Kwandwe Game Reserve is a malaria-free Eastern Cape game reserve near Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Kwandwe means ‘Place of the Blue Crane’, and indeed is home to an impressive population of South Africa’s highly endangered national bird. Kwandwe has gone to great lengths over the years to help restore this, several times over, war torn area to it’s natural wildlife rich days and is now renowned conservation and community success story, offering a sophisticated safari experience for the conscientious traveler. The entire reserve has just 22 rooms split across four intimate and award-winning lodges.

The 54,000 acres of pristine wilderness is home to Africa’s famous Big 5 as well as a diverse number of smaller and more unusual species. This reserve has also had remarkable success with its rhino conservation program and they can often be seen in impressive numbers on a safari game drive.

Kwandwe flanks both the north and south banks of the Great Fish River, which meanders for 19 miles through pristine, private wilderness where black & white rhino, elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard and many others once again roam freely. The wide open spaces and tranquil scenery belie the area’s turbulent history, and relics of the area’s rich historical and cultural legacy can be found both on the reserve and nearby. This is one of the ultimate historic and environmentally conscious South African safari destinations.