South Africa Holiday Safari Specials - MALARIA-FREE SAFARI in the Eastern Cape at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve which is the perfect add-on to your Garden Route tour is offering discounted safari rates.

 

 

Stay 4 or 5 nights and receive 10% off your accommodation stay
Stay 6 or 7 nights and receive 15% off your accommodation stay
Stay 8 nights or longer and receive 25% off your accommodation stay

 

Valid from 1st May until 30th September 2023

 

Honeymooners: 50% off for one person. Included in every honeymoon stay is a romantic arrival box filled with pampering treats, a romantic turndown with sparkling wine, and an in-room wellness treatment voucher. These romantic touches will add to your special stay.

Available all year round

 

Stay 3 nights at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve and 3 nights at La Clé des Montagnes in either a room or a villa and take 25% off.
Valid from 1st May until 30th September 2023

 

Please note: Offers are not combinable.

 

Kwandwe Private Game Reserve is home to six majestic safari lodges, each with its own distinctive charm and character: Great Fish River Lodge, Ecca Lodge, Galpin Tented Camp, Fort House, Uplands Homestead, and Melton Manor.

 

Families or small groups of friends traveling together can choose to enjoy an entirely intimate and exclusive safari experience at one of Kwandwe’s three gracious sole-use safari villas, Fort House, Uplands Homestead, and Melton Manor. When booking an exclusive villa, enjoy the spectacular scenery and wildlife in your own private 4x4 safari vehicle, and have your every whim taken care of by a dedicated ranger/host, personal chef, and butler.

Kwandwe has a bush airstrip on the reserve.

The nearest national airport is in Port Elizabeth, which lies 160 km from the reserve. There are daily scheduled flights from both Cape Town and Johannesburg international airports to Port Elizabeth. From Port Elizabeth, you can either get a road transfer, take a light aircraft transfer or rent a car to drive there yourselves. We will arrange this for you.

Kwandwe offers an exceptional safari experience in a region steeped in history and culture. The Reserve also boasts its own intimate chapel.

Email us now for more information on this This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or for any other This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. even if not mentioned on this website.

 

Kwandwe aptly means "Place of the Blue Crane" in Xhosa (South Africa's highly endangered national bird) and is home to a population of these rare birds. It offers an exceptional safari experience in a region steeped in history and culture. The Great Fish River was a hotly contested border during the Frontier Wars of 1779 to 1878 between the Xhosa nation, Dutch farmers, and the 1820 Settlers from England. Kwandwe's reception building is a Frontier War-era fortified homestead, and the Reserve boasts its own intimate chapel (Malaria-free safari accommodation).

 

Kwandwe Rates:	16th January – 30th April 2023	1st May – 30th September 2023	1st October 2023 – 15th January 2024
Great Fish River - Per adult sharing (No children under the age of 12)	R18 250	R 13 450	R 20 440
Ecca Double Suite - Per adult sharing	R18 250	R 13 450	R 20 440
Ecca Family Suite (per suite per night + private vehicle) (Max 2 adults + 2 children, 16 years or younger)	R 60 500	R 46 100	R 67 070
VILLAS (sole use)
Uplands Homestead (Max 6 guests + 1 infant)
1 - 5 guests	R 76 040	R 56 040	R 85 170
Full 6 guest occupancy	R 91 250	R 67 250	R 102 200
Melton Manor (Max 8 guests + 1 infant)
1 - 6 guests	R 95 810	R 70 610	R 107 310
Additional per person (no charge for children 5 & younger)	R 15 970	R 11 770	R 17 885
Fort House (Max 4 adults + 4 children 16 yrs or younger + 1 infant)
1 - 8 guests	R 127 750	R 94 150	R 143 080

 

Children of all ages are welcome at Ecca Lodge, Melton Manor, Uplands Homestead & Fort House:
Ecca Lodge Family Suites x 3: Families with children aged 0 – 16 years are accommodated in a Family Suite (3 x Family Suites in camp; max 2 adults & 2 children per Family Suite). Included are a private vehicle, ranger, and tracker.
Ecca Lodge Doubles Suites x 3: 2 guests per suite, ages 12 and older; full adult rate applies to all guests.
Great Fish River Lodge: children aged 12 & up are welcome at full adult rate; 1 child sharing with 1 adult

Galpin Tented Camp: Children from 16yrs and older are welcome at Galpin Tented Camp (full adult rates apply)

Great Fish River Lodge: Set along the steep banks of the Great Fish River in the scenic Eastern Cape, this extraordinary safari lodge affords spectacular views of the wild yet gentle African landscape.

