Gondwana Game Reserve

Each of the 14 Kwena Lodge private suites offers luxurious bedrooms, featuring their own bathrooms with a relaxing bathtub and separate walk-in shower, offering stunning views over two waterholes and across the valley to the Outeniqua and Langeberg mountain ranges. Kwena Lodge boasts a modern and luxurious twist on the traditional Khoi-San dwelling, with spacious open-plan suites that blend into the natural landscape and boast 180-degree views of the thriving vegetation.

The free-standing buildings include skylights, ideal for gazing at the dazzling night sky and warm clay pot fireplaces to heat you up after an evening Big 5 game drive. The lodge rooms are close to the main area, dining area and boma and the refreshing swimming pool where guests can unwind during the sunny afternoons.

The Fynbos Villas and Bush Villas at Gondwana Game Reserve are ideal for families or groups of friends travelling together, with a homely atmosphere and a range of comfortable and enriching amenities. Each stylish villa is designed with spacious, open-plan interiors with three (Fynbos Villas) or four (Bush Villas) en-suite bedrooms.

Spaced generously apart to ensure maximum privacy, Each villa is positioned for optimum views of the verdant landscape and rolling valleys. The open-plan lounges, dining and kitchen areas create a warm heart of the home, where guests can come together and enjoy quality time as a group. Outside, a relaxing seating area on the expansive deck overlooks the sweeping plains and guests can enjoy a refreshing dip in the cool waters of the swimming pool.

Various packages can be booked with the villa accommodation from Full Board to Half Board to the B&B and Daily Game Drive package. The B&B package allows for family braais (BBQ) in your villa and time to explore the surrounding Garden Route, with its award-winning Golf Courses and top beaches.

Guests staying at the Eco Tented Camp will have the exciting opportunity to get involved in wildlife and field management, learn important bush skills and interpretation, as well as enjoy a unique perspective of a Big Five private game reserve. Visitors at the camp can get involved with important conservation work, documenting research and findings to help protect the amazing flora and fauna of the reserve. This goes back to Gondwana’s conservation department and helps to instruct their decisions and actions that go on to improve the reserve and protection of the amazing life within it.

The tented accommodation stands atop elevated decking, offering incredible views. The spacious tents include comfortable king or twin beds, with an en-suite bathroom and a covered outdoor area where you can admire the stunning views from a relaxing deck chair. The camp is solar-powered and meals are served either in the communal dining tent, or outdoors in the camp’s boma. The camp has a nearby swimming pool and hammock relaxation area and allows guests to truly immerse themselves in the natural landscape without compromising on luxury.

The luxuriously spacious and stylish African villa provides guests with their own Field Guide, Chef and Butler. The villa is privately situated in the reserve’s 1200-hectare walking area surrounded by grasslands teeming with game. This exclusive villa hosts three luxurious guest suites, with endless mountain views, providing extravagant accommodation for groups of up to 6 adults or 4 adults and 4 children.

Additionally, the Loft Apartment with a separate entrance can accommodate 2 adults more at no additional cost. The expansive open-plan bathrooms feature a rain shower, deep bath, and double vanity. The villa offers an outdoor shower and pool and jacuzzi hot tub with an extensive, private deck area to take in the spectacular surroundings.

Guests at Gondwana Game Reserve can look forward to three delicious meals each day, featuring delicious Pan African cuisine which combines elements of European and African dishes to create familiar favourites with new flavours or a surprising twist. Guests can also enjoy a traditional South African Braai (barbeque), or savour a mouth-watering picnic surrounded by beautiful fynbos in a romantic and natural setting.

Gondwana’s wine list is composed of superb South African wines from the Cape area, with food and wine pairings suggested nightly as part of the menu. Guests are highly recommended to advise of any dietary requirements or allergies at the reservations stage and children’s menus can be provided for lunch and dinner.

Embark on an exciting game drive, where guests can look out for incredible animals including the Big 5, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, antelope and cheetahs. Game drives in the morning allow visitors to see predators returning from hunts while the other animals graze in the cooler climate before the heat of the day. The late afternoon and evening drives focus on the wildlife travelling down to the river to quench their thirst before nocturnal species begin to emerge. Enjoy incredible wildlife sightings against the backdrops of the beautiful Cape Floral setting, with tasty refreshments and evening sundowners.

Avid bird watchers can enjoy scanning the treetops for the incredible endemic bird species of the Western Cape, 42 of which can be found in the reserve. The region is home to a staggering 300 species of bird, including the rare Cape Sugarbird, Orange Breasted Sunbird and Black Harrier which cannot be found anywhere else on Earth.

Gondwana’s landscape consists of a diverse spread of habitats including open grass plains, plateaus, wetlands, rolling fynbos, hills, riverine and subtropical thicket valleys and cliff faces. The array of vegetation types allows for a variety of bird species including Denhams Bustard, Blue Crane, African Fish eagle, Verreaux’s eagle Ostrich, Jackal Buzzard, Malachite Sunbird, and Black-crowned night heron. The close proximity of the coastline and the Southern Capes Great Wetlands allows for species such as the endangered African Black Oyster-catcher along with many other sought after pelagic species.

