Three of the most popular private reserves sit in the country north-east of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth): Lalibela Wildlife Reserve (also listed as Lalibela Game Reserve), Shamwari Private Game Reserve and Amakhala Game Reserve.
All three hold the Big Five, all three sit inside a morning's drive of the airport, and not one asks you to risk malaria to visit. Here’s what you need to know:
All three have the Big Five, plus cheetah, hippo, giraffe, zebra and hundreds of bird species between them.
Lalibela Wildlife Reserve for small children, with children allowed on a vehicle from two, and one flat rate whatever month you arrive.
Shamwari for room to roam. 25,000 hectares, seven places to stay, and the longest restoration record of the three.
Amakhala for choice. Eleven lodges and camps on one reserve, and the widest spread of rates.
Shamwari Private Game Reserve
Inzolo Lodge, Lalibela
Eagles Crag, Shamwari
HillsNek Safari Camp, Amakhala
Shamwari, Amakhala and Lalibela Wildlife Reserve all have the Big Five, all three sit in a malaria-free part of the country and are family-friendly.
Where they part company is size, the number of places to stay, what a night costs, and how young a child can be to go with you on a game drive.
| Lalibela Wildlife Reserve | Shamwari Private Game Reserve | Amakhala Game Reserve | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 10,500 hectares | 25,000 hectares | 9,000 hectares |
| Places to stay | 6 lodges, 42 rooms | 7: six lodges plus a seasonal explorer camp | 11 lodges and camps |
| From Gqeberha | About an hour. Kichaka, a quarter of an hour further | About an hour to a welcome lounge. Two lodges add 30 minutes | About an hour. 70 km to 85 km, depending on the lodge |
| Youngest guest accepted | All ages, at Mark's Camp | All ages, at Riverdene and Sarili | All ages, at Hlosi and Leeuwenbosch |
| Children on game drives | From 2 years old | From 3 years old, private vehicles included | From 6 years old |
| Walking safaris | Big Five walks 18 to 70; gentler walks in the non-predator area, all ages | From 16 years old and over, medical clearance over 65 | From 16 years old and over |
| From Price (per person sharing, 2027) | R11,500* | R20,270** | R5,290*** |
| Conservation levy, per adult per night | R250, adults 15 and over | R650 | R425 |
| Big Five | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Every rate is per person per night, sharing, in South African rand, including 15% VAT.
* Lalibela Wildlife Reserve rates are for 1 January to 31 December 2027.
** Shamwari's rates are for 1 January to 31 March 2027.
*** Amakhala's R5,290 is its low season rate, for 1 May to 31 July 2027.
During a game drive at Shamwari, guests watch a rhino as it grazes.
Four of the Big Five are easy to spot in the thicket. Elephant, buffalo and rhino are large creatures, and they are out in the open often enough not to miss. With lion, you might have to try a little harder, but with a night safari you increase your chances. Leopard though? Count yourself privileged if you’ve come across one of these secretive creatures.
The elephants are the reliable joy. They come to water in the heat of the afternoon, and the order of arrival is always the same comedy: the calves barge in first and go straight under, the teenagers shove each other, and the matriarch stands at the edge drinking properly while everyone else ruins the water. (At Kichaka Lodge on Lalibela Wildlife Reserve you can watch this intricate choreography from the rim-flow pool.)
Then there are the rhinos. Shamwari has both species and dates their return: white rhino in 1992, black rhino the year after. (Not sure what the difference is? Here is our explanation of black rhino versus white rhino.) All three reserves have put considerable time and money into protecting these endangered creatures.
There is a great deal here beyond the Big Five. Think hyena, cheetah and caracal alongside the famous five – a cheetah in the last light of day is a gorgeous thing.
The birds are an additional delight: The three reserves count 250 - 370 bird species between them, with a special mention going to the stunning Knysna Turaco.
A cheetah mother is on the lookout while her three cubs keep her company at Lalibela Wildlife Reserve.
Game drives are a given at all of the lodges across the three reserves. What’s not is whether you get to venture out after dark. At Lalibela Wildlife Reserve night drives are available reserve-wide. At Amakhala, explore the vast starlit sky above at night during expert-led stargazing. At Shamwari, a boat trip is a pleasant way to see what’s around.
On foot. At Amakhala, walks are two to three hours, with a minimum age of 16 and eight walkers at most. Shamwari's walks are also 16 and over and can be up to four hours (and are described as strenuous). Lalibela offers two grades of walks, Big Five walks for 18 to 70, and gentler walks in the non-predator area that’s open to all ages (perfect for your youngest to join).
The Albany thicket of the Eastern Cape is good birding country by default. Shamwari counts more than 370 species and runs birding as its own activity. Amakhala counts over 250, but its trails guide has a specialist birding accreditation for this biome. Lalibela singles out Tree Tops for the Knysna Turaco, a stunning forest bird that stays hidden until it flies and winks its crimson wings at you.
