South African safari gem
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve's Ecca Lodge scooped numerous awards at the 2018 Safari Awards held last week in London, where it won the top accolade of Africa's Best Safari Experience.
Judged by a panel of 15 independent tour operators selling safaris this accolade pays testament to the consistent high level experience enjoyed by guests, both in the lodge and in the bush.
Besides winning the top award, Ecca Lodge was also named Africa's Best Safari Guiding Team, for the second year running, and it took second place in the South Africa category for Best Ecologically Responsible lodge and third place in the category Best Family Safari Experience.
Kwandwe say that flexibility is at the core of their success, and guests can explore the 22,000 hectare area by 4x4, boat or on foot. They offer Big Game walking, birding and photographic Safaris as well as fishing and guests are encouraged to spend as much time out of the vehicle as possible.
The lodge has 26 rooms, split between two small safari lodges (Ecca and Great Fish River Lodges) and three private safari villas (Melton Manor, Uplands Homestead and the recently opened Fort House), Kwandwe offers not just a personalised safari experience but a very private one as well. It has one of the highest land to guest ratios in South Africa.
Each with their individual interests and passions, the guides’ areas of expertise are as varied as the reserve itself. Offering exceptional wildlife viewing, the diverse landscape is home to a wide variety of game, including the Big 5 as well as threatened species such as the black wildebeest, crowned eagle, black footed cat and the endangered blue crane.