Home of two Born Free big cat sanctuaries, the Shamwari Private Game Reserve is a malaria-free private game reserve near Port Elizabeth, boasting just under 30000 hectares of land, bursting with free roaming wild animals, birdlife and indigenous Flora and Fauna. Game drives depart twice a day and are included within your stay, travelling in open 4x4 vehicles with your experienced ranger, with sightings of the ‘Big Five’ plentiful. Guided walks are also a fantastic way to get to grips with your stunning surrounds and make sure you visit the brand new Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Accommodation is of the highest standard throughout the seven lodges with Eagles Crag lodge recommended for those who adore privacy and serenity. Families are also more than welcome at Riverdene Family Lodge, offering a range of child-friendly activities to take advantage of (kids aged 4 and over are welcome on family game-drives too). As well as the wildlife, there’s a swimming pool with shallow area just for them, a kids club and outdoor adventure centre. Long Lee Manor offers the feel of a bygone era and Bayethe tented lodge offers a wonderful ‘back to the bush’ experience never to be forgotten. Sarili Lodge offers an intimate experience with only five rooms, perfect for families, groups and friends with a large deck overlooking the Bushman’s River. Meals can be enjoyed in your lodge, the dining room or in the boma, feasting on traditional African dishes from the barbecue.
Amenities
Wheelchair access
Safari
Bar
Restaurant
Spa
Where is it
On 30000 hectares of bushveld in the Eastern Cape. Driving time from Port Elizabeth Airport: 1 hour.
Hotel information
There are 7 different lodges in total: Riverdene - is perfect for families, with a very exciting and complimentary children's programme. This is a wonderful lodge with relaxed loungers, offering the perfect stay for families, with interconnecting rooms, childcare facilities and an exciting new outdoor kids activity centre, child-friendly game-drives for children from the age of 4 years, a child friendly dining room, pool and a place to relax and enjoy the bush. There are only 9 rooms, all with private facilities, air conditioning and TV, sleeping maximum 2 adults and 1 child.
All Inclusive of: meals and selected local beverages. All game-drives and visits to Education Centres, Animal Rehabilitation centre, Vulpro @ Shamwari and The Born Free Foundation.
Long Lee Manor - this colonial building offers a traditional stay in either a room or suite and has amazing views over the open plains with game wandering across throughout the day and night. With a rim-flow pool, a garden lounge and spa* you are sure to feel at home in this gracious manor house. Offering accommodation in 17 beautifully decorated rooms and one 2-bedroom villa with a private pool. All with air-conditioning, TV, heating and en-suite facilities. Children from the age of 8 years old are welcome at Long Lee.
Sarili - suitable for older families, couples or small parties. This luxury lodge consists of 5 Luxury Rooms sleeping a maximum of 10 people. Enjoy Bushman's River and plains view on the deck of this African thatch design villa. There are bar/lounge and dining areas and a child friendly swimming pool. Choose from a Luxury Courtyard Room (rooms are interconnecting via a passage so are suitable for a family) or a Luxury River Room, each sleeping maximum 2 adults.
Bayethe - located in the northern part of the reserve, here you can enjoy drinks with the wildlife after dark, and relax in one of the 12 luxury tents. All with en-suite facilities, private outdoor shower, plunge pool and viewing deck.
Eagles Crag - this premium lodge, which has been newly refurbished, is for the traveller who wants to enjoy contemporary and modern African design alongside the traditional chic of the African bush. The upper level offers a great dining area and lounge with individual 'dining pods' that look over cliffs. There is also a spa* for extra relaxation - and with only 9 rooms, you are sure to be spoilt. Secluded by natural vegetation your suite offers privacy and tranquillity, with your own private deck and heated plunge pool, indoor and outdoor shower and luxury en-suite facilities. Sleeping maximum 2 adults.
Sindile - set deep in the African veld, with 9 free standing luxury tents. Premier Luxury Tents are elevated high above the bush and feature a private deck with heated plunge pool and lounging area under a pergola. Sleeping maximum 2 adults.
Explorer's Camp - from October to May, Shamwari Private Game Reserve expands its offering even further by opening the Explorer Camp. The camp is located on a plateau set among the only basalt and granite extrusions on Shamwari, a truly magical setting. This once-in-a-lifetime experience takes guests on a guided walking safari of the surrounding land, allowing you to get up close and personal with nature. These tents feature two single beds, and en suite bathroom with shower, sleeping maximum 2 adults.
Traditional African bomas. African barbecues. Game-drives take place in the early morning and late afternoon. Guided walks and night drives. Kids on Safari programme. Eagles Crag, Sindile, Bayethe and Long Lee Manor all have a spa* but spa treatments are available at all lodges. Gym at Long Lee Manor. Complimentary WiFi. 2 night Explorer Camp experience*, in dome tented lodges, is also available. Guided walking safari (available Oct-Apr). Born Free and Animal Rehabilitation Centre. Welcome Lounge (for guests staying at Long Lee Manor, Riverdene, Sarili, Sindile and Explorer camp), all guests staying at Eagles Crag and Bayethe will check in at the new Northern Welcome Lounge and be transferred to their lodge, this transfer would be approximately 30 minutes’ drive time.
Wheelchair adapted rooms with partially accessible amenities or facilities available on request (Riverdene and Long Lee Manor). Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page
2 nights between 1 May-20 Apr.
* Denotes local charge.
Based on 1432 reviews
Rating summary
Location
Sleep Quality
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness
Traveller rating
Excellent (1314)
Very good (81)
Average (24)
Poor (10)
Terrible (4)
Mino made me cry!
