Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
In the heart of the Eastern Cape is &Beyond Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, a conservation victory boasting 22,000 hectares of former farmland that has been restored and restocked with wildlife. This pristine wilderness area is home to Africa’s Big Five, and is the perfect start or end to a journey along the breathtakingly beautiful Garden Route. Thousands of animals including lion, black and white rhino, buffalo, elephant and cheetah roam the diverse landscape. Kwandwe, meaning “Place of the Blue Crane” in Xhosa, is home to a population of these rare, highly endangered birds. The Reserve is also sanctuary to other threatened species such as Knysna woodpecker, Cape grysbok, black wildebeest, crowned eagle and black-footed cat.
Great Fish River Lodge is set along the lush green banks of the river after which the lodge is named. From the Lodge’s expansive viewing decks, guests can observe majestic kudu making their way down through the euphorbia and aloes to a sandy cove to slake their thirst, or watch Cape clawless otters swimming in the river below. The guest area features a steeply pitched thatched roof, soaring overhead and adorned with imposing chandeliers. Large fireplaces with massive stone chimneys cast warmth and light over the richly woven rugs, yellowwood kists and wardrobes, handstitched damask linen and the antique china, pewter, and silver typical of a Settler farmhouse from the 1820s. The nine luxurious suites boast overhead fans and air conditioning. The ensuite bathrooms, complete with bath and indoor and outdoor showers, offer unmatched views over the wild landscape beyond. Floor-to-ceiling doors fold back to reveal an uninterrupted wilderness. Each suite has a spacious thatched veranda, and private plunge pool with terrace. Delicious Pan African meals are served on private decks, in the candlelit dining room, or in the boma under a magnificent starlit sky. Friendly, attentive staff ensure a welcoming, memorable Kwandwe experience.
Ecca Lodge is an innovative, stylish and intimate Lodge where “funk meets futuristic farmhouse” ambience. Emblazoned with giant Warhol-like prints, retro light fittings, and shades of olive, rust and burnt orange, it is witty, welcoming and skilfully appointed. Situated on rolling slopes overlooking a beautiful spekboom, acacia and aloe-studded valley with a backdrop of steep shale cliffs, the views are breathtaking, particularly when the spekboom trees
are in bloom. Six suites of inventive architecture feature walls of wood panelling interspersed with mesh-covered stone gabion, and pagoda-style corrugated iron roofs.
The suites are extremely spacious, with generously proportioned living rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms. Glass doors slide back, leaving gauze doors to admit the cool inviting breezes and fragrances of the bushveld. Wraparound wooden decks lead out from the sitting rooms and bedrooms, to private plunge pools and outdoor showers. Highlights of the guest area are the open interactive kitchen, a gorgeous rim-flow lap pool lined with shaded decks and teak loungers, and the nearby interpretive library. Ecca Lodge is a 15-minute drive from the historic Heatherton Towers, which houses the well-stocked Safari Shop.
Uplands Homestead offers a gracious alternative safari experience. Available only for the sole use of a group or family of up to six people, it is a sensitively restored 1905 farmhouse featuring three spacious ensuite bedrooms with private balconies. This homestead is situated in a remote and tranquil valley festooned with hundreds of aloes and ringed by beautiful, undulating hills. It is the perfect place for a private safari, with a romantic Out of Africa farmhouse ambience. Uplands Homestead is furnished with antiques and memorabilia reminiscent of a Settler home from the 1820s. Rugs and fine damask linen, antique mirrors, yellowwood kists and wardrobes, antique silver and porcelain dovetail effortlessly with stylish modern elements such as exquisitely appointed bathrooms, air conditioning and a contemporary farmstyle kitchen. There is also a full size swimming pool and gazebo. Uplands Homestead includes a dedicated ranger, tracker and chef team, as well as a private open 4x4 safari vehicle.
Melton Manor is a sole-use safari villa with four ensuite bedrooms. This spacious contemporary Frontier farmhouse is u-shaped and characterised by high ceilings and deep, cool verandas overlooking the central courtyard and its large, inviting swimming pool. The interiors humorously combine traditional mid 20th century furniture with the latest in South African design. Handmade clay chandeliers and Nguni cow hides sit comfortably with painted vintage ball and claw armoires, all anchored with fabulous dry packed sandstone walls. The bedrooms each have their own spacious bathroom with big tubs facing the pristine bush beyond, and innovative “butler hatches” for discreet room service. The gracious guest areas feature fireplaces for evenings spent relaxing with a glass of wine or reading a good novel. The interactive, contemporary farmstyle kitchen is abuzz with chefs cooking up wholesome and always delicious farmhouse dishes with Eastern Cape flair.
For further information on Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, or hotels in the Eastern Cape or for advice about planning a holiday to South Africa please conat Illona on 0285 650 011.