History of Kiasoma and Cullinan

Located in the heart of beautiful Cullinan (the discovery place of the world’s largest-ever diamond) and just 35 minutes north of Pretoria, Kiasoma has been welcoming guests for many years, first as a wellness and spa retreat and then as a private lodge. 

The pretty town of Cullinan located near Kiasoma Lodge is a famous stop along the South African diamond route.  Cullinan was made famous when the largest gem-quality rough diamond was discovered in 1907.  At 3,106.75 carats the Cullinan diamond still holds the record as the largest diamond ever found.   Cullinan still has an active open cast mine in operation and it is the world’s third-largest diamond producer to this day.

Cullinan is famous not just for diamonds, it has a thriving tourism industry too.  The famous Cullinan mine is open for tours and there are many varied attractions from high adrenalin zip lining to golfing on heritage golf courses.

The province of Cullinan is located in the Dinokeng conservation area and is home to the largest wildlife sanctuary in Gauteng, Dinokeng Game reserve.

Dinokeng is malaria free and is the only reserve in Gauteng that is home to the Big Five (lion, leopard, black rhinoceros, African bush elephant, and African buffalo).  In addition to the Big Five animals, many other animals such as white rhinoceros, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, brown hyenas, wildebeests, red hartebeests, tsessebe, eland, kudu, impalas, antelopes, monkeys, hippopotamus and crocodiles can be observed in their natural habitat at Dinokeng.

The name Dinokeng is derived from the language of the Botswana and Pedi people, and is roughly translated as “a place of rivers”. Due to the close proximity of waters, grass and bush, this unique environment is home to over 360 species of bird and is considered one of South Africa’s premier bird-watching areas.