Go in search of the 'Big Five' for an experience you'll never forget. What better way to top off your drive of the Garden Route or city break in Cape Town with a few days in the South African wilderness? The luxurious game lodges, the Shamwari Private Game Reserve or the Kariega Private Game Reserve, make ideal bases for a stunning safari experience. And the area here offers the widest variety of animals anywhere in the Eastern Cape.

Kariega Private Game Reserve
At Kariega, you'll be taken in search of lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, leopard, hippo, hyena, giraffe, zebra, kudu, wildebeest and antelope. The reserve also has two rivers, the Kariega and the Bushmans, upon which boat safaris are available. If our feathered friends are more your thing, birds that call the reserve home include martial, fish and crown eagles.

Shamwari Private Game Reserve
At Shamwari, on the Bushmans River, you might encounter black rhino, white rhino, elephant, cheetah, hippo, hyena, otter, leopard, antelope, lion and buffalo. There are also wild dogs here, reintroduced after becoming extinct two centuries ago. In conjunction with the Born Free Foundation, Shamwari runs two Born Free big cat sanctuaries, a museum and an education centre. Good guys The safaris are led by experienced guides, who have years of experience of the areas you will wander. You'll be taken by the rangers on game drives in the mornings and evenings, enabling you to see the wildlife when they are at their most active. Each park offers you the opportunity to see a range of different animals, so all you need to worry about now is which one you'll choose.