&Beyond Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
Situated at the heart of the malaria-free Eastern Cape province, Kwandwe is within easy reach of South Africa's spectacular coastline and provides the perfect beginning or ending to a journey along the famed Garden Route. The wide open spaces and tranquil scenery belie the area's turbulent history, and relics of the area's rich historical and cultural legacy can be found both on the reserve and nearby.
Kwandwe itself consists of 22,000 hectares of a hauntingly beautiful but previously neglected part of the African continent where the area's natural wildlife has been painstakingly restored. A conservation victory, Kwandwe is home to thousands of animals, including lion, black and white rhino, buffalo, elephant and cheetah, as well as Africa's famous Big Five. The Reserve also provides sanctuary for other threatened species, such as the Knysna woodpecker, Cape grysbok, black wildebeest, crowned eagle and black-footed cat. Kwandwe flanks both the north and south banks of the Great Fish River, which meanders for 30 km through this pristine, private wilderness.
This diverse Big Five reserve is home to four unique lodges. Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge's nine spacious suites line the lush Great Fish River, while Kwandwe Ecca Lodge's one-of-a-kind, quirky suites are surrounded by rolling slopes. Kwandwe's two sole-use safari villas, Uplands Homestead and Melton Manor, each designed with elegance and comfort in mind, are the ideal place for families or small groups sharing a Big Five adventure.
1 hour by car from Port Elizabeth
