Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape — Hotel in Sundays River Valley Local Municipality

Amidst the stresses of COVID, we decided to go away for a much needed family break and chose Sarili Lodge at Shamwari due to it being an exclusive use lodge - perfect for our size of family. ||As I leave this magical place…I feel compelled to write a review about the wonderful time my extended family and I had…||Sarili lodge is a 5-star lodge within the Shamwari Natire Reserve. It consists of 5 luxury suites and due to it being an exclusive use lodge (you have to book the entire lodge for your stay), you have sole use of a lounge area, dining area, pool and expansive deck with views over a watering hole and reserve. You also have you own personal chef, game rangers, and house/lodge manager - everything you could possibly need for the most pampered stay. ||Whilst all the above speaks to luxury - what makes this lodge truly special, are the people who truly take care of you. ||Firstly, I want to mention Mino and Tim who are fantastic game rangers with a real warmth and hospitality that made us feel so at home. Mino has an incredible understanding of the reserve and it’s animals…he was able to track and show us all the special sightings - a lion kill, the birth of a giraffe, and the highlight was seeing all the Big 5 in one game drive! He is the most skilled and most passionate game ranger I have had the pleasure of meeting. He has a genuine love for his job and for nature. What was amazing is how he would tell us exactly what the animals would do - before they would do it - it should his understanding of their behaviour. Mino also went out of his way to do special things for us - from sundowners in the most magical spot - to a picnic in the bush for lunch. From the moment we met him - he went out of his way to ensure we had the most memorable trip - Mino - if your are reading this - you truly left us with the most special memories - I thank you. ||Tim was absolutely welcoming to the kids and adults. His energy and eagerness to please were so welcomed and appreciated by us all. He entertained us all - from playing with the little kids, to lovely chats with the adults. His knowledge of the bush and animals kept us all enthralled. And we all thoroughly enjoyed his game drives. He would stop along the way during the game drives and take time to explain to the kids and adults about the animals we were seeing. It added value to our game drives every time. ||Our lodge manager Mondi and his assistant manager Bianca were the most fantastic hosts. They tended to our needs (and sometimes our random requests) with such professionalism - but most especially with such warmth - it was like nothing was too much trouble. We were taken care off like royalty - and it made our stay absolutely special. They were always around to assist us with anything we required, and even spent time just talking to us and sharing their wildlife stories with us. Mondi shared so many stories of Shamwari and it’s animals. ||The food was consistently delicious and decadent - the quality of the dishes, the flavour and the variety were such a spoil. Our dietary requirements were met with ease, and any special requests were speedily met. It was a culinary delight! ||Shamwari is a magical place to experience nature in all her glory - we learnt so much and saw so many beautiful sights. I could go on and on about the unbelievable experience we had…but I will end my review by saying that this is a special place, with even more special people - and if you are looking for an everlasting memory - you will surely...

