Ant’s Nest

Unique and rustic, the Weaver Suite is perfect for honeymooning couples. Authentic and colourful, the suite has exposed thatch ceilings which add safari character, and traditional rugs and faux animal skins cover the floors, adding touches of colour and warmth. A sitting area offers the perfect spot for guests to relax and unwind with a cup of tea or coffee while gazing out through the open wall, which fills the suite with natural light and fresh breezes.

A large king-size bed sits in the centre of the bedroom, covered in crisp white bedding and swathed in mosquito netting. A second bed can be added to the room if you are travelling with a child. The ensuite bathroom includes a shower and a feature stone bathtub, perfect for a relaxing soak.

Through French doors, guests can access the expansive private verandah where guests can unwind after a long day, with a glass of wine or beer from the in-room minibar, while gazing over the luscious valley. Private dinners can also be held on the verandah, allowing guests to dine uninterrupted under the wide starry sky.

Perfect for families the Sable Suite offers guests comfort and class, with authentic safari character running throughout the suite. This suite is spacious and comes with two bedrooms, a lounge area and a dining area. The master bedroom comes complete with a comfortable king-size bed which is covered in crisp bed linen and is draped in mosquito netting. An open plan ensuite bathroom attached to the master bedroom includes a deep bathtub for a relaxing soak and a spacious walk-in shower.

The second bedroom is an ensuite twin with the option of a third bed just outside the room for families with 3 children, and also the option to be converted into a double room. The spacious lounge and dining area offer guests a place to unwind if the weather is chillier and guests can enjoy a private dinner around the grand wooden dining table.

The suite comes complete with a private verandah where guests can unwind after a long day spent exploring the stunning surroundings. Enjoy a drink from your own mini-bar and gaze out over the luscious gardens and sweeping bushveld.

Perfect for couples, the Rondavel Suite is cosy and romantic. Built in a traditional African hut style, the rounded walls and exposed thatch ceilings add authentic safari character to the suite. A large wooden and rustic four-poster bed sits in the centre of the room, covered in crisp bed linens and plush cushions, and romantically swathed in mosquito netting. A second daybed can be added to the room if a child is travelling with you too.

The ensuite bathroom includes a bath and a shower, and a unique stone feature outdoor shower also comes complete with this suite. A private verandah area offers a peaceful view over the gardens and a comfortable daybed offers the perfect place to enjoy a shady afternoon siesta.

Two rooms make up the Davidson Suite at Ant’s Nest. A double room includes a comfortable double bed, dressed in red bed linens and plush cushions. This room comes with its own ensuite and includes doors that open onto the expansive verandah. The second bedroom is a twin bedroom, and also comes complete with its own ensuite and entry onto the verandah. These rooms can be booked individually or can be booked in conjunction with each other, as a spacious living room joins both bedrooms, making it perfect for families or a group of friends travelling together.

Guests can make their way to the main dining area for mealtimes, and can dine in the warm and comfortable dining room around a communal wooden table with traditional director style safari chairs. Food is prepared by professional chefs who create hearty and home-style meals. Guests can enjoy eating in the dining room or can dine in the garden area, surrounded by trees and underneath the wide starry sky.

With horses that are trained for professional riders and beginners alike. Beginners can take part in a lesson before they go out, and more established riders can head out in the company of two guides to enjoy seeing the bush from this unique perspective. While riding through the wilds become a part of the wilderness and view animals undisturbed and in their natural habitat. While not being ridden the horses at Ant’s Hill live and graze within the bush, meaning their presence isn’t startling to the other animals of the reserve.

Head out on a game drive, which is a traditional safari activity. Travel through the reserve in the comfort of a 4×4 safari vehicle and cover a large amount of land, creating the opportunity for some exceptional game viewing. With a knowledgeable and friendly guide, you will be taken to some of the best viewing spots, to possibly see lions, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, and many more wild animals. Guests can choose from a morning or an afternoon game drive, however, it is recommended to head out on both as such different experiences of the bush are offered on each.

Guests can head out on an immersive and interactive guided walk through the wilds of the bush. With knowledgeable and friendly guides guests can wander at their own pace, stopping to look at micro-ecosystems, such as insect life, or stopping to grab a pair of binoculars and look to the treetops for a colourful bird’s nest. This activity is the perfect experience for guests who love to walk and wish to feel at one with their surroundings.

For thrill-seekers, mountain biking is available. With a range of terrain, guests can choose a gentle bike ride across the grassy plains, or can enjoy a rougher route through areas of woodland and dusty tracks.

Craig the guide, who is based at Ant’s Hill, is an expert snake handler and can organise a snake-handling workshop at Ant’s Nest, perfect for fearless children and interested adults alike. While handling the snakes, guests will learn all about this amazing species.

Guests can enjoy an afternoon spent trying to master the art of archery. This activity has to be arranged in advance so Ant’s Hill has time to prepare the equipment for the activity.

