Kwandwe Private Game Reserve

Some 60 miles inland from the Indian Ocean coast, this Relais & Châteaux is a private game reserve with a low-density approach that makes it a great introduction to safari.

• Easy location in the Eastern Cape, a 1.5-hour drive from Port Elizabeth airport
• Located in a malaria-free zone reachable via car (no need to take a bush plane)
• A conservation success story with beautiful, eco-sensitive lodges
• Limited amount of visitors, with never more than eight vehicles in the terrain

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, varied 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.)

Kwandwe has 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.

Comfortable and spacious, the Kwandwe suites make a great base to relax mid-day between game drives, but the history-rich location also makes it a great place to explore. Guests can visit a local community, learn how to bead traditional jewelry, cook local food or volunteer in a variety of activities.

Families, anyone looking for a low-key introduction to safaris