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A mere 25 minutes from Mossel Bay in the Southern Cape and four hours from Cape Town, Gondwana Kwena lodge can be found on the 11 000 hectare private Gondwana Game Reserve. This is the only fynbos reserve in the world that is malaria-free and is home to free roaming Big Five game.
The elegant and luxurious Kwena Lodge is family friendly and ideally located for guests wanting both a safari and Garden Route experience. Gondwana prides itself on providing exceptional service and private, luxurious 5-star accommodation with all the comforts needed for an unforgettable stay.
Each of the fourteen open plan Kwena Lodge Rooms feature a spacious bedroom with a king-size bed or twin beds, an en-suite bathroom with double vanities, shower and free standing bath; air-conditioning, under floor heating, sitting area with a clay pot fireplace, mini-bar, tea and coffee making facilities, and a private deck or balcony with panoramic views over two waterholes and ancient volcanic mountains. Each room can accommodate a maximum of two adults sharing with one child.
Gondwana also boasts 2,3 and 4 bedroom Fynbos and Bush Villas that are booked exclusively for families and small groups. Each thatched-roof villa features an open plan lounge, dining room and fully equipped kitchen; gas fireplaces, en-suite bathrooms with double vanities, showers and bathtubs; television, DVD player, and an expansive deck complete with a built-in braai (barbeque) facility and breathtaking views of the reserve. Meals are taken at Kwena Lodge which is approximately ten kilometers away.
Ulubisi House is Gondwana's most exclusive villa located in the reserve's 1000 hectare walking area and is ideal for six adults and four adults and four children. The house includes three spacious suites, en-suite bathrooms, lounge, dining room and fully equipped kitchen; satellite television, Wi-Fi access, fireplaces, an expansive deck with swimming pool and jacuzzi, and the services of a private guide, chef and butler.
The facilities offered at Kwena Lodge include a reception area, open-plan lounge and bar area, dining room, outdoor boma, curio shop, infinity swimming pool, and viewing deck.
Rangers take guests on morning and afternoon game drives to try spot the Big Five, as well as the many other creatures on the reserve. Guests can also set out on foot with field guides to learn more about the rich botanical heritage of Fynbos, one of the world’s six floral kingdoms, as well as the smaller animals who inhabit it
The Junior Ranger experience gives children an opportunity to learn more about nature under the guidance of a qualified ranger. Children will receive a fun ranger’s backpack and safari booklet to keep track of their adventures, as well as a Junior Ranger Patch and certificate after completing their ‘training’. The Junior Ranger experience is available for children six years and older.
Garden route activities can all be arranged with Gondwana staff, and include golf, surfing, wine tasting, deep sea fishing, shark cage diving, and paragliding.
While home to the Big Five, the reserve provides sanctuary to endangered species, including the cheetah, Cape mountain zebra, and the rare black rhinoceros. Great effort has been made to re-introduce key species such as hippo and giraffe back into the area, which makes for fantastic game viewing. More than ten species of antelope can be found at Gondwana, including kudu, eland, gemsbok, bontebok, and Grey Reebok.
The diverse habitats of the reserve make it a popular birding destination. Species spotted include the Denham’s bustard, Blue Crane, African fish eagle, Verreauxs' eagle, Ostrich, Secretary bird, Jackal buzzard, African Stonechat, Cape Grassbird, Malachite Sunbird, Black-crowned night heron, and Bokmakierie. The reserve is home to a healthy population of endemics such as the Cape Sugarbird, Orange Breasted Sunbird, Protea Seedeater, and Black Harrier.
Gondwana Kwena Lodge is ideal for solo explorers, couples and families looking for a luxury safari getaway.
Accommodation, all meals, and twice daily game drives
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Mar 8, 2023
Superb short Safari
We were referred to Safari.com through a UK safari holiday company. We were dubious at first about dealing with a company in South Africa but we found Safari.com and in particular Mr Keagan Davids, very easy to comunicate with. He was very communicative and made all the necessary arrangements. Unfortunately, the safari lodge we'd booked got flooded out so Keagan found an alternative lodge Called Kapama River Lodge. It was great. Very nice accommodation. Great efficient and friendly staff etc. We were not disappointed. All of the arrangements went like clockwork so we'd highly recommend Safari.com
Mar 6, 2023
Incredible service
Incredible service! Safari.com made our trip easy and simple! Even with our changes. Would highly recommend
Feb 28, 2023
Booking for Addo Elephant Park…
I made a booking for Addo Elephant Park through Safari.com. The instructions were clearly conveyed to me regarding the payment of a deposit to secure the booking. The service received from the lady I dealt with was very professional. For example, upon requesting a change in accommodation type, the request was promptly attended to and I was informed accordingly which I noticed was outside office hours. Proof of secured accommodation was sent promptly and reminder for payment of balance was send well in advance of final date. Finally, once payment was cleared, I received the booking voucher as well as forms to be filled in by all passengers upon entrance as well as the conservation fees to be paid. All in all it was a pleasure to deal with Safari.com and we are looking forward to our stay in ADDO ELEPHANT PARK. Thank you.