Long Lee Manor and the Shamwari Private Game Reserve were the highlight of our African Vacation. We spent 3 nights and no one wanted to leave when the time was up. ||We were greeted by Tundai with cool towels and welcome drinks and taken to the pool bar to complete paperwork and learn the lay of the land. From the moment we walked through the Main House we knew this was unlike any other place we’ve visited. ||We are a group of 17 (3 generations) traveling together - the rooms at Shamwari were beautifully decorated and comfortable for sleeping (in all honesty, we didn’t even spend much time in our room which was unfortunate because it’s so fabulous!!). Part of our group (with young children) stayed in the Family Suite with 2 bedrooms and a living room with its own plunge pool and views to die for. Our children were treated like royalty - everyone was gifted a glass water bottle to use during the stay and take home and the youngest was gifted a hat and backpack!||The pool was beautiful and never crowded. Food was plenty - breakfast served after the morning game drive, a mid afternoon lunch before the afternoon game drive and then dinner (usually later, around 8pm). We were treated to a BBQ in the boma one night which was lovely. Service was sometimes on the slow side, so give yourself plenty of time if you have a need to be somewhere (a spa treatment or game drive). But the entire restaurant staff was fabulous and accommodating to our requests. There was a bee outbreak (which they mentioned upon arrival and had tried to treat) which was definitely an “annoyance” during breakfast (they seem to be attracted to the sweet jams and syrup) and we have several bee allergic people in our group. Thankfully no one was stung and all was ok! ||Onto the most important part - the game drives! Our large group was assigned 2 guides/rangers. Meno and Odwa. We can not say enough wonderful things about both of them. The grandparents on the trip had been to Shamwari in the past (6 years prior) and had Meno and requested him again. To say they were delighted to share his expertise with their grandchildren is an understatement. He was outstanding and engaging with all of us from age 8 to almost 80! Odwa was equally as knowledgeable and personable. He went out of his way to make sure we saw everything we wanted to see during our 6 game drives - We can not recommend each of them enough - they definitely are what made the trip memorable for all. ||The game drives were filled with excitement and excellent driving maneuvers- we always felt safe and well cared for. Sightings included all the animals except leopards and twice we saw animals eating their kill (lions and cheetah)|And also spent time literally in the herd of elephants. We were treated to a lovely New Year’s Eve cocktail party in the bush with other families as well as New Year’s Day mimosas and bloody Mary’s. Meno and Odwa arranged for a “burger flip” in the bush for lunch one day which included a short river boat ride (a new feature at Shamwari). It was clear that extra time and effort was made to make sure we had a fabulous few days - which we did! ||The 2 full days and 2 half days (3 nights) went by too quickly and no one wanted to leave. ||We will certainly return again to visit our new friends who now feel like family. And we can not recommend it enough. To say this stay was the highlight of our African vacation is an understatement. Thank you Meno and Odwa and all the staff at Shamwari -...

We stayed here at the recommendation of friends who visited many years prior. And we came here and stayed for three nights before going to Chobe in Botswana. And Shamwari spoiled us!!! ||What I will say is that the game experience at Shamwari compared to a national park is entirely different and I absolutely recommend everyone have the experience of both. One cannot replace the other. They are very complementary and different. ||At Shamwari, we were up close and personal with most of the animals, even though it was their natural habitat. I read some reviews, comparing it to a large zoo and this is absolutely the farthest thing from the truth. I love that the rangers know the area well and they collaborate well on sightings. We saw many raw animal behaviors that you only see in the wild, lions eating the kill, two male lions fighting, giraffes in a herd crossing a ridge at sunset, buffalos in large herd, free roaming rhinos. It is big five, but we only saw big four but never for a moment felt disappointed because we saw other things we were never able to see in a national park.||Shamwari’s land is enormous. We barely scraped the surface over the course of three days. It just is enormous and the Rangers work very hard to find the animals just like they do at the national parks.||What we loved about this place and we felt made it so different to the national park experience is that it was absolutely phenomenal service, beautiful setting, and all around luxurious. The food was fantastic and we met several people who had made return trips and said it was the best large food they’ve ever had. We completely agree compared to what we experienced in Botswana, even though where we stayed in Botswana was also luxury. ||There is absolutely nothing that will be disappointing about coming here. But I do recommend coupling it with a national park visit. They are entirely different. When we were in the national parks, the close encounters were few and far between. And truly, no lodge compared to Shamwari.,||As for Rangers, I’m not sure if you can request one, but if you do, Abel was spectacular. And all of the other rangers were radioing him asking for help and information so I got the impression he was one of the leads. He said he had worked there for more than 25 years at his experience pays off. He was such a kind, knowledgeable gentleman and he went above and beyond every single day to make our experience the best.||Regarding food, as I mentioned, it was fantastic. They will absolutely cater to preferences and allergies. As soon as I let them know what I wanted, they went so far above and beyond to accommodate me and all of my special requests. I’ve never seen any service quite like it. ||Rooms were lovely.||In summary, just go, you will not be disappointed. There’s a reason Tiger Woods was engaged here and John Travolta is rumored to be a...