Kwandwe Private Game Reserve stretches along 26 miles (42 km) of the Great Fish River. This malaria-free game reserve is located at the top end of the Garden Route of South Africa. The Great Fish River is of historical significance as it was a hotly contested border during the Frontier Wars of 1779-1878 between the Settlers (and the Dutch farmers) and the Xhosa nation.
The 39,000 acre (15,800 hectare) reserve is set on the edge of the former Karoo Basin where several of Africa's vegetation zones converge and biodiversity is extremely rich. The Kwandwe landscape is dominated by valley bushveld on open plains and rolling hills, with succulent euphorbias, aloes and spekboom among the characteristic plants. Thousands of animals, including the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) have been reintroduced to the reserve, which is also a haven for endangered animals and birds and numerous programs to support them have been introduced.
