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 1441 reviews
Rating summary
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Value
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Traveller rating
Excellent (1321)
Very good (82)
Average (24)
Poor (10)
Terrible (4)
Outstanding game reserve with five star accomodation.
Apr 28, 2025YorksfamilyreviewWakefield, United Kingdom
We booked our stay at this private game reserve over a year in advance as a celebration of both myself and my wifes 60th birthday year. The reserve came highly recommended to me from South African business associates so we took our Daughter and son along with their partners as part of this celebration to make unforgattable memories. What can I… Read more
We booked our stay at this private game reserve over a year in advance as a celebration of both myself and my wifes 60th birthday year. The reserve came highly recommended to me from South African business associates so we took our Daughter and son along with their partners as part of this celebration to make unforgattable memories. What can I say, this reserve exceeded any expecation that we had and provided us with so many wonderful memories for a probably once in a lifetime experience. Everything about this reserve is a highlight and the standards are exceptional. We wanted for nothing and were humbled by everything that was provided. Wonderful staff, amazing butler (Bridgette), outstanding ranger (Abel). Superb food from the talented chefs and wonderfully supported by all other staff members. We loved every minute and were sad to leave. This Private game reserve offered us such an exclusive and personal experience and we would highly recommend it to anyone. Read less
Wonderful Adventure
Apr 17, 2025Mark329London, United Kingdom
What an unbelievable adventure. We stayed at the Bayethe Lodge and had a wonderful time. Every safari was an adventure with surprises in store around every corner. The staff in the lodge couldn’t do enough for you . I never realised that safari was also an eating and drinking marathon. We were lucky enough to have Patrick as our guide who was… Read more
What an unbelievable adventure. We stayed at the Bayethe Lodge and had a wonderful time. Every safari was an adventure with surprises in store around every corner. The staff in the lodge couldn’t do enough for you . I never realised that safari was also an eating and drinking marathon. We were lucky enough to have Patrick as our guide who was brilliant. Extremely knowledgeable on the animals and every aspect of the landscape. Great sense of humour with an incredible laugh and just one of the good guys. We also shared our Safari’s with four lovely people from Canada. There companionship made it a wonderful few days Read less
Amazing Experience
Apr 17, 2025B755QZjasonpBelfast, United Kingdom
We travelled to Shamwari for two nights as an extended family, for a safari experience after a few days in Cape Town and the wine regions. The Riverdene lodge was recommended as we had a child with us. The whole experience from check in to check out exceeded our expectations. The facilities were excellent, food and drink were plentiful and of a… Read more
We travelled to Shamwari for two nights as an extended family, for a safari experience after a few days in Cape Town and the wine regions. The Riverdene lodge was recommended as we had a child with us. The whole experience from check in to check out exceeded our expectations. The facilities were excellent, food and drink were plentiful and of a high quality. The staff were amazing and couldn’t do enough for us, anything we needed was accommodated without fuss. The game drives were what we went to Shamwari for and did not disappoint. Our guide Avela was brilliant, he was very knowledgeable and did everything he could to ensure we saw what we wanted during our stay. Highlight were the ‘sun downers’ each day. I can’t recommend Shamwari highly enough. We will hopefully be back again one day. Read less
Unforgettable Safari with Mino – The Best Guide at Shamwari! 🌿🦁
Apr 7, 2025Larry I
This was our third time at Shamwari. We've had the absolute pleasure of having Mino as a game driver for every visit. I can't speak highly enough of him. Mino is very well equipped with knowledge of the wildlife, has incredible tracking skills, and a true conservation passion. He possessed a wonderful ability to find animals that we would… Read more
This was our third time at Shamwari. We've had the absolute pleasure of having Mino as a game driver for every visit. I can't speak highly enough of him. Mino is very well equipped with knowledge of the wildlife, has incredible tracking skills, and a true conservation passion. He possessed a wonderful ability to find animals that we would otherwise not have seen—everything from lions far in the distance to a tucked-away rhino that was virtually invisible. Each discovery came with terrific background information on behavior, habitant, and ecosystem. I was amazed by how well he spoke to a group of elephants we crossed paths with on this last excursion. He called out to "mama" and "the babies" in a gentle voice, and they responded by slowly moving out of the way. For a moment, I thought we were with Dr. Dolittle. Mino is also a great driver, handling difficult ground conditions with ease and putting safety above all else. His calming presence made us entirely at ease, even in the most secluded areas of the park. What made the visit exceptional, however, was Mino's reminder to us that a safari is not just a matter of seeing animals—seeing them is also about conserving them. Mino is an excellent ambassador for Shamwari. He emphasized that conservation efforts are a primary function of Shamwari. If you're fortunate enough to be assigned Mino as your guide at Shamwari, get ready for a world-class safari adventure. Once again he made our visit truly unforgettable!" Read less
Experience of a lifetime at Shamwari
Mar 11, 202517cathylNacton, United Kingdom
Our stay at Shamwari was absolutely incredible. We stayed at Bayethe Lodge having previously stayed at Eagles Crag a few years ago. The only reason we hadn’t returned sooner was Covid lockdown. The accommodation feels luxurious. The meals delicious and all the staff cannot do enough for you. Our guide Sihle ensured every game drive was an… Read more
Our stay at Shamwari was absolutely incredible. We stayed at Bayethe Lodge having previously stayed at Eagles Crag a few years ago. The only reason we hadn’t returned sooner was Covid lockdown. The accommodation feels luxurious. The meals delicious and all the staff cannot do enough for you. Our guide Sihle ensured every game drive was an exciting, memorable experience, he was so knowledgable and we’d recommend him. Would recommend visiting The Born Free Foundation and the rehabilitation centre whilst there. If you are thinking of booking just do it. We are both hoping to go back sometime. Read less
Outstanding game reserve with five star accomodation.