{"id":51,"date":"2022-11-16T09:25:12","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T09:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/indigo-cattle-968773.hostingersite.com\/?page_id=51"},"modified":"2026-06-30T14:08:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T13:08:37","slug":"over-ons","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/montecogamereserve.com\/nl\/over-ons\/","title":{"rendered":"Over ons"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nOur Story\n<\/div>

\nAbout Us\n<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>
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\nPreserving the Spirit of the Klein Karoo\n<\/h2>
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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<\/a><\/strong> roam freely<\/span>, and where the rhythms of the Klein Karoo guide every part of life on the reserve.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>

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\nA Dream Come True\n<\/h2>
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More than 30 years ago, a young conservationist named Craig Saunders<\/span> dreamt of creating a Big Five wilderness reserve of his own. Working as a ranger in the Sabi Sand<\/a> ignited a lifelong bond with the bush - and especially with elephants.<\/p>\n

When he couldn\u2019t be in nature, he painted wildlife and captured the bush through a camera lens, piecing together fragments of a vision that refused to fade.<\/p>\n

A pivotal moment came during an excursion to Botswana\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

It became clear:<\/p>\n

His dream would always centre around elephants, conservation, and restoring land to its ancient beauty.<\/p>\n

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<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>

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\nA Wilderness Reborn\n<\/h3>
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\u201cI never knew of a morning in the Klein Karoo where I woke up and was not happy.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Spread across 6,750 hectares<\/span>, Mont Eco is home to ancient fossils, San and Bushman rock art<\/a>, and historic remnants dating back thousands of years. The reserve sits within the extraordinary Cape Floral Kingdom<\/span><\/a>, surrounded by three major biomes - Nama Karoo<\/a>, Succulent Karoo<\/a>, and Fynbos<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

When new custodians took ownership in 2015<\/span>, 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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\nThe Return of the Big Five\n<\/h3>
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After extensive research into species that historically roamed the Klein Karoo, Mont Eco successfully reintroduced the African Big Five<\/span><\/a>:<\/p>\n