Kwandwe Private Game Reserve

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Kwandwe Private Game Reserve Set within 75,000 acres of private wilderness in South Africa, experience authentic safaris deeply rooted in conservation.

Classic safari and peaceful bush surroundings are found at Great Fish River Lodge and Ecca Lodge. Our Ecca Lodge double suites & family suites each allow for a fully tailored, personal stay with a dedicated safari vehicle and guide. Fort House, Uplands Homestead and Melton Manor are complete with private pools, spacious living areas and expansive views across the reserve. Kwandwe Private Game Reserve is home to the famous Big 5 as well as a diverse number of smaller and more unusual species. The reserve is also sanctuary to numerous other threatened and endangered species and provides a breeding refuge for the Blue Crane. Working through our social development partner, the Ubunye Foundation, Kwandwe invests in projects that improve the lives and creates sustainable livelihoods opportunities in marginalised rural communities.

One of the best things about safari is that you never really stop learning.You might have been on 27 game drives, or thi...
23/10/2026

One of the best things about safari is that you never really stop learning.

You might have been on 27 game drives, or this might be your very first. You might know exactly what you’re looking at, or still be asking your guide what that bird was.
Either way, there’s always another track to follow, another behaviour to notice, another story to hear.

And sometimes, it’s the same view you’ve seen before that catches you completely off guard.

That’s the thing about safari. It keeps giving you reasons to look a little closer.
So, when’s your next one? ❤️

Plan your trip: https://www.kwandwe.com/

22/10/2026

An absolutely incredible experience with a young brown hyena at Galpin Dam the other evening! Siya spotted it in the distance as we were finishing our sundowners, so we quickly packed up and headed across to try and get another view. It emerged from the thickets and cautiously, but very curiously, approached to within a metre and a half of where we were sitting, sniffing constantly as it tried to figure out what we were. It eventually wandered off calmly, leaving us in complete awe of what we’d just experienced! –

“Nice hat!” 😂Every safari guide knows there are certain things to respect in the bush. Lions, elephants, buffalo… and af...
20/10/2026

“Nice hat!” 😂

Every safari guide knows there are certain things to respect in the bush. Lions, elephants, buffalo… and after all the winter rain, mud.

Get a Land Cruiser stuck, and you might just find yourself becoming the latest member of the Stuck Hat club. There’s the radio call, the rescue mission, a few photos for evidence, and of course, the hat itself.

Here’s the story behind this Kwandwe tradition, the guides who keep it alive, and why no one is safe from a particularly enthusiastic patch of mud.

Read The Legend of the Stuck Hat on our blog: https://www.kwandwe.com/legend-of-the-stuck-hat/

Through Lessons in Conservation, we welcome children from local schools and surrounding rural communities to Kwandwe, gi...
17/10/2026

Through Lessons in Conservation, we welcome children from local schools and surrounding rural communities to Kwandwe, giving them the opportunity to experience nature firsthand and learn more about wildlife, biodiversity and the importance of conservation.

Coordinated at Kwandwe by Mzo Kleinbooi, the programme goes beyond the classroom, bringing lessons to life through real experiences in the bush. It’s also an opportunity to introduce young minds to the different careers within conservation, spark curiosity and encourage them to share what they’ve learnt with their families and communities.

Above all, it’s about building a connection with nature and inspiring the next generation to care for the natural world.

15/10/2026

A gentle reminder of who’s boss.

📸

Safari with the whole family can make for some pretty special days.There will be questions. Lots of them. There’ll be ea...
13/10/2026

Safari with the whole family can make for some pretty special days.

There will be questions. Lots of them. There’ll be early mornings, sleepy faces and then, somehow, everyone is wide awake because there’s something exciting happening out on the reserve.

There’ll be muddy shoes, new things to learn, plenty to spot and stories that get retold over dinner that night.

And then there are the little things. Fishing for the first time. Following tracks. Finding something interesting around the lodge. Getting completely absorbed in whatever has caught your attention that day.

We love seeing families experience Kwandwe together, and there are plenty of ways to make the safari work for everyone.

Swipe through to see a few of them. ❤️

10/10/2026

Following an unusually wet winter and generous rainfall throughout the year, the reserve has undergone a remarkable transformation. The landscape is greener and more lush than we’ve come to expect at this time of year, with flourishing vegetation and an abundance of food creating ideal conditions for birdlife across the reserve.

With the bush already alive with activity and our summer migrants beginning to return, we’re looking forward to what promises to be a particularly rewarding few months of birding.

This World Migratory Bird Day, we’re celebrating not only the remarkable journeys of our migratory birds, but also the exciting season unfolding here at Kwandwe.

Watching cheetah cubs is always a privilege, but an unexpected visitor takes the experience to another level.When a lone...
08/10/2026

Watching cheetah cubs is always a privilege, but an unexpected visitor takes the experience to another level.

When a lone young female approached a mother and her four cubs, caution initially kept the little ones back, until natural curiosity overruled.

What followed was a fascinating display of playful hesitation and natural behaviour.
Unlike males, who often form coalitions, female cheetahs are typically solitary.

Encounters like this offer a rare window into how young cubs learn to navigate boundaries, evaluate potential threats, and read the subtle body language of their own species.

📸 Kyla_swanepoel

In the Great Fish River Valley, a close encounter with one of Africa’s most iconic animals.Martin Gregus, an internation...
06/10/2026

In the Great Fish River Valley, a close encounter with one of Africa’s most iconic animals.

Martin Gregus, an internationally award-winning wildlife photographer and cinematographer, spent time at Kwandwe with the Kwandwe Rhino Trust, documenting the rhino and the people who work to protect them.

These are some of the moments he captured along the way.

📷 Martin Gregus | mywildlife

01/10/2026

This year, Kwandwe celebrates 25 years.

For 25 years, this place has been shaped by people, wildlife and countless moments that have become part of who we are today.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be opening the archives and sharing some of those moments. The stories, the memories, the familiar faces and the milestones that have shaped Kwandwe over the years.

As we celebrate this milestone, we want to take the time to look back, to remember and to recognise all that has gone into these 25 years, and to celebrate everyone who has been part of them. From the people who have called Kwandwe home to the guests who have travelled from around the world to experience it, each has left their own mark on the 25 years we are so proud to celebrate.

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Fort Brown District
Grahamstown
6140

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+27466033400

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