Reviews of Great Fish River Lodge

"This was our first ever Safari so we didn't really know what to expect but it turned out to be a fantastic experience.
Our transfer from Port Elizabeth airport went very smoothly as did the very warm welcome that we received on our arrival at Kwandwe. Our Lodge was really nice and the plunge pool a welcome addition to our expectations. But the real surprise was the wildlife that we could observe from our large outdoor terrace!
A group of Nyala antelope were regulars, including a large very handsome male who regularly used our pool as a watering hole - which was brilliant to stand and watch. One afternoon a herd of elephants could be seen in the distance strolling one after the other across the hills opposite our lodge. Our afternoon 'chill time' took on a whole new meaning!

Our guide Nick was superb as was our tracker who was know as 'Banana'! Between them they tracked down a huge array of wildlife, which very often we were able to see at close quarters, which isn't something we expected. Nick's in depth knowledge of the flora and fauna was so impressive and we learnt so much during our twice daily trips out in the 56,000 acres that make up this superb private game reserve. It is also worth noting that safety was clearly very important to all the staff here and at no time did we feel anything other than completely safe.

The food, the ambiance and staff in the main lodge were also excellent and we had some lovely evenings around the huge logs fires sharing our day's experiences with fellow guests. All in all an awesome start to our South African trip." See all these reviews: 6n in South Africa

"Excellent" See all these reviews: 15n in South Africa

"This is a fabulous lodge where the staff cannot do enough to help.

From the warm, friendly welcome on arrival till our departure we felt cared for and totally comfortable. The game drives were excellent and, even after 8 days completely varied.

We would highly recommend Kwandwe and would return ourselves." See all these reviews: 17n in South Africa

"Unfortunately there was a misunderstanding about the diet although this got better after a day or two.

All the game drives were excellent as was the accommodation.

I could happily return to this lodge on other visits." See all these reviews: 11n in South Africa

"- we had a nice team of Ranger Conor and Tracker Rasi

- we actually stayed a night longer than planned due to bad weather

- the bathroom lighting was a little too dark in our room 7 - additional lighting especially at the mirror and above the luggage rack would be good." See all these reviews: 11n in South Africa

"Now this is part of a managed game park; it is not a proper safari in a National Park because the animals are managed for the purposes of conservation. Although an impressive size for its type, there is obviously a limit on animal numbers but they are in a natural location. This really caters for people new to a safari experience, and who want reasonably assured animal sightings in relative comfort. It cannot be compared to say South Luangwa in Zambia. It worked well for my partner whlo is only interested in the margins of the safari experience--she was able to see the "Big Five"." See all these reviews: 14n in South Africa

"Kwandwe was wonderful, justifying the high cost of staying there. The main lodge and rooms were superb and the staff could not be more helpful. The food was excellent, requiring restraint to avoid eating too much! The restaurant staff were very attentive and dealt well with our food allergies.

The game drives were well guided and we had excellent viewing on each of our six drives.

We'd advise other travellers not to try to go direct from Kwandwe to the airport, as the drive back to Port Elizabeth was slow due to many roadworks - and it wouldn't be possible to take the last morning's game drive, which didn't return until well after 9 am.

We would go here again." See all these reviews: 18n in South Africa

"Well worth the detour! This was luxury, in a unique setting, where individual suites offered complete privacy. The guides were amazingly knowledgeable, and led us to all the wildlife we could wish to see. Full marks for food, service and attentiveness of staff." See all these reviews: 21n in South Africa

"I don't know what to say about Kwandwe because it was really amazing, we loved it.

The whole place was great the trips out on safari were the best we have been on.[we have been on safari before] Our guide Doc and spotter Monde were brilliant and we saw lots of animals. The whole place is well organised and if you don't want to go out on safari you don't have to.

The food was lovely but too much of it. You could have anything to drink at any time and the free laundry was a bonus.

The rooms are unbelievable as is the view. We would highly reccommend it to anyone wanting a safari in the Eastern cape." See all these reviews: 11n in South Africa

"This was an amazing and wonderful highlight and finale to our trip to South Africa. We were welcomed with such warmth, invited into the community who cared for us with superb attention to detail, surprised often by lovely extra touches, such as a handwritten welcome note, an unexpected birthday gift, and a surprise in our room after our last evening game drive which I won't give away because it was so lovely and I wouldn't want you to miss out on that when you go!

We were paired with a great young honeymoon couple and together we explored with our ranger Doc and his Tracker Monde. We had good fun together,, and we could not have been in wiser, funnier, better or more experienced hands as we saw so much of the reserve and so many wonderful creatures. There were long and generous game drives, and the way the teams worked together to make sure that all the guests had a good experience was impressive. Highlights were a sleepy pride of lions, a leopard, a lovely journey of giraffe at sundown, and a final treat of three beautiful cheetahs on our last morning.

The rooms were just lovely, serviced at least twice a day, and with everything one could need. Each room is secluded and separate from the main lodge. Security and safety were attended to well at all times. The different teams, those on the front line and those in the background all worked hard to make our stay one never to forget.

I particularly enjoyed taking my sketchbook and paints, and found there was time while we all watched these amazing animals to make some drawings.

When we booked, we were concerned that the two nights were costing quite a lot of money, but we consider what we received to be tremendous value. We loved the ethos of the place, and especially the fact that a proportion of the money that comes in goes to a fantastic foundation and to the development projects it funds. This is a very special re-wilding project and very well run.

The whole thing was inspiring. We have to go back, and are hatching plans already." See all these reviews: 2n in South Africa