 

 

The Great Fish River Lodge is stylishly furnished in Frontier Settler style, integrating local African culture with colonial settler history. The nine luxurious suites have been designed to take full advantage of the spectacular scenery. Floor-to-ceiling framed glass doors fold back to reveal an uninterrupted wilderness, and the ensuite bathrooms, complete with bath and indoor and outdoor showers, separate w.c and twin basins offer unmatched views over the sweeping landscape beyond. Keep cool with overhead fans and air conditioning, and enjoy a spacious thatched veranda and private plunge pool with a terrace in every suite.

Sophisticated, glass-fronted sitting and dining areas boast expansive viewing decks with breathtaking river views. Delicious Pan-African cuisine is served on the private decks, in the candlelit dining room, or enjoyed in the boma (outdoor dining area). Kwandwe is renowned for its spectacular bush banqueting in surprise settings.

Kwandwe’s exciting safari activities: From interpretive twice-daily game drives in a Big Five game wilderness, guided river-walking/hiking and canoeing, to a Specialist Historic Safari – Frontiers @ Kwandwe – you will be spoilt for choice.

Kwande Ecca Lodge: Set in spectacular African wilderness surrounds, this unique safari lodge boasts a revolutionary design - stone-and-mesh gabion walls, sliding glass, timber and gauze doors, and corrugated iron roofing. Exquisite guest areas overlook spekboom valleys with a backdrop of the distant cliff faces of ecca shale.

 

 

Ecca Lodge is fun, flamboyant, and fabulous, with a "funk-meets-futuristic-farmhouse" ambiance. Nestled into a gently sloping, densely vegetated hillside, the Lodge is airy and open with barely a barrier between indoors and the African bushveld.

 

The 6 stand-alone and well-proportioned suites have been individually decorated, each in a different color in celebration of the vibrance of Africa. 3 of the suites are dedicated to families. Wraparound wooden decks with private plunge pools provide relief from the heat of the day. Furnishings are in soft linens, velvets, cords, and eco-cottons in striking, bright, and contrasting tones. Super-King sized beds, large bathrooms with free-standing baths, and separate lounge areas with funky bean bags and day beds that can be reconfigured to accommodate children, all combine to provide a relaxing, sumptuous and colorful respite from dusty days out on the reserve. Outdoor showers tip a broad wink at safari tradition.

 

Family Suites accommodate 2 adults and 2 children (on day beds in the lounge) and include a private vehicle and ranger.

Kwandwe's unparalleled safari experience: Situated in the historically and culturally rich Eastern Cape in an extraordinary big game wilderness, Ecca Lodge offers various exciting South African safari activities including twice-daily game drives and guided river walking/hiking.

Kwandwe Melton Manor:

 

The welcoming U-shape and four en-suite bedrooms are cleverly designed around the central courtyard and its large, inviting swimming pool. This sole-use safari villa, where the smallest detail of your stay is planned according to your specific wishes, is perfect for family holidays or parties of friends.

 

The interactive farm-style kitchen encourages you to get stuck in and try your hand at combining flavors under the friendly guidance of your expert personal chef, or simply to watch as meals or snacks expertly take shape at your pleasure. Share meals and laughter in the dining room or around the enormous farmhouse table in the fresh air of the terrace. There is also no need to be formal – such delicious fare goes just as well in the ox-wagon boma or at a casual picnic site mid-game drive.

Both open and welcoming, the Manor’s inner courtyard provides a focal point for shared hours, while the deep verandas of each bedroom suite offer stunning views of Kwandwe’s blue-lit hills.

Your private safari vehicle, complete with a team of tracker and ranger, stand waiting to begin your adventure as and when you please.

