Stay at Gondwana Game Reserve

Gondwana Game Reserve sits on the Garden Route near Mossel Bay, about four hours from Cape Town by road. Stay here means a suite or villa on the ridge at Kwena, a family lodge and villas at Lehele, or a private residence run entirely to your own hours.

Kwena is quiet on purpose. Suites stand alone on the ridge and the villas sit beside the lodge for couples, friends and guests aged 12 and over. Lehele is where families stay. Children are welcome from birth and the day runs on their clock. The private residences are exclusive use houses with your own guide, chef and vehicle, so nothing depends on getting down to a lodge.

Tell us who is coming and how you like to travel. We point you to the right door.

Kwena Lodge sits on a ridge above the plains. Each suite is a building of its own, set apart so the deck looks onto fynbos and mountain. Between drives there is the infinity pool, the bar and the long tables where dinner runs late.

• Kwena Lodge. The lodge hub on the ridge: pool, bar and dining shared by suites and villas.
• Kwena Suites. 10 stand alone suites for two adults (king or twin). Shared lodge pool, bar and dining.
• Kwena Luxury Suites. 4 stand alone luxury suites for two adults, with fireplace, indoor and outdoor showers, bathtub and private sun deck. Same shared lodge.
• Kwena Villas. 12 villas beside the lodge (three and four bedrooms), open plan lounge, kitchen and dining, wraparound deck. Guests aged 12 and over.

Lehele is built for families. Children are welcome from birth. Children aged 3 and over can join game drives, so the youngest stay behind with a parent or a minder while the vehicle is out. Meals, drives and activities begin at Lehele Lodge.

• Lehele Lodge. The family lodge where the day starts and ends.
• Lehele Villas. 7 family villas across the reserve (three to four ensuite bedrooms). Some sit about ten minutes from the lodge and others closer to thirty, along a drive that is often a game drive in its own right. Full-board guests self-drive to the lodge, or take a rate that includes transfers. Ask which villa you are offered and how far out it sits before you book.

Each private residence is yours alone. Your own guide, chef and vehicle mean meals and drives run to your hours rather than the lodge’s. Children of any age are welcome. Children aged 3 and over can join game drives.

• Ulubisi House. Exclusive-use house with dedicated staff (butler, chef and field guide).
• Black Rhino Villa. Exclusive-use villa above the valley, Outeniqua views, own chef and field guide.
• Ikhara Villa. Exclusive-use villa with glass to the Langeberg and Outeniqua ranges, own chef and field guide.
• Psamma Villa. Exclusive-use villa with its own pool and sunset deck, own chef and field guide.

Kwena is for couples and for guests aged 12 and over. Younger children stay at Lehele, where the day runs on their clock.

Children are welcome from birth at Lehele and at the private residences. Children aged 3 and over can join game drives, so the youngest stay behind with a parent or a minder while the vehicle is out.

If the drive between a Lehele villa and the lodge would take the shine off it, the private residences run differently. Each one has its own guide, chef and vehicle, so the day starts at your own door.

A conservation fee is charged separately for each stay and goes to a registered conservation fund.