Wander through the 1,200-hectare walking area, where fences separate you from the dangerous wildlife. Guests can explore the fynbos biome and marvel at the amazing plants and the endemic birds and gentle animals that reside in this area. Learn about the rich botanical heritage of the fynbos and discover more about their life cycles.

This activity is not suitable for children under the age of 12 years. Walks are suitable for groups of up to 6 guests at a time.

Help with the identification, recording, monitoring and geo-mapping of the reserve’s endangered fynbos species under the guidance of the reserve’s resident botanist. Guests will be able to take part in collecting scientific data on the reserve and assisting with conservation efforts. The biodiversity projects help gain a better understanding of the fynbos and critically endangered plants that live in the biome. Guests are able to see wildflowers and plants that cannot be found anywhere else in the world on this two-three hour activity.

Take some time off and visit the Gondwana Spa where guests can relax and unwind with a host of indulgent spa treatments with natural products made from indigenous plants from the Africology range. Enjoy restorative skin products and rejuvenating treatments including facials, massages, hand and foot treatments, and body wraps.

Children can also enjoy their own special treatments such as facials, massage, manicures and pedicures.

Children aged 6 and over can take part in the exciting Junior Ranger experience with a dedicated ranger who will enquire about any special requests, such as dietary and babysitting.

Young explorers will be given a fun Ranger’s backpack and a cool safari booklet to fill in throughout their stay. During game drives and other South African safari activities with their ranger, children will learn how to identify mammals, birds, fynbos species, and constellations of the southern hemisphere. They will gain a greater understanding of conservation and receive a level 1 Junior Ranger Patch and completion certificate, as well as a picture with their ranger for their safari book.

Gondwana has recently announced the addition of 4 new mountain bike trails where guests can enjoy viewing endangered species at their own pace while exploring the protected area. These newly cut routes are graded from novice to advanced and have been designed for all levels of fitness. The routes consist of varied terrain from dirt roads and jeep tracks to long valley descents and steep technical climbs.

The Gondwana Conservation Foundation (GCF) is a non-profit organisation which was established to contribute to the conservation of South Africa’s threatened and endangered wildlife and vegetation in the Southern Cape. By supporting local people by offering training and skills development, the project is working to stamp out the issue of high unemployment, with additional training courses in anti-poaching and career opportunities in conservation.

The GCF currently is focused on three projects: The Rainbow Rhino Initiative which sponsors anti poaching training courses and is establishing a breeding population of rhino, Conservation Kids which invites local schoolchildren to the reserve to teach them above wildlife and conservation, and the Cheetah Rewilding Program which support semi-captive cheetahs, teaching them to hunt again and become self-sufficient in the wild – with an ultimate goal of establishing free-roaming cheetah in the Western Cape with a sustainable breeding program.

Guests staying at Gondwana’s solar-powered Tented Eco Camp will be participating in a range of conservation activities throughout their stay. The Tented Eco Camp allows guests the chance to aid Gondwana’s conservation initiatives whilst encountering the unparalleled South African fauna and flora. The camp is designed especially for enthusiastic conservationists, with activities including:

• Bird Identification & Monitoring
• Bush Skills & Interpretation
• Elephant Dung Sampling
• Eradication of Alien Invasive Tree Species
• Game Census
• Monitoring of Ecological Impact of Keystone Species such as Elephant, Lion, Buffalo and Giraffe together with Behavioural Analysis
• Monitoring of the Cape Leopard Cameras established on Gondwana & Surrounding Area
• Translocation & Veterinary Care of Wildlife
• Veld Management
• Water Assessments
• Wildlife Husbandry & Care of Rare & Endangered Species such as Rhino, disease-free Buffalo and Sable
• Wildlife Monitoring & Recording

The Tented Eco Camp means guests can experience a tailor-made safari holiday whilst continuing to do their bit to protect the Game Reserve and surrounding ecology.

Gondwana Game Reserve is working to conserve and protect endangered species such as the desert black rhino, white rhino, cheetah, bontebok, and Cape mountain zebra. By monitoring and researching these species, the GCF is helping to boost and support endangered wildlife populations.

The Gondwana Conservation Foundation supports the teachers and pupils at the Herbertsdale Primary school, and has employed a number of its graduates. The reserve recently built a new jungle gym in the school playground, repaired the entrance road, painted the school and refurbished the tennis court. As well as supporting the school, the GCF has helped with conservation training and commercial enterprise, establishing indigenous tree nurseries, wattle eradication, supporting community gardens and bee pollination.

On Nelson Mandela Day, the team also helped to improve local SPCA facilities by building fences, horse paddocks, garden maintenance and spending time with the rescued animals.

The Gondwana Conservation Foundation has been working to rehabilitate and support the indigenous plants of the Cape Floristic Kingdom with the removal of invasive plant species such as wattles, conserving water in the wetland systems, erosion control, and fire management. This has created jobs for local community members, as well as protecting critically endangered plant species that cannot be found anywhere else on Earth.

Each year, the GCF provides environmental education to the children at local schools, particularly those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. They also run anti-poaching workshops and mentorship and conservation programs in order to teach children about the benefits of living close to wildlife and why it should be protected. The Tertiary Education Fund offers hard-working students the chance to do a third-year internship on the reserve and over 200 children from disadvantaged backgrounds have been able to participate in conservation projects within the Western Cape.