Style

All-in safari den

Setting

Wildlife and wide skies

Sleeps

8

Bedrooms

4

Kwandwe Fort House relishes its savannah setting. Daily game drives and walks keep days active with Big Five sightings, before a different kind of nightlife sets pulses racing, whether it’s a guided night safari or dining under starry skies at the bush-bordered boma. This want-for-nothing lodge is a basecamp to cherish, kitted out with a spa room and view-blessed pool, food and drink tailored to your needs, plus family-friendly activities and outings.

Smith Extra

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Binoculars to borrow and a bottle of fizz in your suite

First Glance

Photos Kwandwe Fort House
  • Contemporary style is paired with classic furnishings at Fort House, a savannah-swathed safari lodge in the Kwandwe Private Game Reserve.
  • The open-plan kitchen is used by a private chef to prepare all your meals, which showcase local produce in healthy, South African-inspired dishes; everything can be tailored to your tastes, too. Opposite the kitchen counter is an eight-seater dining table and a living area, which is cosy with plush sofas, animal prints and a large TV. A walk-in wine cellar is located next to the dining space.
  • The living room has sliding glass doors that open onto the pool terrace, and there is a second furnished patio, with a braai, dining furniture and heaters. You can also pick herbs from the small garden here, and staff will happily turn them into fresh herbal teas or use them in salads.
  • There’s a spa room with a treatment table, ensuite bathroom and outdoor patio, which has exercise equipment; wellness treatments can be booked with advance notice. This room can also be adapted into a fifth bedroom for small children if needed.
  • Pen postcards, write in your journal or take your morning cuppa to the office, which has big armchairs and a small outdoor patio. There’s also a bar area in the hallway with a coffee station and stronger tipples.
  • All meals are included with the rate and you’ll dine in different areas each day, such as the indoor dining room, pool terrace, barbecue area or bush-tucked boma. Room service is also available throughout the day.
  • A private vehicle is included in your stay for twice daily game drives, as is free childcare (arranged ahead) and laundry services.
  • Fort House is very family-friendly: there are car seats, highchairs, children’s menus, bamboo crockery and baby cots available. Staff can arrange activities for your little Smiths, such as arts and crafts or baking cakes for afternoon tea. Older children (at staff’s discretion) can join you on a guided walk, too.

Villa highlights

  • All-ages adventures
  • Animal-roaming reserve
  • Fully serviced set-up

Sleeping arrangements

Photos Kwandwe Fort House
  • Fort House sleeps up to eight guests, over four bedrooms that are styled with dove-grey details, darkwood features and vibrant rugs.
  • Each room has a TV, ensuite bathroom and super-king-size bed, which can be twinned on request.
  • Rooms two and three are better suited to little Smiths; their ensuite bathrooms have a walk-in, rainfall shower.
  • The ensuite bathrooms in the main bedrooms (rooms one and four) each have twin sinks, a dressing area, freestanding bath tub and indoor walk-in, rainfall shower that connects to an outdoor shower.

Key kit

  • Free WiFi
  • TVs
  • Air-conditioning
  • Underfloor heating
  • Fans
  • Tea- and coffee-making kit
  • Minibars
  • Free bottled water
  • Local bath products

Poolside

Photos Kwandwe Fort House
  • There’s a heated pool on the lawn, which overlooks the reserve (eagle-eyed sunbathers can spot herds of elephants and other grazing animals in the distance from their poolside position).
  • The boho-chic pool terrace is sheltered from the sun, and has big sofas, sunloungers and a coffee table.

Grounds

Photos Kwandwe Fort House
  • Fort House sits at the heart of the 22,000-hectare Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, near Fort Dam and the confluence of Botha’s and Great Fish rivers. The Big Five roam this vast estate, as do smaller animals, plus extraordinary birdlife soars through the skies.
  • The lodge has pristine gardens, a swimming pool and a tucked-away boma.

Location

Photos Kwandwe Fort House
  • You’ll find Fort House in the centre of the wildlife-teeming Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape.
  • Port Elizabeth Airport is a two-hour drive or short helicopter flight away from the reserve; flights arrive here from Cape Town and Johannesburg. Staff can arrange transfers on request, or should you charter your own flight, there’s a private airstrip at Kwandwe.
  • If you’re bringing your own wheels, you’ll need to park up at the reserve’s reception; staff will then drive you to Fort House, which is 10 minutes away by car.

The Guestbook

Whenever you book a stay at a Smith hotel or villa, we’ll invite you to review it when you get back. Read what other Smith members had to say in Kwandwe Fort House’s Guestbook below.
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Price per night from $5,664.19

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