位于南非东开普省皇家港口(Port Alfred)附近的奥西亚纳海滩与野生动物保护区(Oceana Beach and Wildlife Reserve),是南非极少数能将原始灌木丛猎游与印度洋海岸风光完美融合的私人领地。这里占地面积大约740公顷,拥有长达7公里的私人海岸线。最吸引人的地方在于,你可以在清晨跟随向导深入保护区寻找受保护的白犀牛,午后则能直接踏上空无一人的细软沙滩,这种一半是海水、一半是荒野的独特体验,在整个南非都显得非常稀缺。
奥西亚纳并不追求非洲五霸(Big Five)那种令人生畏的野性,因为这里没有狮子和象群,这反倒给游客提供了更高的自由度和安全感。保护区内最珍贵的住客是几头受严格保护的白犀牛。驱车游猎时,你会发现这些庞然大物偶尔会出现在俯瞰大海的草坡上,灰色的背影与湛蓝的印度洋背景交织,这种视觉反差非常震撼。除了犀牛,这片土地上还生活着非洲水牛、长颈鹿、斑马以及超过10种羚羊。因为没有大型掠食者,这里的动物性格相对温和,甚至可以近距离观察黑马羚在灌木丛中觅食。如果不满足于坐在越野车里,还可以申请在专业护林员的陪同下进行徒步追踪,脚踩着灌木丛干枯的枝叶,听向导讲解犀牛的习性,这种与自然的连接感比单纯看动物要深刻得多。
走出灌木丛,保护区直接连接着一段长达7公里的原始海滩。这片海滩只对酒店宾客开放,意味着你几乎不可能在这里遇到成群的游客。这里不是那种适合游泳的商业海滩,印度洋的水温偏凉且浪潮汹涌,但它非常适合长时间的漫步或野餐。在南非的夏季,也就是每年的12月到次年2月,这里的沙子在阳光下白得晃眼。如果你是在6月到12月之间到访,记得带上望远镜,因为这段时间是南非著名的观鲸季。南露脊鲸和座头鲸常会沿着海岸线迁徙,有时在酒店的露台上就能看到远处海面喷出的水柱。海边风大,即便是在盛夏,傍晚散步时也建议披一件防风外套。
作为一家精品奢华酒店,奥西亚纳仅设有8间套房,这意味着即使客满,整个保护区内也只有不到20名住客。酒店建筑大量使用了天然石材、原木和落地玻璃,确保你在室内也能时刻感受到窗外的野性色彩。海洋套房(Ocean Suites)的视野极佳,从床上就能望见印度洋的水平线。房间内不提供浮夸的装饰,取而代之的是质地考究的亚麻床品和当地手工木艺。值得称赞的是酒店的餐饮服务,这里实行全包制,从早茶、午餐、下午茶到三道式晚餐,厨师会根据当季食材调整菜单。在南非冬天的清晨,六点半出发游猎时气温通常只有10度左右,护林员会提前在车上准备好羊毛毯和装有热咖啡、热可可的热水杯,这种体贴入微的细节很能打动人。
来到这里不只是为了看动物,保护区的配套设施也很有讲究。酒店内设有一个小型水疗中心和一个可以看到海景的健身房,甚至还有一个私人电影放映室。对于摄影爱好者来说,保护区内的鸟类资源非常丰富,大约有220种鸟类在此繁衍,你可以要求向导专门安排一次观鸟行程。如果预算充足,还可以联系酒店安排直升机游览,从高空俯瞰东开普省蜿蜒的海岸线和保护区内起伏的丘陵。这种视角的转换能让你更直观地理解为什么这片土地被称为大自然的馈赠。
奥西亚纳的位置相对偏僻,最常规的抵达方式是先飞往伊丽莎白港机场(Gqeberha Airport)。从机场租车自驾前往保护区大约需要1小时30分钟的车程。路况整体良好,沿着N2公路行驶即可,但在接近保护区的最后一段路是土路,虽然普通轿车也能通行,但还是建议租用底盘稍高的城市SUV。如果你不想自驾,酒店也提供往返机场的收费接送服务。建议在预订时就提前告知酒店你的抵达航班,以便他们安排好游猎车接引你进入大门。
东开普省的气候相对温和,一年四季都适合造访,但侧重点有所不同。每年5月至9月是南非的冬季,也是旱季,草木稀疏,动物更容易被发现,尤其是清晨和傍晚,动物会聚集在水源地附近,但早晚温差极大,厚外套和抓绒衣是必需品。11月至次年3月是夏季,降雨虽然稍多,但保护区一片翠绿,是拍摄动物与大海同框的最佳时机。对于大多数旅行者来说,春秋两季(4-5月或9-10月)是平衡温度与景观的最优选。
这里不能看到完整的非洲五霸,因为保护区内没有大象、狮子和花豹。之所以这样安排,是为了让住客能够安全地在海滩散步和进行丛林徒步。不过,你依然能近距离观察到五霸中的白犀牛和非洲水牛,以及非常罕见的黑马羚。
奥西亚纳通常采用全包制(All-inclusive),房价内涵盖了每日三餐、下午茶、猎游期间的小食、非酒精饮料以及每天两次的驱车游猎活动。洗衣服务和私人SPA通常需要额外付费,酒精类饮品也视具体的预订套餐而定,建议入住前询问清楚。
由于保护区面对的是开阔的印度洋,海浪巨大且伴有强劲的离岸流,海滩并没有救生员看护,因此强烈建议不要下海游泳。酒店配有温水游泳池,如果想玩水,在泳池里一边游泳一边眺望大海是更安全的选择。
保护区非常欢迎家庭游客,并设有专门的私人别墅(Private House)供家庭使用。因为保护区内没有危险的大型肉食动物,这里对孩子来说相对安全,护林员也会为不同年龄段的孩子讲解自然知识。不过,参加正式的驱车游猎通常建议孩子在6岁以上,以保证他们能安静观察动物。
