The prestigious Shamwari Private Game Reserve covers 20 000 hectares of verdant bush along the Bushmans River in the Eastern Cape. The malaria-free reserve is home to five of the seven habitats found in South Africa, and its location close to the Garden Route, making a safari at Shamwari a perfect choice for those seeking to combine a tour of the Garden Route with a luxury Big Five safari.
Children under the age of 12 years are not permitted at the lodge.
Children over the age of 12 years pay the applicable adult rate.
Persons under the age of 16 years are not permitted on any walking safaris.
Bayethe, which translates to "I salute you," is a luxury tented retreat that blends seamlessly with the surrounding bushveld. It offers opulent accommodation, outstanding cuisine, and personalized service.
Bayethe features twelve luxurious tents positioned on the banks of the river and hidden among the trees. These en-suite tents have wooden floors and canvas sides, with sliding doors that open onto a viewing deck and private plunge pool. Other features include minibars, air conditioning, tea and coffee-making facilities, in-room safes, electric blankets, hairdryers, international adaptors, and telephones.
Three of the tents have indoor baths and showers, while the remaining nine offer guests the opportunity to shower outdoors. Selected rooms feature additional luxuries such as a fireplace and hammocks on the private deck.
The thatched main lodge includes a large viewing deck that overlooks the river, a sparkling swimming pool, a lounge area, a dining room, an outdoor boma, a business desk with internet access, a gift boutique, and the Bush Spa, which overlooks the waterhole.
Enjoy early morning and evening game drives led by professional guides, and guided game walks that afford up-close encounters with the smaller wondrous creatures of the African bush. Visits can also be arranged to Shamwari's Born Free Foundation Animal Rescue Centre, Ian Player Rhino Awareness Centre, and the Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
Shamwari is home to a variety of plants, birds, and animals. Guests frequently spot the Big Five during their stay, along with cheetah, caracal, wild dog, and a variety of antelope. Evening game drives often reveal more rarely seen nocturnal creatures, such as the hopping springhare, aardwolf, and brown hyena.
Shamwari Game Reserve is the perfect destination for bird lovers, boasting over 250 bird species. Raptor species include Black Harriers, Pale Chanting Goshawks, Black-shouldered Kites, Booted Eagles, and Secretary Birds. The Bushman’s River meanders through the reserve, providing a great refuge for species such as kingfishers, darters, the African Shelduck, finfoots, and the iconic African Fish Eagle.
Shamwari Bayethe Lodge is ideal for solo explorers, couples, and families looking for a unique safari experience.
All additional beverages, gratuities, guest conservation levy, and all other items of a personal nature are excluded.
The purpose of the guest conservation levy is to support conservation efforts, particularly anti-rhino-poaching and other anti-poaching initiatives.
November 13, 2024
quick and pleasant
The agent was a pleasure to communicate with and all requests were dealt with quickly. She was able to offer many options that fit our needs. The whole experience could not have gone smoother
September 19, 2024
Candis Cloete was extremely helpful and…
Candis Cloete was extremely helpful and efficient. She made me feel confident in making my booking. She was always prompt in her replies
August 18, 2024
Quick and straightforward
The safari booking process was quick and straightforward with Candis, and now I'm just looking forward to the trip and a great experience!
Dec 13, 2024
Leigh-Ann Croeser from Safari.com was fantastic
Leigh-Ann from Safari.com was great to work with to plan our group safari trip. She was able to get me on the priority waitlist for a lodge that I liked, which ended up working out for our group during my preferred dates. Leigh-Ann was responsive and provided various tour recommendations for us to decide on the best option for us. There were a few email and name typos from Leigh-Ann that I had to correct, but other than that, I had a great experience.
Dec 12, 2024
Dolan was terrific
Dolan was terrific. He got back to us immediately to answer all of our questions. And was so nice to hold a room for a couple of days because of my moms passing. It gave us time to finalize her arrangements and time to book our trip. I would highly recommend using him to book your trip!!
Dec 12, 2024
Great support and communication
I had great support from Lana, she has been helping to book the dream trip to Bostwana in a very efficient way. Great communication, very responsive and precise, could not wish for more. Highly recommend her.
Dec 12, 2024
Anja Is A Fabulous Travel Consultant
Anja Mayer was extremely knowledgeable, patient, prompt with her responses to questions, and always very helpful. She was also a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend to anyone that asks that Anja is the right person to contact if they are interested in travelling to South Africa or Botswana.
Dec 12, 2024
Anja did a fabulous job!
Anja was knowledgeble, patient prompt with her responses to questions and always very helpful. In addition, it was a pleasure working with her. I would recommend her to anyone without any reservation.
Dec 10, 2024
Mel du Toit was the perfect person to…
Mel du Toit was the perfect person to arrange and organize our trip!! She was on the ball, made sure everything was in place and travel arrangements secured! I highly recommend her!!
Dec 9, 2024
Great support from Shann
Shann made the booking experience seamless - provided very helpful information to ensure we fully understood what the experience would be like and made sure we felt safe with experiences we have booked.
Dec 9, 2024
Quick & efficient
Very fast response, polite - impressive
Dec 7, 2024
Went through Newmarket travel and Hays…
Went through Newmarket travel and Hays travel ..information about flight changes hard to get..but on arrival the holiday was taken over Safari.com..amazing ..experience everything was fine tuned and the staff ..guides drivers fabulous and friendly ..lots of knowledge..lots of fun and the surprises they did was so lovely ...loved every minute ..Paris our guide was amazing..10/10 and Eric driver ..the waiters and waitress every and everyone in the hotels .smiling and friendly..Best holiday of my life