The 15 800 hectare reserve is set on the edge of the former Karoo Basin where several of Africa's vegetation zones converge and biodiversity is therefore extremely rich. The Kwandwe landscape is dominated by valley bushveld on open plains and rolling hills, with succulent euphorbias, aloes and spekboom among the characteristic plants. Thousands of animals, including the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) have been reintroduced to roam the reserve, which is also a haven for endangered animals and birds and numerous programmes to support them have been introduced.
Famous artist and explorer Thomas Baines writes in his Journal of Residence in Africa 1842-1853 of the extraordinary beauty of the region, as well as "the dense jungles of the Zuureberg and the Fish and other rivers were filled with herds of elephants when the Settlers arrived in 1820."
The region is steeped in history and culture, which stretches back thousands of years to the San and Khoi peoples. They have left a legacy of rock paintings, artefacts and stone tools that are of great cultural importance. Visit the first Homo sapiens site in the Cape in the Valley of the Ancient Voices. Following the arrival of the British Settlers in 1820, a whole new culture was introduced to the region.
The touch of the 1820 Settlers is everywhere - from the beautiful architecture and art in towns like Grahamstown and Fort Beaufort to the colonial furniture and fittings that were brought to manor houses.
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One of the continent's southernmost game reserves lies in the heart of South Africa's Eastern Cape; a district rich in history and blessed with abundant natural beauty.
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve stretches along 42 kilometres of the Great Fish River and each of the luxurious glass and thatch suites overlooks its lush riverbanks. 
CyberCapeTown.com
