that were being rehabilitated back into the wild. This experience was to ultimately forge the direction of his life and begin his a journey in life “amongst elephants”

“I lived my wildlife dream through working with “wildlife industry” clients who were specifically in the hospitality industry, this gave me a way to operate in a space that I felt deeply connected to my dream and at the same time I was able to a sound financial plan that could ultimately “pay for the dream”
I never lost focus and although the journey to get there proved to be challenging, it was the “challenge to live my dream with elephants” that made me push through. I just needed to believe it.

Mont Eco a private nature reserve was to become the canvas where Craig would finally construct his “ ultimate elephant dream” in a project of land rehabilitation and wildlife reintroduction and ultimately elephant rehabilitation.
This unique project has brought the mountains, plains and old rivers back to life.
Herds of eland, springbok, wildebeest, and giraffe roam the parched plains of the “Klein Karoo” as they have through the centuaries
now today, Elephant scour the river beds foraging freely on the acacia trees and lion own the veld and it inhabitants once more, as it has always been.

When Craig and Ann purchased Mont Eco what was then a declared nature reserve with self-catering cabins  in 2015, their intention was always using this special space to return the 6350 ha farm to its natural state back in early 1800’s
Mont eco was repopulated with endemic species returning the reserve into an authentic big 5 reserve.
Lodge facilities were sensitively build on a historic footprint designed to carve out 7 beautifully appointed private suites on an ancient river bend, each one sensitively ‘touched’ and handcrafted in its own unique character and style.