It’s 6 am, and I’m not at all eager to rise. I drag myself out from under the warm duvet and head to the dining room to get some coffee and make my method to the waiting video game drive automobile. We head out on our drive, warmly tucked up under blankets and with a flask of hot coffee in hand.
The early morning light shines over the reserve as our guide steers down the rugged dirt tracks of the reserve. Within what feels like minutes, we encounter a breeding herd of elephants. The young calves play while the matriarch monitors them, stripping branches from a spekboom as she waits. A few decades back, this scene would have been inconceivable. The land was overgrazed farmland, removed of both wildlife and plants. But today, thanks to a bold experiment in rewilding, it’s home to the complete variety of safari animals, from antelope to apex predators, and has turned into one of the country’s most motivating preservation success stories.
At the heart of this transformation are two homes: Shamwari Private Game Reserve and the smaller, nearby, Creators Lodge by Mantis.
Together, they represent not simply a leading safari destination, but also a living case research study of what occurs when ecology, vision, dedication, and tourism come together. < img width ="920"height="767"src ="// www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20width='920'%20height='767'%20viewBox='0%200%20920%20767'%3E%3C/svg%3E "alt =""data-src="https://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Shamwari-Private-Game-Reserve_6-920x767.jpg"/ > Shamwari’s story is legend in African conservation circles. In the early 1990s, farms exhausted by the overgrazing of animals were purchased; with the plan being to bring back the land. Fences boiled down. Grasslands and Albany thickets were nursed back to health. Then came the wildlife. Elephants, white rhinos, and hippos were the first to return, their browsing assisting to regenerate the soil and disperse seeds. Black rhinos and buffalo followed. Then came predators, lion, cheetah, brown hyena, and eventually leopard. Within a years, Shamwari had actually become the very first Big 5 game reserve in the Eastern Cape.”We wished to reveal that preservation
could be lucrative, sustainable, and deeply human, “states Adrian Gardiner, the guy behind Shamwari and Creators. Gardiner insists he never saw this as a’quick fix’, nor did he see it as a short-term project. “Preservation does not have an end date. It’s a lifelong dedication, “he informs me, and the proof is all around us. Shamwari now covers more than 60,000 hectares, and is home to healthy wildlife populations, including several endangered species. What’s more, the reserve has actually become a design for similar projects throughout the province. Shamwari’s success has actually influenced neighbouring landowners to rewild, too; creating a corridor of wildlife reserves where once there was only farmland.
Founders Lodge represents a more personal side to this story. Initially Gardiner’s household home, the lodge rests on 400 hectares of rolling hills, surrounding to the Shamwari reserve. Today it operates as a boutique eco-lodge, with 7 suites, plus a 5-berth brought back railway carriage, perched on a hill a short distance away. The main structure keeps a traditional farmhouse feel, with wide verandas, stone walls, and
open yards. The outdoor fire pit and shaded terrace invite sun-soaked lunches and quiet evenings sitting out under the stars, while the pool and fitness center offer you a location to stretch your body in between game drives. What sets the lodge apart, however, is not just its design or decoration, however rather its direct link to the larger Shamwari landscape and the conservation journey that started here.< img width ="920"height=" 767"src ="// www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20width='920'%20height='767'%20viewBox='0%200%20920%20767'%3E%3C/svg%3E"alt="" data-src="https://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mantis-Founders-Lodge_2-920x767.jpg"/ > Back at Creators, after our early morning game drive, I rest on the verandah outside my space. I
can see rhinos grazing simply a few metres away, the only thing between us, a knee-high electrical fence. Throughout the years Creators has actually ended up being a sanctuary for rhinos, with many of the rhinos here being survivors of the dreadful poaching trade– undoubtedly, some still carry bullet fragments in their bodies. Poaching stays a continuous danger, and both reserves invest heavily in day-and-night monitoring, dehorning programs, and anti-poaching units. So seeing them here, grazing so quietly, is wonderful. Beyond the lawn and the rhinos, however within the lodge’s grounds, zebras graze, and in the distance I can see a stunning male kudu, with his stunning corkscrew horns. After lunch I head to the underground photographic conceal, positioned at the lodge’s waterhole. I’m just in time to see a giraffe flexing awkwardly down to drink. Soon afterwards, a rhino and her calf get here for a mud bath and general indulge the waterhole. Afternoon comes, and we head out on another game drive. The distinct roar of a lion reverberates from somewhere in the reserve. We head in the direction of the sound, one associated with the African bush, and after many twists and turns, and a detour past a cheetah who’s utilizing the top of a termite mound as a lookout point, we’re rewarded with the sight of a thick-maned male lion patrolling his territory, and announcing his presence for all to hear. We sit and expect a while, transfixed by the size and strength of this effective predator.< img width= "920 "height= "767"src ="https://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dsc_65401-920x767.jpg"alt=" "/ > What makes both Shamwari and Founders distinct though, is that video game drives here are not almost ticking lists of animals seen. Yes, the ‘Big Five’are here, but what’s special about this place is that it’s more than simply the animals, it’s the entire story behind the reserve– the removal of the fences, the regeneration of the plants, the reintroduction of the wildlife. Neighborhood partnerships are likewise central to the model. Right from the start, both Shamwari and Creators have prioritised training and employing local people, in addition to supporting regional schools and running preservation education programmes. This has actually shifted mindsets towards wildlife. What was when seen as competition for land is now a source of income and pride.
< img width="920 "height=" 767"src="// www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20width='920'%20height='767'%20viewBox='0%200%20920%20767'%3E%3C/svg%3E "alt=""data-src ="https://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/birds_26-920x767.jpg"/ > Today, South Africa’s Eastern Cape is strongly on the safari map. Once neglected in favour of Kruger or KwaZulu-Natal, it now uses a malaria-free safari experience, milder weather condition, and a landscape that’s been completely restored. Shamwari has become a global name, inviting celebs and conservationists alike, while Creators uses a smaller-scale, however still extremely individual method to connect with the exact same legacy.
Practical info Creators Lodge by Mantis lies in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, around 75km from Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) airport, which is well linked to Johannesburg and Cape Town. The region is malaria-free, making it excellent for families, and private usage choices are available for multi-generational families or little groups. 
Sarah Kingdom Sarah Kingdom is a travel writer from Sydney, Australia. When she is not climbing up or taking a trip, she lives on a ranches in central Zambia.
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