Feb 28, 2023
Excellent service from Heleen
Excellent service from Heleen. She was very helpful and friendly. Everthing you need to know or should, she will guide you.
Feb 22, 2023
Chantal Young is awesome to plan with!!!
Chantal Young was so nice and accommodating. We were between safari lodges and she really sold us on Dulini with her chill and approachable attitude. She gave us more than enough information while letting us feel like the decision was ours and was flexible to providing multiple options. Can't reccommend her enough!
Feb 16, 2023
Tanya Lomas is an amazing
Tanya Lomas is an amazing, kind, competant professional agent. Always willing to assist. Our 2nd holiday booking to Kruger through Tanya. Thank you.
Feb 8, 2023
Spending 40 years in the travel…
Spending 40 years in the travel industry and taking several Safari to Kenya, my wife and I reached out to Dolan at Safari.com to help plan our S. African Safari to Kruger. Dolan handled all aspects of the planning including transfers to and from airport, plane reservations and lodging at the 5-star Leopard Hills lodge. With just a couple of emails he made the planning seamless. every aspect was on-time, and all responses were very timely. We can't wait to go back and would highly recommend Dolan at Safari.com
Feb 7, 2023
We had a lovely holiday!
Hi Chantal The Summit place guest house was First class , the warmest welcome Robyn was a first class host , the day drips to the wine region and Cape of Good hope etc where really good also. Limoni apartments where lovely, we were looked after by the maids and the property was fantastic . Amakhala service was fantastic, really first class couldn’t fault it. No issues with the cars or anything everything went well, thank you for organising it for us we would recommend you and your company!
Feb 3, 2023
Delt with Heleen
Delt with Heleen, who was super responsive and patient with us along the way! Will definitely make use of safari.com and Heleen when planning our trips in the future.
Feb 2, 2023
Reserving a bungalow at BERG-EN-DAL REST CAMP
The staff at safari.com promptly responded to my questions and helped me when I had trouble completing an online payment.
Feb 1, 2023
The person helping me was great
The person who was helping me with the booking, Carien, was exceptionally helpful and she made it very easy to get information and to get my booking sorted. The website was very easy to navigate and receive good information about which spots offer which amenities
Jan 27, 2023
I cant say much but safari is the best…
I cant say much but safari is the best when it comes to book coz they know client are always right and they help me very quicky.God bless u
Jan 11, 2023
Unorgettable trip in South Africa
We have spent 12 days as a family in South Africa with my 3 children and my wife who is in a wheelchair. Thanks to Pascal, Safari.com consultant, we were able to spend an unforgettable moment with a great program while being well accompanied despite our constraints. I recommand particularly the "Monwana game lodge" for a safari in Hoedspruit. It's an amazing place with very nice people and a real family atmosphere. Thank you to the entire Safari.com team for this unforgettable trip.
Nov 26, 2022
We had an amazing first safari…
We had an amazing first safari experience with Safari.com! 💯Thanks to Dolan for the well planning and ensure our itinerary goes smoothly and safely!
Nov 18, 2022
Cape Town miracle
I was in Cape Town, South Africa recently for an athletic competition and had allowed myself a week of personal time to relax and properly conclude the trip, but had not bothered to plan a safari to occupy the time. I was skeptical of the cost and whether I would enjoy the experience, however a couple days into that final week it occurred to me, in a bit of a panic attack, what a waste it would be not to take advantage of this opportunity. I hopped online and started looking at flights to Johannesburg (almost all the safaris in SA start there with an early morning pick up), but it was basically impossible to get a flight early enough and/or to coordinate with the multiple safaris operating in or just outside of Kruger. With no apparent options available to turn my remaining 4 1/2 days into even a 3 day safari I stumbled on the most obvious website one could imagine, Safari.com. I'd completely given up negotiating all the variables on my own but here was a safari travel agent that might be able to help me .. and they were based right out of Cape Town, literally a stones throw from my lodgings. Serendipity, or so i hoped. I immediately sent out an email and crossed my fingers .. for roughly an hour and a half, at which point Dolan from Safari.com responded to me requesting I give him a call so that we could expedite potential arrangements. My in country phone plan wasn't able to make calls, but we arranged for him to call me and not 3 hours after being in the grip of despair Dolan got through to me and far from notifying me of how absurd it was to hold out hope for a literally, last minute safari adventure with barely 4 days available to me, he had already worked out all the details I'd sent and created a preliminary safari trip that would bypass Johannesburg airport for a flight the next morning to a closer, much, much smaller airport where I would be picked up taken, not to a 3 day safari, but a full 4 day safari, then back to the tiny, tiny airport for a return flight to Cape Town with 2 hours to spare for my return leg all the way home. It almost feels like an afterthought, after the minor miracle Dolan was able to conjure up, but the safari itself at Simbavati Lodge was just an absolutely stunning experience. The single "tent" he booked me was as luxurious as any 4 star hotel I've stayed in, the game drives, one every morning, one every evening were more amazing than I could have ever imagined, and the food, 3 meals a day with snacks and an open bar was sublime. I could go on about the wonderful staff, or the wonderful other safari goers you can meet and grab a drink with, or the different animals walking through the open lodge facilities daily .. but I've gone on long enough. I'll simply conclude by saying .. safari, absolutely, yes, do it, it is amazing. And when you do decide, Safari.com will do you right and if you have the pleasure of working with Dolan, do give him my thanks .. the entire experience was the best part of my trip :)
