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CC Africa, the pioneering conservation and safari company that was recently renamed &Beyond (because of expansions into India and South America) was founded in South Africa in the early 1990s. Since, they’ve opened camps in Botswana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya, but it’s easy to see that the company maintains a soft spot for its South African properties (read a member postcard about a rhino darting expedition at flagship Phinda). Like many of &Beyond’s private game reserves, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve (www.andbeyond.com), located in the malaria-free Eastern Cape, is a conservation success story, and its beautifully varied terrain and low-density lodges (resulting in a limited amount of visitors) make for a fantastic introduction to safari.

Occupying some 54,000 private acres, Kwandwe has an impressive line-up of wildlife, though in sheer numbers it, of course, can’t compete with such national parks as Kruger or Serengeti (in comparison, Kruger spans 6.2 million acres). Split by the Great Fish River (“We have our own Left and Right Banks,” joked one of the rangers), the pristine terrain moves swiftly from expansive, aloe-studded desert landscapes and tangles of euphorbia bushland to dense forests of majestic trees and steep cliffs rising from the riverbed. Of South Africa’s seven biospheres, six converge in the Eastern Cape, making for stunning, varied terrain. Incidentally, the one missing is the low-grown savannah most first-time visitors associate with an African safari (blame it on Out of Africa). The habitat houses thousands of animals, including elephant, cheetah, leopard, lion, giraffe, buffalo, black and white rhino, and the usual Africa antelope suspects (kudu, springbuck, eland, wildebeest etc.) About 100 km inland from the Indian Ocean coast, Kwandwe also has the ideal climate for such rare and endangered birds as the blue crane, the crowned eagle and the Knysna turaco. (In the local Xhosa language, Kwandwe means “place of the blue crane.)

There are two lodges, Great Fish River and Ecca Lodge, as well as two sole-use safari villas at Kwandwe. Modern and sleek, with eye-popping colors and six rooms (all of which come with private plunge pools), Ecca is folded into dense bush, overlooking a valley. It’s a popular choice for families traveling with kids thanks to the relaxed design scheme, pool framed by a wooden deck, a game room and baby-sitting service. Sitting on a towering cliff overlooking the river, Great Fish River Lodge is the more luxurious of the two, with glorious views and a vast sense of space thanks to wooden terraces and patios that look towards the other side of the river, where you can watch monkeys playing in the treetops and herds of kudu grazing while you lunch.

Great Fish River Lodge is made up of a main lodge with an open floor plan where guests have their meals and meet up before and after game drives. The lodge is part of Relais & Chateaux (one of only eleven safari lodges that belong to the renowned French company’s portfolio), but interiors are not overly formal; rather there’s a focus on pre- or post-game drive comfort; the living room area has lots of overstuffed couches and arm chairs, a double-sided fireplace and books on wildlife, birding and Africa. An elevated bridge with a driftwood railing leads to the nine freestanding safari suites housed in spacious cabins with soaring thatched roofs and plenty of outdoor space, including a patio with a plunge pool and loungers, as well as an outdoor shower. The rooms are each outfitted with a king-size bed, sleek dark-wood furniture and the bathrooms are spacious and come with freestanding tubs and rain showers. As with any &Beyond lodge, it’s the thoughtful details that transform the luxe accommodations into something with heart: there’s a box with crayons and paper in case you feel inspired to sketch; the throw on the chaise longue is the softest mohair; the bath products are handcrafted and smell divine.

Comfortable and spacious, the suites make a great base to relax mid-day between game drives, but Kwandwe’s history-rich location also makes it a great place to explore. Guests can visit a local community, where the &Beyond-sponsored Angus Gillis Foundation has been making a huge impact, and learn how to bead traditional jewelry or cook local food (read a Q&A with director Diana Hornby here). For history buffs, an outing with local historian Alan Weyer is a must; he hosts guided tours to nearby caves where paintings found on the walls are believed to be 6,000 years old, making them the oldest in the world. Those craving some walking between safari’s incessant driving and eating, can also explore the bush on a guided walk with a ranger.

Ultimately, it’s the people who make the experience at Kwandwe so memorable, particularly the extraordinary rangers and trackers. All &Beyond rangers undergo a vigorous six-week training program at Phinda, which culminates in a week of unarmed walks (they hike through the reserve from dawn until dusk carrying only with a radio), during which they hone their animal tracking skills. The advantage of a private reserve is, of course, the exclusive access. At Kwandwe, there are never more than eight vehicles in the terrain and never more than three at any given animal sighting. On several occasions during my recent visit, our Jeep was the only one in sight, whether we were sitting with a group of female lions and her cubs, viewing a herd of elephants in the hillside or observing a family of white rhino peacefully grazing. (The only time there was a race to get to animals was the sighting of two cheetah brothers who had not been spotted in a few days.) Our ranger, Robert Braum, had an inexhaustible knowledge about the animals, birds and vegetation, and his passion for the bush and its inhabitants that was instantly contagious.

While some safaris focus on an incessant hunt for the Big Five, drives at Kwandwe are more relaxed and also cherish the quiet moments and creatures: one glorious late afternoon, the landscapes drenched in darkening sun, Rob pulled the Jeep over near a sole male giraffe and turned to our group: “Who wants to take a walk?” Single-file we carefully made our way towards the towering animal that barely took note of our approach until we were practically standing underneath its lanky legs. It wasn’t a huge herd, it wasn’t a kill or a blockbuster lion or leopard—but the chance to stand in the middle of South African bush, close enough to this graceful creature to see its checkered fur glistening in the light, was, in some ways, even more memorable.

Getting There:

Located near South Africa’s coast, Kwandwe is an easy, 1.5-hour drive from Port Elizabeth airport. There are daily flights to Port Elizabeth from Johannesburg (about a 1.5 hour flight).

Who Should Stay:

Kwandwe offers a wonderful introduction to safari and is an ideal destination for families travelers who do not have time in their itineraries to trek to the more remote reserves (also, there’s no need to take a bush plane to get there).

Who Should Not Stay:

Safari junkies who expect huge herds and constant Big Five sightings. Also, the lodges are plush and comfortable but not as over-the-top luxe as Singita’s Grumeti Sasakwa, in Tanzania, for instance.

What to Pack:

Due to its close proximity to the ocean, the temperatures at Kwandwe are cooler than at safari reserves further north. Bring fleeces, knit hats and shirts to layer for the early-morning drives.

Indagare Tip:

The suites at the Great Fish Lodge are generously spaced out along the bluff, with room no. 6 being the closest and room no. 1 the furthest from the main lodge. At night, a guard accompanies you to the room, so if the thought of staying alone in the wild far from the main lodge, is not appealing, request suites no. 5 or 6. Alternately, for the most privacy, suites no. 1 and 2 are reached via a small bridge.

Cost and Contact:

Unlike safari camps in Botswana, Tanzania and Kenya, where rates are always quoted in US$, Kwandwe and all other South African reserves are priced in South African rand. Generally, US$ and Euros are stronger than the rand, which makes for amazing value. During the off-season (mid-April through September), the all-inclusive rate for Great Fish Lodge starts at Rand3,520 (about $355), per person per night.