Kwandwe Great Fish River Lodge  Verified Listing

Kwandwe Private Game Reserve is home to four majestic safari lodges, each with its own distinctive charm and character: Great Fish River Lodge, Ecca Lodge, Uplands Homestead and Melton Manor.
Families or small groups of friends travelling together can choose to enjoy an entirely intimate and exclusive safari experience at one of Kwandwe’s two gracious sole-use safari villas, 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.

Ecca Lodge Double Suite: Set in thick vegetation with sweeping views over a dense valley, Ecca Lodge is exclusive and intimate. The lodge’s chic décor celebrates the vibrant colours of the African people, with each suite deocrated in a different colour. Six spacious and private suites feature private decks with plunge pools, en-suite bathrooms, indoor and outdoor showers, separate w.c, twin basins and personal bars.

Ecca Lodge Family Suite: Set in thick vegetation with sweeping views over a dense valley, Ecca Lodge is exclusive and intimate. The lodge’s chic décor celebrates the vibrant colours of the African people, with each suite deocrated in a different colour. The suite is spacious and private, featuring a private deck with plunge pool, en-suite bathroom, indoor and outdoor showers, separate w.c, twin basins and a personal bar. Children are accommodated in the suite’s separate lounge area, where the two day beds convert into single beds at night for children to sleep in.

Great Fish River Lodge Suite: Set high up on a steep bank overlooking the Great Fish River, the lodge offers spectacular vistas onto the reserve. Nine luxurious and private suites feature covered verandas with plunge pools, ensuite bathrooms, indoor and outdoor showers, separate w.c, twin basins and personal bars. The décor is classic-contemporary African-inspired, with natural palettes of earth-toned fabrics.

Uplands Homestead: A restored farmhouse dating back to 1905, this gracious homestead offers a true ‘Out of Africa’ ambiance. The sole-use safari villa features three spacious bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and private verandas. Original antiques and rich furnishings give this laidback luxurious home a comfortable and romantic ambiance.
Melton Manor: A luxuriously elegant yet laidback sole-use safari villa that offers privacy and space. The four bedroom u-shaped lodge features high ceilings and deep verandas, overlooking the central courtyard, its large swimming pool and sweeping views of the Afromontane forests beyond.

Kwandwe is located in South Africa's malaria-free Eastern Cape near Grahamstown. The nearest national airport is in Port Elizabeth, which lies 160 km (100 miles) from the reserve. There are daily scheduled flights from both Cape Town and Johannesburg international airports to Port Elizabeth. There is a daily scheduled flight from Port Elizabeth directly to the Kwandwe airstrip. The reserve lies approximately 65 km from the coast and is located in close proximity to the renowned Garden Route.

* Great Fish River Lodge :
Featuring a classic-contemporary style of understated elegance and earthy tones, Great Fish River Lodge is all about tranquility and solitude. Watch majestic kudu meander down to the river from the Lodge’s expansive viewing decks, or soak in the views from the privacy of your suite's own plunge pool.

* Ecca Lodge:
Highlights of the guest areas at Ecca Lodge include the open interactive kitchen, a gorgeous rim-flow lap pool and the nearby library.

* Uplands Homestead:
Furnished with authentic antiques and memorabilia reminiscent of a stately Settler home from the 1820s, we have added stylish modern comforts such as exquisitely appointed bathrooms, air-conditioning, private verandas for each suite and a contemporary farmstyle kitchen. There is also a full size swimming pool and gazebo set amongst rolling lawns, surrounded on all sides by sweeping slopes decorated with hundreds of aloes.

* Melton Manor:
The welcoming U-shape and four ensuite bedrooms are cleverly designed around the central courtyard and its large, inviting swimming pool. Distinctively South African, feature pieces of simple colonial furniture combine with up-sized, deep comfortable sofas whilst subtle game and bush references embrace the local environment.

* Twice Daily Game Drives:
Explore the natural splendour of Kwandwe on early morning and late afternoon / evening game drives in an open 4x4 safari vehicle. An armed ranger and tracker team share their extensive knowledge of the bush with you as you 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 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 subtle, unseen wonders 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, various antelope species, giraffe, warthog, bushbuck or bushpig.