Jan 25, 2025Niamh O
We had the most amazing honeymoon at Sindile at Shamwari! From the moment we got there, we were blown away by the beauty of the place and the wonderful service. Our ranger, Mino, was incredible. He took us on 10-hour adventures every day, making sure we saw everything. Even the drive from the entrance to Sindile was an experience. Mino’s passion… Read more
We had the most amazing honeymoon at Sindile at Shamwari! From the moment we got there, we were blown away by the beauty of the place and the wonderful service. Our ranger, Mino, was incredible. He took us on 10-hour adventures every day, making sure we saw everything. Even the drive from the entrance to Sindile was an experience. Mino’s passion for wildlife really showed, and he made our safari unforgettable. One of the best moments was having lunch surrounded by 40 elephants, including a two-day-old calf. We also saw lions feeding and so many other animals. Mino’s dedication and enthusiasm made the trip extra special. The staff at Sindile were just as impressive. Nikki, especially, made sure everything was perfect and no request was too big. Her warm hospitality made our stay even better. We can’t wait to go back to Shamwari. The combination of incredible wildlife, amazing staff, and stunning surroundings makes it a must-visit. I even cried leaving Mino, Sindile and Shamwari on our last day! Le grá, Niamh & Brían💛 Read less
An out of body experience!
Jan 20, 2025Darren MLondon, United Kingdom
Stayed at Eagles Crag. Without doubt the most amazing place I’ve ever stayed at. It’s genuinely like something out of a film. The lodges are built to compliment the local environment and when you open the doors in the morning you will genuinely feel you are on the film set of Jurassic Park. Each lodge is stand alone and no other building is… Read more
Stayed at Eagles Crag. Without doubt the most amazing place I’ve ever stayed at. It’s genuinely like something out of a film. The lodges are built to compliment the local environment and when you open the doors in the morning you will genuinely feel you are on the film set of Jurassic Park. Each lodge is stand alone and no other building is visible Staff were brilliant and I have to give a massive shout to Kingston. What an amazing asset to any business. So to the game drives… firstly Keenan our ranger must be able commune with the wildlife. He must get texts from them such is his ability to find them. From a solitary bull elephant to a herd of about 30-40. Parked right in the middle of them and we watched them eat. The closest being about 10 feet away We were within touching distance of lions and cheetah Went on a game walk (highly recommend) and had 4 rhino to the left and four to the right. When not in the vehicle you have a completely different perspective of the environment. The rangers explain so much and their depth of knowledge brings the whole experience to life. What I don’t know about a ding beetle and its defence mechanism isn’t worth knowing but I know one day it will be a pub quiz question!! I had a concern that rangers would communicate with each other and before you know it everyone in the reserve would be surrounding an animal but it’s just not the case. For each drive we did we might pass 1 or 2 other groups. Visit the Born Free foundation. Glen’s enthusiasm is infectious I personally didn’t get much from visiting the Rehab centre but, and it’s a big but, if I hadn’t then I missed out on an amazing experience watch a herd of elephants at a watering hole. My advice would be maximise your time in the reserve as you never know what you will stumble across. I’m guessing for most a safari is a once in a lifetime deal (it is for us) and having done it at Shamwari I wouldn’t even contemplate doing it again as I can’t imagine it would come close. Truly beyond expectations Read less
Special staff
Jan 14, 2025john s
From the moment you walk in the atmosphere is friendly and the staff cannot do enough for you ! The setting is magnificent with a superb view to the planes from the restaurant ! We were served looked after by a waiter named “Lunga”, he is a very special member of staff and looked after us so well, he has a very friendly manner and works very hard… Read more
From the moment you walk in the atmosphere is friendly and the staff cannot do enough for you ! The setting is magnificent with a superb view to the planes from the restaurant ! We were served looked after by a waiter named “Lunga”, he is a very special member of staff and looked after us so well, he has a very friendly manner and works very hard to make your stay 💯%, so many thanks Lunga, would not have been the same without you ! Our game driver was Odwa and he went out of his way to make our game drives very special, he made sure we saw all of the big five and he brought us on a boat trip which was unique ! Many thanks Shamwari - we will be back Read less
7 star luxury and unrivalled service at Sindile Lodge
Jan 13, 2025Conor M
Had a wonderful two night stay at Sindile Lodge. The accomodation was beautiful and the service was exceptional. Game drives were great and we got up close and personal with all of the animals. We got engaged while there and can’t speak more highly of the staff and the lengths they went to make sure it was magical (even with limited notice!).… قراءة المزيد
Had a wonderful two night stay at Sindile Lodge. The accomodation was beautiful and the service was exceptional. Game drives were great and we got up close and personal with all of the animals. We got engaged while there and can’t speak more highly of the staff and the lengths they went to make sure it was magical (even with limited notice!). Special thanks to Kim (lodge manager), Michael (our butler), Mino (our ranger) and Mbongdeni (guest relations manager). Read less
10 stars
Jan 7, 2025JeanineG87Lemont, Illinois
Wish I could give Shamwari 10 stars. This was the most incredible vacation experience our family has ever had and we have been to some pretty awesome places together. The facilities are amazing, the food is amazing, the staff is amazing, the service is amazing and the safari drives were amazing. I cannot say enough good things. Our guide, Brad,… Read more
Wish I could give Shamwari 10 stars. This was the most incredible vacation experience our family has ever had and we have been to some pretty awesome places together. The facilities are amazing, the food is amazing, the staff is amazing, the service is amazing and the safari drives were amazing. I cannot say enough good things. Our guide, Brad, was just the best - he knew all the great places to take us to see all the animals and his wealth of knowledge is crazy - we learned so much from him. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience that was worth every penny. The family bonding time we had is priceless. Read less
Mino made me cry!