16 Jan 2017 – 15 Jan 2018

Rates are quoted in ZAR and include VAT.  Closed in June.

Longstay offers

4 NIGHT STAY:
Stay min 4 nights at any lodge, get 15% off your accommodation stay.
Valid 1 Apr – 30 Sep’17 (Close out JUNE)

6 NIGHT STAY:
Stay 6 nights at any lodge, pay for 5.
Valid 1 Apr – 30 Sep’17 (Close out JUNE)

CHECK IN TIME
12h00

CHECK OUT TIME
11h00

Rates Include

• Accommodation as specified (exclusive-use of the villas).
• Twice daily game drives.
• Nature walks accompanied by an armed ranger.
• Big game walking safari (tracking white rhino, black rhino, elephant and buffalo on foot, accompanied by an armed specialist ranger and tracker team; subject to availability).
• 3 meals daily, soft drinks, house wines, local & premium brand spirits, beers, teas & coffees, refreshments on game drives.
• Laundry.
• Emergency medical evacuation insurance.
• VAT.
• Transfers to & from the lodge airstrip.
• Complimentary child-minding.

Rates Exclude

• Community & conservation levy.
• In-room massage treatments.
• Telephone calls.
• Safari shop purchases.
• Gratuities.
• All items of a personal naturec.
• Champagne, fine wines and cigars.
• Additional specialised safari activities not mentioned above.

Why stay at Uplands Homestead

Genteel Elegance

Uplands Homestead strikes a perfect mix between the genteel and the wild. The elegant and refined interiors, with their damask linens, antique silver and porcelain, create the ideal foil for the rugged bushveld and wildlife outside. Furnished with authentic antiques and memorabilia reminiscent of a stately Settler home from the 1820s, we have added stylish modern comforts such as exquisitely appointed bathrooms, air conditioning, private verandas for each suite and a contemporary farmstyle kitchen. There is also a full size swimming pool and gazebo set amongst rolling lawns, surrounded on all sides by sweeping slopes decorated with hundreds of aloes.

Heart of the Home

The heart of any farmhouse is its kitchen, and Uplands is no exception. With its wrought iron chandeliers and modern catering equipment cleverly represented as traditional cookware, the Uplands kitchen is the Homestead’s quaint and welcoming core. Your dedicated, skilled chef will create both old family favourites and sumptuous new dishes to inspire and delight. Meals are served in the dining area, where friends and family gather to share the day’s adventures. Plush chairs in the sitting room invite hours of relaxation, while the green lawns and sparkling pool create a perfect outlet for youthful energy.

Heart of Discovery

Three suites with private bathrooms combine modern comfort with old-fashioned luxury and attention to detail. Antique mirrors, claw-foot bathtubs and yellowwood chests and wardrobes blend seamlessly with air-conditioning, in-room safes and other modern conveniences. Your dedicated 4×4 safari vehicle and private guide/ranger awaits outside, ready at any time to take you on a voyage of discovery through Kwandwe’s wild open spaces and return you to the warmly lit comfort of your Home away from Home.

Your days are designed to thrill you with intimate wildlife encounters and your evenings to delight you with the indulgence and romance of the African night.

Morning Game Drive

As dawn breaks over the African bush, a gentle tap on your door will wake you to the pleasures of a new day. Your ranger will discuss what you hope to see that day over fragrant tea or coffee and morning biscuits or rusks. Set out in an open 4×4 safari vehicle in the company of a ranger and tracker team, who will attempt to track your favourite animals. Explore Kwandwe’s diverse terrain in search of cheetah, black rhino or elephant.

Breakfast

Return to your lodge for a delicious breakfast, with platters of fruit and cheese followed by a selection of hot breakfast dishes. Choose from eggs, oats, waffles or a number of other options.

Indulge

Treat yourself to an in-room massage, hand or foot treatment (optional extra).

Lunch

If you wish, you can walk off your breakfast on a short walk near your lodge, accompanied by your ranger, who will share his insight into the smaller animals and vegetation in the area. Return to the lodge in time for a delicious lunch.

Afternoon Tea

Cool off with a refreshing dip in the pool or indulge in an afternoon siesta…

Over a late afternoon tea, your ranger will discuss what you hope to see during the afternoon game drive.

Afternoon/ Evening Game Drive or Big Game Walking Safari

This game drive begins in the late afternoon and lasts until after dark, when spotlights are used for a glimpse into the nocturnal bush life. Spot the rarely seen porcupine, aardwolf or aardvark. Enjoy sundowners in a scenic location as the sun slowly sinks beneath the horizon.

Alternatively opt for something a little more active by tracking Big Game – elephant, rhino or buffalo – on foot in the wilderness, accompanied by an armed specialist ranger and tracker team (this option is available at an additional cost, refer to the ‘Safari Activities’ tab on the menu above).

Dinner

Return to your lodge for a mouthwatering dinner around a blazing fire in a boma or in your lodge’s dining area.

