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Beautifully built on either side of the curving Great Fish River in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve is a spectacular escape offering a scenic landscape rich in flora and fauna. The reserve features a selection of intimate, serene lodges and exclusive-use villas, together making up an intimate selection of just 26 rooms sitting on a large landscape full of flowering plants. With the wonderful array of lodgings on offer, guests have ample choice whether they're coming as a family, couple, group of friends or a solo traveller.
Couples can enjoy the tranquility that Great Fish River Lodge and Ecca Lodge offer, where stand-alone suites are privately located away from each other as well as central guest areas. Families of up to four will love the flexibility that a Family Suite at Ecca Lodge offers, complete with a private safari vehicle. The three, sole-use safari villas, Fort House, Uplands Homestead and Melton Manor, are ideal for families or small groups of friends looking to enjoy an entirely intimate and exclusive safari experience.
Known for the best guiding, understated luxury and an abundance of animals and wildlife that call the reserve home, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve offers a range of safari activities and accommodation options to curate the ultimate safari. Sharing their knowledge of the bush is the reserve's passion, and their team of highly-qualified rangers offer a range of authentic activities, from game drives to rhino conservation and walking safaris to fishing expeditions, and will do their utmost to delight at every turn.
Explore the reserve on early morning and late afternoon game drives in an open 4×4 safari vehicle, as an armed ranger and tracker team will share their extensive knowledge as you track the Big Five and a variety of wildlife. Morning drives begin as dawn breaks over the Great Fish River as the predators finish their nocturnal hunts, while in the late afternoon, wildlife can be spotted coming down to the river to drink.
J. van Vuuren
Stayed at: Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge
A Trip of a Lifetime!
We stayed for 3 nights at the Fish River lodge in December 2020. It was absolute perfection from the moment we arrived to the moment we left.
T. Wille
Stayed at: Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge
Magnificent Trip
We spent four days at Kwandwe in early January. It was incredible, the landscape is magnificent, and our guides were phenomenal. Our young kids loved it. I can’t recommend it more highly.
S. Warren
Stayed at: Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge
Incredible Experience
An absolutely incredible experience! Cannot recommend this place enough! The staff are literally the kindest and friendliest people I have ever met and the Fish Rover lodge was truly stunning! We were utterly devastated to leave.
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, , Eastern Cape, , 6139
FROM PORT ELIZABETH TO KWANDWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE:
* From Port Elizabeth travel eastwards along the N2 towards Grahamstown.
* Travel past Grahamstown and the Settlers Monument, ignoring the Beaufort Street and R67 Port Alfred turnoffs.
* A few kilometres past Grahamstown turn left onto the road at the R67 Fort Beaufort. It should be approx. 10 km's between the Settlers Monument and the Fort Beaufort Road turnoff.
* Wind your way through the Ecca Pass for approximately 19 kms. On your right you will see a large sign indicating The Great Fish River Reserve. Turn left into the gravel road opposite this sign. There are two smaller signs on the left marked
'Kwandwe' and 'Kranzdrift'.
* Travel about 5km to reach the Kwandwe gate, and continue straight along that road for a further 6km
* The first house on the left is Heatherton Towers Reception area, where you will checkin and leave your car. You will then be transferred to either Great Fish River Lodge, Ecca Lodge, Uplands Homestead or Melton Manor, which is between 15 30 minutes drive away.
FROM EAST LONDON TO KWANDWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE:
* From East London travel along the N2 towards King Williams Town and then on to Grahamstown
* Before reaching Grahamstown turn right onto the road at the R67 Fort Beaufort. Wind your way through the Ecca Pass for approximately 19 kms. On your right you will see a large sign indicating The Great Fish River Reserve. Turn left into the gravel road opposite this sign. There are two smaller signs on the left marked 'Kwandwe' and 'Kranzdrift'.
* Travel about 5km to reach the Kwandwe gate, and continue straight for a further 6km.
* The first house on the left is Heatherton Towers Reception area, where you will checkin and leave your car. You will then be transferred to either Great Fish River Lodge, Ecca Lodge, Uplands Homestead or Melton Manor, which are between 15 30 minutes drive away
DISTANCE CHART:
* Port Elizabeth/ Kwandwe 160km 1 hour 45 minutes
* East London/ Kwandwe 185km 2 hours
Yes, Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge offers airport transfers for guests.
Yes, Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge offerstransportation for guests from the airstrip. Please call ahead to confirm details.
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry services are available to guests.
The lodge is surrounded by a discreet perimeter fence to allow children to play in safety. Great Fish River Lodge has an elephant electric fence around the lodge.
We do not recommend drinking the tap water on the reserve; bottled mineral water as well as purified water is provided.
All rooms offer complimentry wifi.
Although children of all ages are welcome at Kwandwe, only teenagers 12 yrs and above are allowed at the Great Fish River Lodge.