General Information:

This diverse Big Five reserve is home to four unique lodges. Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge's nine spacious suites line the lush Great Fish River, while Kwandwe Ecca Lodge's one-of-a-kind, quirky suites are surrounded by rolling slopes. Kwandwe's two sole-use safari villas, Uplands Homestead and Melton Manor, each designed with elegance and comfort in mind, are the ideal place for families or small groups sharing a Big Five adventure.

Accommodation:

The welcoming U-shape of Melton Manor enfolds up to eight guests in a warm and humorous embrace. 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. 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 team of tracker and ranger, stand waiting to begin your adventure as and when you please. A safari lodge with an attitude, Kwandwe’s Ecca Lodge is one of a kind. Pagoda-style corrugated iron roofs playfully top wooden panelled walls interspersed with mesh-covered stone gabions. Minimalist chic flows from spacious living areas in the guest suites to bedroom and bathroom.

Dining:

The interactive farm-style kitchen invites you to try your hand at combining flavours under the cheerful guidance of your personal chef or simply to watch as meals or snacks expertly take shape whenever you want. Share meals and laughter in the dining room table or around the enormous farmhouse table in the fresh air of the terrace. But there’s no need to be formal - fresh, generous cuisine goes just as well in the ox wagon boma or at a casual picnic site in mid-game drive.

Activities:

At Kwandwe, it is our passion to share our knowledge and understanding of the bush and its inhabitants with our guests. Our highly trained rangers and trackers will do their utmost to delight our guests with a choice of the following adventures: Twice daily game drives - explore the natural diversity of Kwandwe on early morning and late afternoon/evening game drives in an open 4x4 safari vehicle. An armed ranger and tracker team will share their extensive knowledge of the bush with you and will track the Big Five, as well as a variety of other wildlife. Morning drives begin as dawn breaks over the Great Fish River, and guests have the opportunity to see the predators winding up their nocturnal hunts and settling in for the day. Many animals take advantage of the cool morning hours to graze before the heat of the day. In the late afternoon the wildlife can often be spotted coming down to the river to drink. Night drives produces some unusual sightings, including aardvark, aardwolf, bat-eared fox and porcupine. Interpretive bush walks - in between game drives, take a closer look at the intricate details of the bush on a leisurely walk within easy reach of your lodge. Dense euphorbia thickets are best explored on foot, revealing a secret world of lichen, mosses and ferns. Various birds of prey and other species nest in the taller trees or in the spiny canopy. An armed ranger guides guests through up close and personal sightings of occasional buffalo herds, elephant bull, black and white rhino, bushbuck or bushpig.