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 Rese

rve 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.

$To photograph the wild is not to capture it - it is to witness it, to hold a fraction of its energy, its silence, its mo...$

15/06/2026

To photograph the wild is not to capture it - it is to witness it, to hold a fraction of its energy, its silence, its movement, its presence.

12/06/2026

Winter at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve feels noticeably different.

The mornings are crisp, the air is clean, and the light takes its time coming through. Out on drive, everything feels open; you can see further into the bush, and wildlife is often easier to find and spend time with.

Because it’s cooler, animals stay active for longer through the day, and drives don’t feel rushed at all. You’re not watching the clock or heading back because of the heat, you just stay out as long as the moment holds.

And then later, things naturally wind down. Fires, simple food, and that easy feeling of being settled after a full day outside.

Winter here just gives you more time in the bush, without trying to make a big deal of it.

11/06/2026

A very special sighting right outside the staff village the other evening: a curious brown hyena.

Winter is here, and with it comes the chance to see nocturnal animals out and about much earlier than usual, just like this one.

Elusive and rarely seen, sightings of brown hyenas are always something special, making this encounter all the more memorable.

📸 Ryan Hillier

09/06/2026

Some moments in conservation are difficult to describe once you've stepped away from them. Standing beside a black rhino during a collaring operation is one of them.

The atmosphere is unlike anything else. A team of specialists moves with purpose, each person focused on a specific task. There is little unnecessary conversation. For a short while, everyone's attention is fixed on a single purpose: gathering the information needed to help protect the animal and the wider population it represents.

What stays with you afterwards is not the procedure itself, but the perspective it brings. In those few minutes, you're reminded of the effort, expertise and commitment required to help a species flourish. Not for a season or a year, but for generations still to come.

In a recent conversation with Karin Jones on the Safari ChangeMakers podcast, Angus Sholto-Douglas reflects on Kwandwe's 27-year rewilding journey and what it means to rebuild and sustain a landscape over time.

He also speaks candidly about rhino protection today. The work is long-term. Progress is measured over decades rather than days, and every gain must be protected. Conservation is never finished. It is a commitment that continues, one generation at a time.

Listen to or watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGF6Ty4haxk&feature=youtu.be

05/06/2026

This World Environment Day, we celebrate one of the Eastern Cape’s most remarkable natural allies: The Spekboom.

Once covering millions of hectares across this region, Spekboom played a vital role in maintaining the health and function of the landscape. Over time, much of it was removed, long before we fully understood its ecological importance. The result was widespread land degradation, erosion, and the loss of critical habitat.

Today, through Kwandwe's ongoing restoration efforts, that story is changing.

What began with 350,000 Spekboom cuttings planted in just three months during 2023 has grown into something truly extraordinary. By 2024, more than 1.5 million Spekboom had been planted through the initiative. Now, in 2026, over 5 million Spekboom have been planted across more than 2,000 hectares, and we're beginning to see the landscape respond. New growth is emerging, ecosystems are recovering, and the vision of a restored landscape is becoming a reality.

Looking back over the past four years, seeing 5 million Spekboom thriving in the ground is an achievement we are incredibly proud of.

Beyond restoring the environment, this initiative has had a meaningful impact on the surrounding communities. By creating employment opportunities, developing skills, and involving local people every step of the way, the project demonstrates how conservation and community upliftment can grow hand in hand.

This World Environment Day, we celebrate the power of restoration, the resilience of nature, and the people helping to make it possible.

04/06/2026

Some moments mark the beginning of everything.

This was one of them, and we’re so happy we got to share it with you. ♥️

02/06/2026

We can show you pieces of Kwandwe, but the feeling of it is something else entirely. Something you have to step into yourself. 😍

Book your stay: https://www.kwandwe.com/

29/05/2026

It always surprises us how often something remarkable happens when we least expect it.

We weren’t even on a game drive, just the usual in-between of the day, heading back to reception, when everything stopped in an instant.

A leopard. uMoya. On the edge of a near-vertical cliff above the Botha’s River.
What followed started slowly, then shifted into something far more intense, all happening just a few metres away.

Read the blog post to find out what happened next: https://www.kwandwe.com/the-spirit-of-a-leopard/

28/05/2026

Ubunye is different.

It’s driven from the ground up, by the people who live here. The mothers wanting the chance to build a business of their own. The fathers wanting more for their families. The children needing safe, stimulating spaces where they can learn, grow, and simply be children.

The communities themselves shape what Ubunye does every day. They know what’s needed, what’s possible, and what will make a lasting difference.
And on World Hunger Day, that reality feels especially present - because hunger is never only about food. It’s about opportunity, dignity, education, and the ability to build something sustainable for the next generation.

Kwandwe helped start it, but Ubunye has grown into something far bigger than that - it belongs to the people who carry it forward.

25/05/2026

Some very special moments with Kwandwe’s lions, with our guide, Carmen, behind the camera. 🦁❤️

📸

Address

Fort Brown District
Grahamstown
6140

Telephone

+27466033400

Website

http://www.kwandwe.com/

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