yoganathan govender Great experience in nature and luxury. Fantastic attention from staff from the moment you arrive. All the meals are expertly prepared and presented. Very knowledgeable game rangers that provide excellent information about ghe game on the property. Beautiful beach. Highly recommended
Scott Chambers This was our last stop before travelling home. Great place to finish. Relax and enjoy being pampered. Amazing beach and views , lovely food, and a great massage service. If you have done more adventurous game drives, then this is a little pedestrian, but as there are no predators, you can get close to giraffe, antelope, and wildebeest.
Zama Gama When they talk about paradise, this is exactly what they mean. Heaven on earth doesn't even describe it. The service is exceptional, the food is out of this world and the accommodation is to die for. I know the year is only starting but my year is made already😍😍!!
john swanson Oceana was our trip highlight. We have just returned from a terrific 3 week vacation all around South Africa. Rovos Rail and several hotels/resorts throughout the weeks. All of which were very nice. Oceana stood out from all the rest and was exceptional. Attention to detail in original design and maintenance all around. Our pool suite, was over the top. Fire pit, private balcony and gazebo and floor to ceiling glass spectacular Staff was excellent, game drives were successful and miles of sandy beach where we didn’t see another person The resort and surrounding areas were superb. So glad we saved this stay for the last of our adventure. Incredible all around that will definitely draw us back to Oceana and more exploring of the surrounding area.
Jo We went to Oceana on our Honeymoon and stayed in the pool suite. It was absolutely amazing and we would highly recommend. The room itself was incredible, so spacious and the terrace and pool area with a view of the beach was incredible. The staff made our honeymoon special with treats, baths run for us. The turn downs were also great. The food was amazing and the service was stand out. The staff couldn't do enough for us and we loved the option of having food in our room. We did a game drive and a beach picnic, both of which were fantastic. The spa is also really great, we went twice. Do make a stop here - it's well worth it!!