The results of the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards 2025 are out, and we are thrilled that Samara Karoo Reserve is recognized as one of the top resorts in South Africa.
Condé Nast Traveller received more than 182,500 survey responses from readers across the United Kingdom rating their travel experiences across the globe to offer a comprehensive look at the places they eagerly anticipate revisiting. The Readers' Choice Awards, with their unparalleled legacy as the travel industry's longest-running and most prestigious accolades, remain the ultimate symbol and acknowledgment of excellence within the travel sector.
“Thank you to all our dear supporters and partners in conservation and travel for voting for us. It means a great deal to us that once again we have been voted into the Condé Nast Traveller UK Readers’ Choice Awards and without your vote it would not have been possible,” says Sarah Tompkins, Co-Founder of Samara Karoo Reserve.
Samara Karoo Reserve offers a private luxury safari experience where every guest’s stay is thoughtfully tailored, combining world-class comfort, exclusive wildlife encounters and personalized service in the heart of South Africa’s breathtaking Great Karoo. Three intimate and authentic lodges provide quality accommodation that celebrates the Karoo’s unique style, traditions and soulfulness – Karoo Lodge, The Manor and Plains Camp. By choosing to visit Samara, guests actively contribute to the ongoing restoration and preservation of the Great Karoo's unique biodiversity, ensuring its magic endures for future generations.
Samara’s low-footprint approach to tourism ensures an exclusive wilderness experience for guests, inspiring a deep connection with the wild spaces of the Karoo. Guided by our philosophy of positively impacting our sphere of influence, Samara’s commitment to purpose-driven business extends beyond biodiversity conservation to provide opportunities for local people, celebrate the Karoo’s cultural heritage and minimise our carbon footprint. We believe that a world in which biodiversity and humanity thrive is well within reach.
The 2025 Readers' Choice Awards are published on Condé Nast Traveller's website at https://www.cntraveller.com/inspiration/readers-choice-awards.
Samara Karoo Reserve is a leading conservation journey to restore 67,000 acres of South Africa’s Great Karoo landscape and beyond through rewilding and responsible tourism. Staying at one of Samara’s lodges acts as a direct contribution to this vision.