If you need a moment to yourself, a spa day is no bad idea. There are spas at Kichaka, several Shamwari lodges and Amakhala's Safari Lodge.
Kids activities. For children, there’s Shamwari's Kids on Safari and the Riverdene Adventure Centre, in addition to the kid’s programme at Hlosi.
If you want to see how a safari like this sits inside a longer trip, our family trips are collected in one place.
Students at at Shamwari Conservation Experience turn their attention to a small frog found on the reserve.
When planning a trip that involves nature and animals, taking conservation into consideration is a no-brainer. Fortunately, all three reserves are quite strong on that front (making your decision just a little bit more difficult).
Four thousand hectares of Lalibela Wildlife Reserve used to be wattle forest, which is a thirsty invasive tree that shades out everything under it and gives an animal nothing to eat. It is grassland again now, cleared and grown back, and the grazers have it all to themselves again. The reserve runs its own water purification plant, recycles its grey water, and passes the whole of its levy to the Lalibela Foundation.
Shamwari has the longest record of the three reserves. Restoration started on farmland in 1990 and the animals came back in stages. A Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, founded in 2018, gives veterinary care to orphaned and injured wild animals so they can go back out, and alongside it sit a rhino haven, a VulPro vulture facility and two Born Free Foundation big cat sanctuaries for lions and leopards rescued from captivity.
Amakhala puts its levy into rhino protection and into a classroom. More than 1,500 school children come through its Conservation Centre every year, about 70% of them seeing wildlife for the first time, brought in on a 22-seater vehicle kept for nothing else. Brent Cook, of the reserve's association, co-founded the Chipembere Rhino Foundation.
Shamwari Private Game Reserve
Minimum ages here are set lodge by lodge rather than reserve by reserve. Five properties take children of any age, and if you are travelling with a toddler those five are your shortlist.
| Lalibela Wildlife Reserve | Shamwari Private Game Reserve | Amakhala Game Reserve | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children of all ages* | Mark's Camp | Riverdene, Sarili (exclusive use) | Hlosi, Leeuwenbosch |
| From 2 years old | Mills Manor (exclusive use) | ||
| From 6 years old | Long Lee Manor | Induli, Woodbury Lodge, Woodbury Manor (all ages on exclusive use), Woodbury Tented Camp | |
| From 9 years old | HillsNek, Safari Lodge | ||
| From 12 years old | Lentaba | Bayethe, Eagles Crag | Bukela, Bush Lodge, Quatermain's (all ages on exclusive use) |
| From 16 years old | Kichaka, Inzolo, Tree Tops (as from 1 Jan 2027) | Sindile, Explorer Camp |
*Lalibela, Shamwari and Amakhala permit children on game drives aged from two, three and six respectively.
The deck at Tree Tops Lodge, Lalibela Game Reserve.
There are twenty-four places to stay across the three reserves, so deciding which property to pick can feel slightly overwhelming.
Before you give up, have a look at the table below where we compare each camp and tell you exactly who would love it and why:
| Best for | Lalibela | Shamwari | Amakhala |
|---|---|---|---|
| A first safari | Lentaba, ten villas along a hillside, and off-road driving is allowed for a Big Five sighting | Long Lee Manor, the Edwardian one, where the reserve has been doing this since 1992 | Woodbury Lodge, seven stone-and-thatch lodges above the Bushman’s River valley |
| A honeymoon, or just the two of you | Kichaka — three of its ten suites face the water | Sindile, free-standing tented suites on raised decks; Eagles Crag | Induli, three suites on a hilltop |
| A family with small children | Mark’s Camp — fenced, four family units, two pools and a dining boma | Riverdene — Kids on Safari, a pool with a shallow end, and a private vehicle with every family room | Leeuwenbosch Shearers Lodge, four suites in the old shearing shed; Hlosi, fenced, with a kids’ game drive |
| A family with teenagers | Lentaba | Bayethe, Eagles Crag | HillsNek, Bukela, Bush Lodge |
| A reunion, or a group who wants the place to themselves | Mills Manor, exclusive use only, with a private chef, vehicle and guide | Sarili Private Villa, six bedrooms, private ranger and child minding | Induli, Woodbury Manor, Quatermain’s |
| Days spent out of the vehicle | Big Five walks for eighteen to seventy, and gentler walks in the non-predator area open to every age | Walks of up to four hours, sixteen and over, plus a boat trip and stargazing | Walking trails from R1,100, and horse trails on the neighbouring farms |
| Birders | Tree Tops, for the Knysna Turaco | Over 370 species, and birding runs as an activity in its own right | Over 250, and the trails guide holds a specialist birding accreditation for this biome |
| Under canvas | Tree Tops, five suites in the canopy | Sindile, Bayethe, Explorer Camp | HillsNek, four tents on elevated decks |
| Doing very little | Kichaka — spa, gym, rim-flow pool and a private library | Spas at several of the lodges | Safari Lodge |
All of the reserves are wonderful choices - tell us your budget and we can tailor the trip to your preferences.
7 nights
