Founders Lodge by Mantis

Founders Lodge by Mantis Where it all began for private conservation in the Eastern Cape. The birthplace of conservation in the Eastern Cape.
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An exclusive 5-star, malaria-free reserve with intimate Big 5 safaris, seven suites, and a private Railway Carriage. Founders Lodge by Mantis offers luxurious hospitality that is focused on tailored service. This 7 suite wildlife safari lodge and the new exclusive use Founders Railway Carriage permanently stationed on a hill on the reserve, located in the Eastern Cape, just one hour from Gqeberha

. Founders offers a luxurious safari experience with a flair of romance for couples, and an intimate social environment for families and friends travelling together. Founders Lodge is a celebration of essential beginnings in sustainable tourism, culture, conservation, and community inclusion. This lodge is a monument to conservation history, and it offers soul-reviving safaris in the place where Adrian Gardiner pioneered private game reserves and eco-tourism in the Eastern Cape. Guests enjoy intimate nature-inspired experiences focused on the smaller lesser known wildlife and ecology, as well as big five viewing on 4×4 guided game drives on 25000ha of game reserve.

07/06/2026

Adventure begins young at Founders. As the exclusive home of the Bear Grylls Survival Academy experience in Africa, our young explorers learn bushcraft, survival skills and confidence in the wild, creating unforgettable safari memories rooted in adventure, courage and connection to nature.

04/06/2026

Winter at Founders feels less like travelling and more like coming home. Fires waiting after safari, private dinners glowing by candlelight, slow hearty meals, and the quiet feeling of being completely cared for.

Mandy has always kept her calves hidden, watching carefully from a distance. But this time felt different. Just two week...
01/06/2026

Mandy has always kept her calves hidden, watching carefully from a distance. But this time felt different. Just two weeks after giving birth, she brought her new calf to the waterhole near the lodge, calm, gentle and unafraid. After surviving poaching, moments like these feel deeply personal. A quiet reminder that trust can return, and that conservation is ultimately about creating spaces where wildlife feels safe again.

It’s the stories behind the sightings that stay with you. Our guides carry a deep knowledge of this land, from the large...
29/05/2026

It’s the stories behind the sightings that stay with you. Our guides carry a deep knowledge of this land, from the largest animals to the smallest details often missed, turning every drive into a moment of discovery where nothing is too small to matter.

It’s more than a safari; it’s an experience that lingers, especially for younger guests, who leave with a sense of wonder and understanding they’ll carry with them for a lifetime.

25/05/2026

Africa isn’t just a place, it’s a feeling. One of stillness, space, and something far greater than yourself.

Today, we celebrate the land, the wildlife, and the stories that connect us all.

Happy Africa Day.

19/05/2026

Our most loyal returning visitor isn’t who you’d expect. Miracle, a female nyala, isn’t ours, and yet she keeps finding her way back, travelling from Shamwari and somehow passing through lion territory to arrive at Founders as if she’s always known the way.

She waits quietly at the gate, then drifts gently between the rooms, calm and curious, charming every guest she meets. She stays for a while… and then, just as quietly, she disappears again.

On Endangered Species Day, we’re reminded just how rare and precious these moments truly are. Here at Founders, we’re pr...
15/05/2026

On Endangered Species Day, we’re reminded just how rare and precious these moments truly are. Here at Founders, we’re privileged to protect and be home to a thriving population of rhino, offering our guests the chance to witness these incredible animals in the wild, as they should be.

It’s more than just a sighting; it’s a connection to something worth protecting.

Dusty roads, endless horizons, and the feeling of the world falling away behind you. Out here, time slows, the noise fad...
13/05/2026

Dusty roads, endless horizons, and the feeling of the world falling away behind you. Out here, time slows, the noise fades, and you find yourself somewhere between stillness and escape, where reality softens, and something quieter takes its place.

There’s a feeling when you step into Founders, something quiet, grounding, almost spiritual. Once the private homestead ...
10/05/2026

There’s a feeling when you step into Founders, something quiet, grounding, almost spiritual. Once the private homestead of Adrian Gardiner, this is where a vision to restore life to the land first began. That story still lingers in every space, inviting you into something deeper than a stay, a sense of connection to place, to history, and to something far bigger than yourself.

07/05/2026

We’re proud to be a place that Global Humane Conservation Fund of Africa calls home and to support the incredible work they do across the continent, from protecting wildlife to restoring habitats and rewilding species like cheetah and rhino.

These moments were captured during their recent stay with us, a reminder of the shared purpose that connects us to this land, and to each other.

Address

Founders Lodge
Sidbury
6131

Telephone

+27415550009

Website

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