Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve lies in the heart of South Africa’s malaria-free Eastern Cape near Grahamstown, and is a natural conclusion to a journey along the world-famous Garden Route. A victory for far-sighted conservation, 20 000 hectares (49 000 acres) of farmland in the Great Fish River region were restored and restocked with African wildlife. Today, thousands of animals including lion, black and white rhino, buffalo and elephant roam this diverse and fascinating reserve.
Kwandwe aptly means “Place of the Blue Crane” in Xhosa (South Africa’s highly endangered national bird) and is home to a population of these rare birds. It offers an exceptional safari experience in a region steeped in history and culture.
Kwandwe is a biodiversity ‘hotspot’ with six of South Africa’s seven biomes converging in this region of the Eastern Cape making the reserve an ideal habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna.
From June to August, the Reserve boasts a spectacular display of winter flowering aloes.
Kwandwe is a victory for far-sighted conservation with the successful reintroduction of over 7000 larger mammals taking place prior to the Reserve opening in 2001. Today, herds of elephant and buffalo frequently drink and mud-bathe at waterholes, and cheetah and lion are regularly encountered in open habitats. The home ranges of both black and white rhino are well known and these bulky herbivores are often seen, whilst hippo move between the Great Fish River and larger waterholes. Springbok are the most abundant antelope, with good populations of greater kudu, oryx (gemsbok), red hartebeest and eland. Bushbuck and Cape grysbok keep to dense thickets. Abundant termites provide food for the nocturnal aardwolf, aardvark and bat-eared fox. Black-backed jackal, Cape fox and caracal are commonly encountered smaller predators. Family parties of meercats provide entertaining viewing. Rock hyrax, red rock-rabbit and elephant-shrew live in rocky terrain.
There are 238 species of bird recorded to date at Kwandwe. Ostrich, secretary bird, blue crane, Stanley’s bustard and crowned lapwing are conspicuous in open habitats. Raptors include jackal buzzard, martial eagle, Verreaux’s (black) eagle and pale chanting goshawk. African fish-eagle hunt along the Great Fish River, where giant kingfisher, reed cormorant and green-backed heron also fish. Malachite, amethyst and greater double-collared sunbirds feed on the nectar of aloe blooms, and the strident calls of bokmakierie, Karoo robin and acacia pied barbet ring out across the plains and valleys.