 

This elegant, restored 1905 farmhouse retains all the charm and grace of its period without losing any of its country warmth and ambiance.

Set in a remote and tranquil valley, and available for the sole use of families and parties of up to six, Uplands will soon have you feeling master of all you survey. With a full contingent of friendly staff, including a private chef and butler, you’ll experience all the comfort and convenience of a genuine home.

 

Three suites with private bathrooms create an intimate haven for personal moments that combines modern comfort with old-fashioned trimmings. Antique mirrors and claw-foot tubs in the bathrooms, along with yellowwood chests and wardrobes in the bedrooms, blend seamlessly with air-conditioning, in-room safes, and hair dryers. Your dedicated 4x4 safari vehicle awaits outside, ready at any time to take you on a voyage of discovery through Kwandwe’s wild spaces and return you to the warmly lit comfort of Uplands Homestead.

 

 

Rates include:
Accommodation as specified (exclusive use of the villas), twice-daily game drives, nature walks accompanied by an armed ranger, big game walking safari (tracking white rhino, black rhino, elephant, and buffalo on foot, accompanied by an armed specialist ranger and tracker team; subject to availability), 3 meals daily, soft drinks, house wines, local & premium brand spirits, beers, teas & coffees, refreshments on game drives, laundry, emergency medical evacuation insurance, VAT, transfers to & from the lodge airstrip, complimentary child-minding.

Rates exclude:
Community & conservation levy, in-room massage treatments, telephone calls, safari shop purchases, gratuities, all items of a personal nature, champagne, fine wines, cigars, and additional specialized safari activities not mentioned above.

Additional optional lodge activities include (subject to change):
Save the Rhino Drive:

Spend 3 - 4 hours tracking rhinos with a specialist ranger and tracker team. Learn about the habits of this threatened species, the issue of rhino poaching as well as Kwandwe’s own conservation efforts. The experience ends with refreshments at a scenic spot in the bush.

Photographic Safaris:
Specialist, private photographic safaris, and tutorials are offered to Kwandwe guests by locally based, award-winning professional photographer Mike Dexter. A private safari vehicle with a ranger and tracker is provided to tailor-make each experience according to guests’ individual needs. All ages are welcome.

Photographic Game Drives:

The photographer accompanies guests on the vehicle, advising them of appropriate camera settings in different scenarios, providing compositional ideas, and answering any questions relating to photography. The main aim is to ensure an increased understanding of wildlife photography, with the best possible photographs. Min 2 guests.

Private Safari:

Tailor-make your safari led by a dedicated specialist ranger and tracker team, ensuring a private game viewing experience. Cost is per day (day runs from check-in time 12h00 - 12h00 following day), min 2 & max 6 guests, all ages; must be booked for the duration of stay. Private safaris can be specialized to your interest so if you are a keen birder or would like a walking safari or perhaps fancy going fishing.

Rhino Conservation Safari:

This experience offers the opportunity to participate in Kwandwe’s exciting rhino-darting & notching program. Under the supervision of experts, the rhino is darted in order to plant microchips into the horns and perform ear-notching for future identification - an essential task to ensure the preservation of this endangered species. The best time is generally 1st May – 30th September due to cooler weather conditions, however, it can be done all year. The procedure is always subject to the availability of the wildlife management team as well as the availability of rhinos that need to be notched for conservation purposes. Cost is per group of up to 8 guests, age 16 & older, available year round but the best time is May-Sep. The recommended duration of stay is 3 nights / 4 days (price excl accommodation).

Campfire Cooking:

This an exciting opportunity to learn about cooking authentic South African ‘braais’ & favorite dishes. Based on a min 3-night stay at Melton Manor, the cost is for 3 sessions spent learning from Kwandwe’s culinary team (cost excl accommodation), irrespective of the number of guests participating, including private tuition time with a head chef and all ingredients. Available at Melton Manor only, all ages welcome.

 

In-room Massage Treatments – A variety of treatments ranging from manicures, pedicures, and full body massages are available in the privacy of your room. Please contact Reservations for the treatment menu and prices.