Gondwana Game Reserve

Reviews

"This was the the centre piece of our trip. So glad I tweaked it to allow 3 nights at Gondwana. All staff excellent - you are always welcomed back to the lodge area with a hot towel to freshen up. There are 2 game drives a day early (6am and 4.30pm preceded by coffee or tea respectively). Elliott welcomed us to the site and was always available to assist. We arrived just in time to enjoy the evening drive but was bit of a rush-highly recommend you arrive by 3pm to give time to settle in if you are planning to go on evening drive and be prepared for 5am wake up calls. Eugene was our Ranger - an incredibly knowledgeable young man who clearly not only loved the flora and fauna but his country as well. Every now and then one of his 'environmental theories' would slip out! He was also fun and committed to giving us a good time (he even connived with one of our fellow visitors to propose - successfully, well done Tim and Natasha). Eugene made every effort to find elusive animals and surprised us with mid drive stops for coffees drinks and snacks. We once persuaded him to head into a gorge slightly against his better judgement as it was getting late and there had been some rain but we found elephants (although we did need to get off the truck briefly while he 'gunned'' it though a rough patch). I had been having trouble envisaging just how big Gondwana was based on the stats provided but it didn't matter - it seems huge when you are there with far horizons (sounds romantic I know) and ever changing geography grassland/steep hills/valleys etc etc .How do elephants and giraffes hide? Fortunately, over the 3 days we managed to see pretty much all we could hope for. One of my favorite memories funnily enough was when we stopped in the dark and he gave us a lesson on astronomy - only to arrive back at base to find elephants were visiting and we were then confined to the restaurant area for a while until they moved on (they were still in the area in the early morning .) Suggest you ensure your transport is good quality - to deal with the rough reserve roads. Altogether one of my best ever experiences - managed to eat Ostrich in 3 different styles as well! If they read this thanks also to Nils and Barbara for helping to make a memorable trip."

- John

"We visited Gondwana for a friend's wedding and every single member of the staff was on form and on hand to make the stay and event first class. Special mention to the game drivers, Natalie and PG for going the extra mile to make the wedding the event of the year! Would definitely recommend this game reserve."

- James

"We stayed in one of the villas. Our bedroom was beautifully appointed with lovely views from the verandah across the valley. The most impressive part of our stay was our guide, Christian. He was an excellent guide with an immense knowledge and enthusiasm for Gondwana, and he was keen for us all to get the most we could from our experience."

- Vivienne

"What an amazing place! We enjoyed the rondawel we stayed in, the food and the staff. The game drives were wonderful: lions, giraffe, elephants, various antelope, zebras, baboons, all in a beautiful location. Our guide was terrific, very knowledgeable. Only one night is not enough here!"

- Carol

"Everything about our stay was great, we state in one of the luxurious villas. The game viewing experience and the knowledge of our guide were highlights. The whole experience was family friendly our children thoroughly enjoying being part of the junior ranger programming very proudly guided us on our departure out the reserve."

- Mark

"We stayed in a large villa. Plenty of space for everyone ( 5 p) but to little time to spend in this fantastic place. Surrounded by wilderness. 3 safaris with a fantastic guide. We found elephants, lion, giraffe, lynx, rhino, hippo and even more. Great swimming pool area."

- John

"The resort has no fences or boundaries between the wild and its complex, sounds scary but when you spend a night you love the idea, live the harmony with wild. The resort are new just 5 years old and had a good experienced rangers . I had Mr Christiaan as our ranger, we had a great night game adventure observing lions while they had their hunting journey. Just be careful when opening your lodge room since there is no fence or walls between the wild animals and lodges. I liked the fire place in the rooms and the food in the restaurant. The night stay around the fire place is so romantic and the sound of the frogs and game night creature is mysterious."

- Taloot

"My husband and I had the most fantastic stay here. All the staff were so friendly and happy to help with anything. Our ranger was Felix who was very knowledgeable, friendly and funny. The food was delicious and there was no chance you'd get hungry. We stayed in a Kwena hut which was fabulous. The accommodation was not fenced in which added to the experience. We came back after our first morning game drive to find around 10 zebras grazing on the grass outside our hut!!! We both had treatments in the spa which were excellent - definitely worth it. We saw a family of elephants, white rhinos, giraffes, lions, hippos and heaps of impalas and zebras. Thank you Gondwana for a fabulous experience."

- Rachel

"What a treat - not only was the accommodation superb both meals and safaris were wonderful. Extremely friendly and welcoming staff! Overall a lovely stay. We came on a school trip and were shocked at just how amazing our stay was. I most definitely be coming back with my family - hopefully very soon!"

- Hannah

"It was a great weekend the game drives was stunning we saw all of the big 5 and more! Our game ranger Wayne went out of his way to make every trip special! The accommodation was lovely, clean and more than what we expected! The kids loved the junior ranger trips and we will definitely visit again!"

- Elamrie