Comprising of 22,000 hectares of private land, with the Great Fish River running right through it, the reserve is mainly comprised of sub-tropical thickets of tree euphorbia and lush vegetation in the south, with drier, more arid land in the north. The climate in Kwandwe is split into two fairly distinct seasons; warm, wet summers from October to March and cool, dry winters between April and September. The altitude within the reserve can range from 800-1600ft above sea level.
In between game drives enjoy interpretive bush walks with armed ranger guides to understand the smaller flora and fauna. For a nominal fee you can spend 3 – 4 hours tracking rhino with a specialist ranger and tracker team. The reserve also offers the ‘Blue Crane Conservation Club’ which is specially designed for children as well as volunteering opportunities at the Ubunye Foundation which is an independent non-profit charity trust supporting local communities.
The private reserve is home to just four Relais & Chateaux lodges; comprised of just 22 rooms, giving it one of the best guest – land ratios of all the reserves in South Africa. Two of the beautiful lodges (Uplands Homestead and Melton Manor) are available exclusively which make for wonderful stays for families or small groups travelling together. The nearest international airport is in Port Elizabeth which is a 160km drive from the reserve. There are also daily scheduled flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.
Activities in the reserve comprise of action packed game drives during the day and wonderful night drives where you can spot a large amount of aardvarks and aardwolves.