We provides an exciting and stimulating experience for children. Not only are there a host of tailor-made activities on offer through the reserve’s Blue Crane Conservation Club to keep little ones enthralled and entertained, but our malaria-free status and proximity to a range of family and child-friendly activities in the area make this a safari experience without parallel for families.

The Blue Crane Conservation Club

• Our two sole-use villas, Uplands Homestead and Melton Manor, are ideal for families. Days and safari activities at the villas are flexible and completely tailor-made with dedicated staff including a private chef, butler, ranger, tracker and safari vehicle. Children of all ages are also welcome at Ecca Lodge, with a maximum of two children aged 16 years and younger able to share with parents. Children 12 years and older are welcome at Great Fish River Lodge.
• Children receive a welcome gift on arrival which includes a Blue Crane Conservation Guide comprising animal checklists, themed games and activities, and a pledge to ‘live green’ (‘Junior’ for under 6’s and ‘Senior’ for ages 6 and up), crayons/ pencils, a BPA free water bottle and a ‘Frolicking Rhino’ range of bath products including shampoo, body lotion and bubble bath (Kwandwe supports the Bespoke Amenities Co., who created this range in support of their efforts to eradicate rhino poaching).
• Activities for children include a ‘Bugs & Bones’ walk (a great way to stretch little legs and learn all about this ecologically diverse reserve whilst searching for insects, bones and skulls and being taught how to identify animal tracks and droppings), sand art, face painting, making moulds from Plaster of Paris, beading, chocolate fun (making spider webs and insects from chocolate), Minnow’s fishing trip with a ranger, special game drives outside of normal times where available, baking and pizza making with specially designed ‘Chefs in Training’ aprons and toques, DVDs and popcorn, eco educational board games (learning about recycling and the how to care for our planet in a fun way), chocolate mould making, creature cookie baking, and African bedtime stories.
• Giving back: children have the opportunity to plant Spekboom, a type of thicket vegetation that is native to the Eastern Cape and prolific on the reserve, and one of the top five carbon-storing vegetations on the planet. In this way they are encouraged to offset their (own small!) carbon footprint. Families can also participate in Kwandwe’s voluntourism activities through the reserve’s Angus Gillis Foundation, which works with communities living in and surrounding the reserve. Activities are tailored according to individual and family interests and skillsets. For young guests this includes assisting with gardening projects at the local Mgcamabele Community; participating in arts and craft activities; and toddlers are invited to join in playtime at the pre-school. Children are also welcome to participate in Kwandwe’s ‘Knit a Bit’ program. The knitted squares are joined to make blankets and given to the Angus Gillis Foundation that distributes them to the needy communities surrounding Kwandwe.
• Game drives at Ecca Lodge: regretfully, children 5 years and younger cannot participate in game drives unless a sole use vehicle is booked. When available this will be provided at no charge – ideally during the day so as not to clash with scheduled game drives (early morning and evening), otherwise a charge will apply. Children aged 6 to 11 can be accommodated on game drives at the lodge manager’s discretion. Children are however welcome to join a daily ‘Stripes & Hooves’ adventure at Ecca Lodge, a daily one hour morning game drive after breakfast with or without their parents to view ‘non-aggressive’ game such as giraffe, zebra, monkeys, warthogs etc at no additional cost.
• A children’s menu is available at all lodges, including fun and nutritious mealtime options such as fish cakes with veggies and homemade chips; vegetable soup and freshly baked bread; DIY pizzas with fun toppings; fresh fruit salad; homemade chocolate brownies and more!
• Experienced childminders are available by prior arrangement at no additional cost.

Specialist, private photographic safaris and tutorials are offered to Kwandwe guests by locally based, award-winning professional photographer Mike Dexter. A private safari vehicle with ranger and tracker are provided to tailor-make each experience according to guests’ individual needs. All ages are welcome.

Uplands Homestead Photographic Game Drive

The photographer accompanies guests on the vehicle, advising them of appropriate camera settings for various scenarios they will come across, providing compositional ideas and answering any questions relating to photography. The aim is to ensure an increased understanding of wildlife photography, with the best possible photographs.

PER PERSON (MIN 2 PAX) + FOR PRIVATE VEHICLE

Tutorials

A 1.5 hour tutorial between game drives, tailor-made to suit the experience level of participants with presentations appropriate for complete beginners to advanced photographers. Electronic notes will be provided.

PER PERSON (MIN 2 PAX)

1 Day Photographic Workshop

This option combines photographic game drives with more formal ‘classroom’ based tuition back at the lodge. Various modules on the basics of photography are presented with a focus on practical implementation to ensure an almost immediate improvement in photography. Electronic copies of the modules are provided. Cost includes 2 game drives and the tutorial.

PER PERSON + FOR PRIVATE VEHICLE

2 Day Photographic Workshop

The same format is followed as the 1 day workshop but guests are presented with advanced techniques over a 2 day period. They will come away with a more holistic understanding of wildlife photography. Cost includes 2 game drives per day and two tutorials.