Children can remain at the lodge in the care of childminders if parents wish to go out on a slightly more challenging walk or horse ride. While at the lodge children can enjoy an afternoon spent in the pool, fun on the trampoline, a game of badminton or volleyball on the courts or reading through a selection of books available.

For guests who wish to explore the area further then local excursions can be arranged. Guests can go and view the historic thatched church which was built in 1914, and can meet some of the locals here too. If guests wish they can also be taken into the local town where they can meet more locals and can purchase some authentic African arts and crafts.

Ant’s Hill is part of the Waterberg Nature Conservancy which is an area of land which is made up of various private reserves, in total covering an area of 30,000 ha. Part of the membership duty of this group is to actively promote and conserve the wilderness of the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve. Seeking to find a sustainable balance between education, conservation and community upliftment, past projects for the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve have included educating the local children on the importance of protecting the environment, removing an invasive species of Pompom weeds in Vaalwater, and modernising the infrastructure at Makapan World Heritage Site allowing more visitors to learn about the interesting heritage of this land.

Ant’s Hill employs most of the staff from the local community, and offers careers that are long-lasting. Further opportunities are offered by Ant’s Hill, with training and development offered to all staff in housekeeping, maintenance, kitchen work, and guiding. These opportunities are helpful to both staff and their families as it helps increase their employment options. Educational trips are also offered from Ant’s Hill. They believe that a desire to protect the environment can come from seeing the diverse and amazing animals in the wild. As such, they encourage school children from the surrounding areas to visit the reserve for the opportunity to see a rhino in the wild.

Close by to Ant’s Hill is the Waterberg Academy, which is an excellent school offering education from pre-prep to matric. With an active scholarship and bursary fund, guests of Ant’s Hill can sponsor a child through school, enabling them to receive a first-class education. As well as educating children to a high standard, this school is an eco-school and they are dedicated to teaching the importance of protecting the earth and conservation.

Founded in January 2020, Waterberg Rhino UK was set up to support the protection of one of the three largest remaining rhino populations, which reside within the Waterberg and the communities affected by the relentless horror of illegal poaching. The charity also works in partnership with other organisations within the Waterberg to support and ensure positive outcomes for the environment and communities, and to help improve the education on this subject matter.

Cape Buffalo wander around the reserve uninhibited due to their disease-free status. To maintain the healthy gene pool of buffalo, any animals which enter or leave the reserve are quarantined and tested for Tuberculosis, Foot and Mouth disease, Corridor, or Brucellosis to ensure no transmission is allowed into, or out of, the reserve.

After being hunted to near extinction, in 2001 the first sable antelopes were reintroduced to the Waterberg Reserve. Monitoring the herds, as well as translocating breeding groups has not only helped the population soar within the reserve but has reintroduced new sable antelope populations throughout Africa.

Yellow and Red-billed Oxpeckers have always been a natural solution to the problem of ticks and ectoparasites on cattle, however, a decline in these birds saw farmers starting to use a dip which contained arsenic to de-tick their cattle. This only further damaged the number of oxpeckers within the area, and almost caused the yellow-billed oxpecker to become extinct. This decline in oxpeckers led to an increase in tick numbers. Ant’s Hill is constantly helping to create innovative natural strategies to de-tick local cattle which harms neither the animal nor the surrounding environment and are reintroducing oxpeckers to the area. Oxpecker boxes have been installed around the reserve to help to attract Oxpecker’s back and assist them in their nesting season.

Ant’s Hill has installed Owl boxes near their stables to attract Barn owls to help naturally reduce the number of rodents which scurry around the stables. This way allows Ant’s Hill to completely stop using poison and traps and approach pest control in a more natural way.

Dams have been built in the erosion gullies of the reserve, which hold overflowing water from storms and safely lets the water flow back into the riverbed, or be absorbed by the soil. An effective method of erosion control has been implemented in the building of gabion basket overflows. Where patches of land have been overgrazed, bush packing is implemented, which helps to prevent erosion by stopping animals walking over the area, reducing surface water runoff, protects the soil from the sun, and offers seeds a better environment to germinate in.

Various trees and plants within the Waterberg Reserve need fire to be able to reproduce correctly. The Protea Tree is one such example, with its seeds in fireproof cones. After a fire, the cones dry out and the seeds are released to germinate soon after the first of the rains. Controlled burning is dual purpose, as it not only allows for the regeneration of some tree and plant species but it also helps to clear dead grasses and plants which prevent new and important growth.

The Ant Collection focuses on the removal of alien species of plants which do not naturally occur in this region and they work to remove Eucalyptus trees, Prickly pears, Lantana, “Queen of the night,” and Fluff bush, from the Waterberg Reserve, to allow for the growth of naturally occurring species of plant.

All waste products from Ant’s Hill are recycled and divided into papers, cans, compost, bottles and plastics. Manure from their stables is collected and placed on a manure pile which is burned during the summer to help create compost. The compost created from this is used on gardens and lawns which help to keep them vibrant and fresh throughout the year.