Kwandwe, Shamwari or Addo?
 

Hi Fodors,

Please help me decide which game reserve to consider: Kwandwe, Shamwari or Addo.? Three generations family, 3 grandboys between 10-14 years of age, will only consider one of these malaria free reserves, budget is 'mid-way'.

Thanks a bunch.

Mkulove

Mkulove,

I have only been to Addo (in 2004) and I thought it was great. Sorry I can't help with Shamwari and Kwandwe. Addo has many, many ellies although the recently introduced lions were not around.

We were also lucky to see a rhino. I can recommend the Zuurburg Mountain Inn http://www.addo.co.za/ as a good value mid-range accommodation option. Unfortunately, there was a fire there last year and I'm not sure how the Inn is looking now.

However, we had comfortable bandas, wonderful food and the view from the escarpment was magnificent. Addo is a short drive from the Inn. Here is a recent link to a discussion on Shamwari, http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...ri-reserve.cfm


Happy planning,




Pol

Was recent discussion, Feb 21 09, that included Shamwari and Addo-
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...-or-aquila.cfm

Last half of the thread.

regards - tom

Pol,

Thank you so much for your helpful input.

I am hopefuly that others will come forth with their experiences.

Tom,
Thank you as well for your input. The link is most helpful.
Cheers...

your welcome

regards - tom

Went to Kwandwe last Summer with my family - a group of 4 adults and 4 kids. We stayed at Ecca Lodge and I can highly recommend it. Fantastic small lodge where we were really looked after. Had some great rhino sightings (black and white) and also saw ellies, lions and cheetahs. Game is quite sparse, but you are in really good hands, and the whole experience was really enjoyable.

If I am not to late. Kwandwe and Shamwari are Private game reserves and top of the range, Both the better of all the big 5 private game reserves in the Eastern Cape. With them you will need time because of the size of both the reserves. Service as good as it can get. You can have a brilliant wildlife experience at a fraction of the cost in and around Addo. Lodges and Country houses of the same standard and even better are close to Addo Main Gate. Make sure you are within a range of 15km from the main gate. Because Addo is on every body's lips all establishments and even private reserves as far as Grahamstown, Kirkwood, Colchester ext call themselves Addo. You will then find yourselves in a bus for an hour to Addo. Do Addo with a private guide (see my other comments on why)while staying at one of the many fine establishments close to the Addo Main Gate that offer this. Their own Safari vehicle with a concession to do safaris in Addo Park It is normally a lot more than the two hour Addo Park arranged Safari but keep in mind these private safaris go for 4 hours with the best guides and snacks. The R600 normally include your entrance fee, conservation levy, drinks and snacks and most offer a picnic basket for 4 hours of intense information and joy. Best Addo sightings are on the morning drives and different to other reserves starting at 08h00 and not at 05h30 for those that enjoy their sleep. Enjoy Schotia Tooth and Claw Safari in the afternoon. Do the Elephant Back Safari and a visit to the Cheetah Sanctuary the next day and you would have had the best time in your life for a fraction of the cost.
Archie

Try looking at Kuzuko, which has a really super lodge and staff that seem to want to bend over backwards twice to please their clients. Game is an extension of the Addo. So you can expect to see pretty much the same sort of game.

hi mkulove,

we stayed 2 nights at Shamwari and though we had a great time there, the night we spent at Schotia [near Addo], for half the price, was more memorable.

as well as game drives, you can stay in their "roundels" which have room for two adults and two kids [one double, one bunk bed] full bathroom, stove, but NO electricity. our kids, then 15 & 18, loved it. the game drives were great, and the evening meal with everyone together in the Boma and singing afterwards was a lot of fun.

in the morning we did another game drive, had breakfast, and were then taken off by our guide to Addo for the morning. that was the only disappointing bit as the ellies were a long way away from us. it was much more family oriented than Shamwari, which we found a bit starchy, and if anything can be, too luxurious.

hope this helps,

regards, ann

Coming rather late to this as I was wondering, following my own visit, what other people had thought of Kwandwe. I cannot offer comparison with other luxury lodges, but I spent three nights there with my wife and two small children, and it was the highlight of a month-long trip which also included stays at two sites in the Kalahari, at Karoo, and two sites in Kruger park. It was a pleasure to abandon my own vehicle at the reception building, see it unloaded and then whisked away, and not to see it again for three days. From then on everything was taken care of.

We stayed at Kwandwe's Ecca Lodge, taking a large, stand-alone and secluded suite whose living room contained a sofa bed for the children. Each was given a bag on arrival with a first-class colouring/activities/animal recognition/puzzle book, crayons, and a bug collecting/viewing kit. There was no officially organised jollity for the children, but during the mid-morning to mid-afternoon break between safaris the staff would often effortlessly involve them in whatever else was going on, such as baking biscuits, or would play board games in between taking care of other tasks.

The suite itself was solidly furnished, with large living room, large bedroom, enormous bathroom (with option to shower outside, too), and a deck with a plunge pool and views across a green sea of bush.

Guide 'Doc', and tracker Siza, met us each morning for a discussion of what we'd like to see, and then to our astonishment delivered just about all the sightings we asked for. Occupancy was not high, and we were able to arrange for a safari vehicle to ourselves, which meant we could bring the my two-year-old daughter, having first been given a thorough safety briefing.

Cheetah, lion, elephant, white and black rhino, buffalo, and a vast assortment of buck, ostrich, and other bird life were all discovered over three days. The highlights were sharing the afternoon nap of a male and female lion and three cubs, and having a female cheetah stalk past only metres from the vehicle, then call to three tiny cubs who popped up from the grass nearby. The eyesight of Siza was so amazingly sharp, enabling him to spot creatures we couldn't even see using the binoculars, that he was also part of the entertainment. Doc was an engaging guide and host, taking my six-year-old son on his lap to drive the vehicle (which quickly proved that it was indeed off-road), and he also had an opportunity to perch up front on the spotter's seat. Games involving the identification of different kinds of animal dropping brought squeals of delighted disgust.

We would return mid-morning to be greeted with chilled drinks (identical ones without alcohol ready made for the children), and an excellent brunch before spending a few hours simply lazing, using the plunge pool (another favourite with the children) and enjoying the views. Mid-afternoon tea was followed by a second safari, cocktails, dinner made specially for the children, and a later meal for ourselves once they were asleep, with choices for each course usually including a game option, and all excellent. Service was pleasant and relaxed throughout, and the whole experience rewarding in terms of scenery and sightings, and otherwise simply comfortable from start to finish.

Kwandwe also invests in various projects in villages within its borders, and offers the chance to visit these, although we stuck to using Doc and Siza to gain us sightings of animals we'd been unable to spot for ourselves elsewhere.

The only disadvantage to Kwandwe I could name was that the children liked it so much they cried when we had to leave. I hope at some point to return, and I can't recommend the experience too highly.

Peter N-H

Shamwari:

http://www.rhinoconservation.org/201...s-businessmen/

SV ((@))

Hi there

I was wondering whether you've made a decision yet and when you will be going to SA? I'm asking because there are other great options in malaria free areas.

Kind regards