Founders Lodge by Mantis

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Founders Lodge by Mantis

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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.

30/10/2026

A stay at Founders opens up a much bigger wilderness. From the intimacy of the lodge, our twice-daily game drives traverse onto neighbouring Shamwari Private Game Reserve, opening up an exceptional Big Five safari experience across one of the Eastern Cape’s great conservation landscapes. No fixed routes, no two drives the same, just experienced guides following the tracks, calls and movement of the wild. And at the end of it all, you come home to Founders.

26/10/2026

At Founders, the wild is never far away. Step from your suite onto the lawn and you’re already part of it, with the waterhole and underground hide just beyond and wildlife moving freely around you. It’s a place where being surrounded by the wild is simply part of everyday life.

21/10/2026

The landscape may be what first catches your eye, but it’s our people who make Founders feel like home. There’s something very special about hearing that reflected back to us by our guests. One recently wrote that our team “made us feel so welcome that it really felt like OUR home.” From the faces that welcome you, to the guides who share the wild with you, the chefs behind each meal and all the thoughtful touches in between, this is the team at the heart of Founders. And we couldn’t be prouder of them.

19/10/2026

Some moments need very little explanation. Just the last light over the African bush, a sundowner in hand, and nowhere else you need to be.

15/10/2026

Some views never lose their magic. On his second stay at Founders, photographer Georg of TimeScape Visuals found a quiet spot on the lawn to simply sit and watch as rhino and zebra wandered by. For someone who travels the world capturing remarkable places, there’s something rather special about knowing Founders is a place he chooses to return to.

12/10/2026

Founders may be beautiful, but it’s what happens beyond the lodge that stays with you. Walking with rhino, following tracks through the bush, watching quietly from the hide, long game drives and dinners somewhere unexpected. And through it all, the people who make you feel completely at home. This is safari, the Founders way.

09/10/2026

There’s something about Founders after the rain. The reserve seems a little greener, the mornings a little louder and everywhere you look, there are signs of new life. Spring has settled over our corner of the Eastern Cape, and it’s beautiful.

06/10/2026

Even sitting this close, elephants are having conversations we can’t hear. Their deep, low-frequency calls can travel for kilometres through the bush, allowing them to communicate far beyond what we can see or hear. A reminder of just how much of the wild exists beyond our own senses.

01/10/2026

A walking safari asks something different of you. Move quietly, read the wind and always respect the animals around you. With our head ranger Sikhumbuzo leading the way, every step is considered and taken on the rhino’s terms. To stand this close to these remarkable animals on foot is an extraordinary privilege and one we never take for granted.

Address

Founders Lodge
Sidbury
6131

Telephone

+27415550009

Website

https://foundersgamereserve.com/

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