PER PERSON + FOR PRIVATE VEHICLE (FOR 2 DAY PERIOD)

About Mike Dexter

Mike Dexter is an award-winning, widely published professional wildlife photographer. He achieved a Bachelor of Journalism Degree from Rhodes University in which he specialised in photography. He is also the holder of a FGASA Level II qualification and has 3 years of guiding experience. He spent two years working for a photographic safari company as the resident photographer at a luxury lodge in Botswana, where he was responsible for leading specialised photographic workshops as well as the development of a photographic hide operation. He is currently resident in Grahamstown, within close proximity to the reserve.

We are passionate about sharing our knowledge and understanding of the bush and its fascinating inhabitants with our guests. Our highly trained rangers and trackers do their utmost to delight guests with a choice of the following wildlife adventures.

Uplands Homestead Twice Daily Game Drives

Explore the natural splendour of Kwandwe on early morning and late afternoon / evening game drives in an open 4×4 safari vehicle. An armed ranger and tracker team share their extensive knowledge of the bush with you as you track the Big Five, as well as a variety of other wildlife. Morning drives begin as dawn breaks over the Great Fish River, and guests have the opportunity to see the predators winding up their nocturnal hunts and settling in for the day.

Many animals take advantage of the cool morning hours to graze before the heat of the day. In the late afternoon wildlife can often be spotted coming down to the river to drink. Night drives produces some unusual sightings, including aardvark, aardwolf, bat-eared fox and porcupine.

Uplands Homestead Interpretive Bush Walks

In between game drives, take a closer look at the subtle, unseen wonders of the bush on a leisurely walk within easy reach of your lodge. Dense euphorbia thickets are best explored on foot, revealing a secret world of lichen, mosses and ferns. Various birds of prey and other species nest in the taller trees or in the spiny canopy. An armed ranger guides guests through ‘up close and personal’ sightings of occasional buffalo herds, various antelope species, giraffe, warthog, bushbuck or bushpig.

12 YEARS & OLDER

Uplands Homestead Big Game Walking Safari

Experience the thrill of tracking big game (white rhino, black rhino, elephant and buffalo) on foot in the wilderness, accompanied by an armed specialist ranger and tracker team. The walk lasts 3 to 4 hours and ends with a picnic lunch on the banks of the Great Fish River or at a scenic spot in the bush. Not suitable for children under 16 years of age.

16 YEARS & OLDER

Uplands Homestead Save the Rhino Drive

Spend 3 – 4 hours tracking rhino with a specialist ranger and tracker team. Learn about the habits of this threatened species, the issue of rhino poaching as well as Kwandwe’s own conservation efforts. The experience ends with refreshments at a scenic spot in the bush.

FROM PER PERSON, MIN 2 GUESTS, 16 YEARS & OLDER

Uplands Homestead Rhino Conservation Safari

A recommended three night, four-day safari offers you the opportunity to participate in Kwandwe’s exciting rhino-darting and notching programme. Under the supervision of experts, the rhino is darted in order to plant microchips into the horns and perform ear-notching for future identification – an essential task to ensure the preservation of this endangered species. Available throughout the year, although the best time is May – September. Price excludes accommodation.

FROM PER GROUP OF UP TO 8 GUESTS, 16 YEARS & OLDER

Uplands Homestead Private Safari

Tailor-make your own safari led by a dedicated specialist ranger and tracker team, ensuring a private game viewing experience (subject to the availability of a private vehicle being available at the time of booking). A private safari vehicle has to be booked for the duration of a stay; a safari day runs from 12h00 (check-in time) to 12h00 the following day.

PER DAY, FOR 1 – 6 GUESTS

Uplands Homestead In-room Treatments

Make the most of your stay at Kwandwe by indulging in a pamper session in the privacy of your suite.

Options include:

Back, Neck and Shoulder Massages
45 minutes –

Full Body Massage
60 minutes –

Pedicure
90 minutes –

Manicure
60 minutes –

Express Manicure or Pedicure
45 minutes –

Treatments are available from 08h00am to 16h00pm.

Couples massages and treatments after 16h00pm are available by prior arrangement.

“It was the best experience in my life. I was there for one incredible week with my family. The service, the servants and guides were excelent. I was so passionated that the week was like a minute. I strongly cerommend to visit this place. It is like when your dreams come true.” –JanFinsterle

“Nothing short to incredible.We have spent 3 days there and the experience was exceptional!The lodge amazing, the food great and the staff was spot on.The game drive were just incredible. All big 5 and the team was very knowledgeable and prepared.Just as an example we had lions walking just out of our door…I recommend the lodge to everyone it is an incredible experience.”  –Cprazz

“Words can not express how great our 4 night stay was!! Thank you to all the staff at Uplands! You all created a personalized experience for our family!!! A special thanks to Sean, Ryan our ranger and Dennis our amazing tracker with eagle eyes!! The food and hospitality was just amazing!! Had the run of the whole house which was cool! We miss it already and will return without a doubt! Keep up the great work!” –excelden