Wow. Just wow.
I should preface this by saying that, despite more visits to SA than we can recall, this is the first game reserve we have been to. And wow again.
There is nothing about Kwandwe that I can speak ill of.
Our arrival was seamless. The drive from reception to our lodge opened our eyes to the scale of the place. But despite that, you immediately knew that it was not overcrowded with people or drives. The team took great care of us after a really bad 24 hours travelling to get there (thanks BA). Despite arriving half way through that evening's drive, we were offered the chance to hook up (which we declined).
Our lodge and the elements included were brilliant. There is so much food and drink on offer that we couldn't understand why anybody would actually want lunch. The food and service is of a great standard. Nothing was too much trouble for anyone.
Ryan, our ranger, and Sia, our tracker, were simply awesome. Sia spotted Rhino at about 3km. The interplay between the various rangers is both professional and fun. We enjoyed the banter, but also benefitted hugely from the radio contact they maintained. The highlight was definitely seeing the Circle of Life in action. Shortly after seeing two "cute" lionesses sleeping, we heard that they had taken down a Waterbuck, and spent a long time seeing how nature works. Harsh to some, but...Wow. Just wow.
I should preface this by saying that, despite more visits to SA than we can recall, this is the first game reserve we have been to. And wow again.
There is nothing about Kwandwe that I can speak ill of.
Our arrival was seamless. The drive from reception to our lodge opened our eyes to the scale of the place. But despite that, you immediately knew that it was not overcrowded with people or drives. The team took great care of us after a really bad 24 hours travelling to get there (thanks BA). Despite arriving half way through that evening's drive, we were offered the chance to hook up (which we declined).
Our lodge and the elements included were brilliant. There is so much food and drink on offer that we couldn't understand why anybody would actually want lunch. The food and service is of a great standard. Nothing was too much trouble for anyone.
Ryan, our ranger, and Sia, our tracker, were simply awesome. Sia spotted Rhino at about 3km. The interplay between the various rangers is both professional and fun. We enjoyed the banter, but also benefitted hugely from the radio contact they maintained. The highlight was definitely seeing the Circle of Life in action. Shortly after seeing two "cute" lionesses sleeping, we heard that they had taken down a Waterbuck, and spent a long time seeing how nature works. Harsh to some, but simply awesome without being voyeuristic.
Our team's knowledge and skill was outstanding. The knowledge, the humour, the driving, the tracking, the spotting, the education, the whole thing was so special that a grown man is getting tears in his eye just writing this. We seriously were so sad to leave but humbled by what we had just experienced.
I was also lucky to get a couple of hours freshwater fishing in with the tutelage of Ryan, he didn't need to do that, but he did, and it was so appreciated.
All in all, I agree with those before who have said that this place deserves more starts than are available on TripAdvisor. We wouldn't go anywhere else based on this experience, intuitively we know it couldn't be the same.
If you wanted it summed up in one phrase, everyone at Kwandwe gives a "dung".
Thank you so much, team Kwandwe.More
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