Nov 12, 2022
A great company
What to say! We planned a South African Safari for 2020 with Safari.com. We researched companies and took a chance on one we had never heard of before. Henry Franklin was our agent, we gave him our budget and wish list. He came up with a wonderful looking trip and we made our choices! Then came Covid, preventing us from going. We couldn’t have been in better hands. Henry rebooked everything for the next year. He kept us updated on how things looked there. When in 2021, we decided it still looked iffy, he rebooked us a second time for 2022. We couldn’t have been happier with the service we had in a rough time for all. We had a wonderful experience on our trip when we finally got to go!! Henry had everything so well organized and gave us a detailed list of what transfer companies would be meeting us and when. When Airlink bumped us and put us on standby returning from Victoria Falls, we called the concierge number Henry had given us and Catherine worked hard on this and got us back on our flight. The Safari.com team had our back and we have no regrets. Would definitely use them again. Our lodging was wonderful, saw the big 5 within first 2 drives. Henry definitely knew the territory and did a great job matching what we wanted with where he suggested we go and stay. Thanks Safari.com, Henry and Catherine!
Oct 21, 2022
Superior service, knowledgeable, transparent, amazing can-do attitude
These guys get 10/10. I have booked with them a few times. To Kruger National Park, including both public and private(concession) camps, flights and car hire. Their senior agent, Dolan is exceptional. Nothing is too much trouble. Attention to detail, transparency, and 'can-do' attitude are out of the ordinary. I recently came into contact with Tanya at safari.com as well. It looks like all their agents are similarly well trained. Thank you. I cannot recommend Dolan and his team highly enough.
Sep 5, 2022
For a second time I booked a safari in…
For a second time I booked a safari in South Africa by Safari.com and had the great pleasure to be assisted and followed by Dolan Sequera. I have to say I really appreciate his way to communicate with me by phone and/or WhatsApp/mail, I always got a very quick answer to my questions with solutions and or suggestions which solved the doubts/problems I had. A really very very knowledged and professional person I will surely suggest to friends of my or who ever is plannig to visit South Africa! Thank you very much Dolan
Sep 5, 2022
Trip of a life time
Well where to starter, África always been my number one dream vacation, I found safari.com didn’t know anything about, but pascal made me feel very confident.pascal put my whole trip together (everything I wanted) a trip of a life time. Had the best time in Africa, was everything that I except and a little more. Pascal is the best and I will go back to Africa and will go through safari.com that I recommend and is 💯 legit.thank you for everything pascal, you rock!!!
Aug 31, 2022
I've recently interacted with Dolan and…
I've recently interacted with Dolan and hands down he's been the best travel agent that I've every worked with. He was a wealth of experience and knowledge which shows volumes. He took into consideration my budget and my individual needs to tailor make a package with recommendations for my preference,he knows Kruger and Greater Kruger like the back of his hands and I will wholeheartedly recommended his services. He is truly an asset to his institution.
Apr 21, 2022
The best company
I have booked several trips with Safari.com and they are the best. They are personal and professional and always pay attention to the details to make your trip special. Casper is the best agent I have worked with. We are looking forward to booking another trip!!
Mar 8, 2019
Nelia Nyamhanza
Nelia Nyamhanza, was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and friendly in designing our trip every step of the way. She listened to our request of places we wanted to visit and advised us on what best to do. This made the whole experience wonderful. Every guide from Ilios was eager to share their culture with us and are kind people, as well as, the guide/driver from Elephant Camp, Victoria Falls. We will recommend others to you so that they can be part of your amazing country.
Jan 8, 2018
Excellent service by the agent Jayson…
Excellent service by the agent Jayson Scheffers (Africa Safari Expert). We had little idea of the place and things to do. He made it at all soo easy and planned it so well that it all went smooth. We had a baby with us so we were not sure about the things but he advised us well. All the hotels, pickups etc were well informed about our situation and we did not face any issues. He was always there to answer any questions 24/7. Very personalized service. Highly recommended.
