Shamwari Private Game Reserve, Eastern Cape

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Dramatic views at Shamwari Private Game Reserve.

© Mantis Collection

Shamwari Private Game Reserve stands in a class of its own. It has been voted the best game reserve and conservation company in South Africa for 10 consecutive years.

The reserve has even become a favourite among international celebrities. Golfer Tiger Woods got engaged here and Hollywood aces Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage and John Travolta have all visited Shamwari in the past few years.

Situated in the malaria free Eastern Cape, Shamwari Game Reserve not only boasts Africa's most sought-after Big 5 animals, it also aims to rehabilitate an ecosystem almost destroyed by centuries of farming.

Situated along the Bushmans' River, the area comprises five of the country's seven biomes: no wonder the 25 000 hectare area supports a stunning variety of flora and fauna. Because of the focus on responsible tourism, the reserve has received the Global Nature Fund Award for Best Conservation Practice.

Both the British TV series 'Safari School' and a popular Animal Planet programme ‘Shamwari: A Wild Life' were filmed here, showcasing this magnificent reserve to an international audience.

Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa is also home to two sanctuaries of the Born Free Foundation, which cares for lions and leopards that have been rescued from poor conditions in circuses or zoos around the world. Visitors are welcome to pay their respects to these 'pensioner cats'.

For families with children there is no better safari destination than Shamwari Private Game Reserve, which caters to the curiosity of kids.

With or without children, after a morning of admiring the reserves magnificent wildlife, you deserve a treatment in one of three luxury spas. You can also spend the afternoon on one of the local beaches nearby before enjoying the sunset back at the reserve, with drink in hand and the sound of jackals performing a suppertime serenade.