Shamwari July 2022

Back in the Eastern Cape

I've decided to check out the Eastern Cape again after my two most recent trips to Madikwe and Sabi Sabi in the last two months. About two weeks before my trip, Shamwari informed me about an upgrade to the new Sindile tented lodge, which was something new and amazing for me. Whenever I've stayed it’s been at Long Lee Manor before, so it was great to see something different this time. Sindile is located a bit more central within Shamwari and the style of the lodge is completely different to Long Lee Manor. After a short connecting flight from Johannesburg after my International arrival, I landed in Port Elizabeth and after a short road trip (about an hour) I've arrived at the gate of Shamwari Private Game Reserve, where Mino (my Field Guide) picked me up with the safari vehicle to bring me directly to Sindile. Because I arrived in the late afternoon, we combined this transfer to the lodge with a little "taster game drive". So I've unpacked my camera equipment right upon my arrival at the gate and made myself ready to get the first pictures.

These are my first three animals I've taken pictures of during my "transfer game drive":

Lioness resting on hill during golden hour with blurred savanna background.

A stunning shot of a lioness sitting on a rock

Group of white rhinos grazing among green shrubs in African savanna.

My second sighting, which is pretty rare: A black rhino!

Baby rhinoceros walking through green grass-covered field.

...and plenty of white rhinos

Sindile Lodge

After this short but pretty decent first "transfer game drive" with some fantastic sightings, I arrived at the lodge. I ‘d passed by the lodge already during my last trip in March this year for lunch and got to see one of the rooms quickly - but it is a different story to stay there. Sindile consists of 9 luxury spacious tented suites and every room is completely detached and comes with an indoor and outdoor shower, a private plunge pool (which is not heated and almost unusable in the Winter months), a spacious bed- and living room and a nice viewing deck.

The food was great - as usual. But I'm still missing the "African option" when I read the menu. I miss true African options like game meat, vegetarian specialities, etc. Yes, I know sometimes there is a venison meat on the menu - but rarely. Besides that, the taste and presentation of the food was amazing and it is like you would expect it in a Michelin starred restaurant! At the moment, the menu doesn't differ in between all of the lodges at Shamwari and I really hope to get different menu options which are reflecting the style of the lodges in the near future.

Below you'll find some photos of the Sindile lodge:

Wooden deck with canvas awning supports at sunset.

My plunge pool during sunset

Luxury safari tents with white canopy roofs nestled in green African landscape.

My personal luxury tent

White mosquito nets draped over wooden beds in safari accommodation.

Bedding (even with a heated mattress)

Modern wooden deck with black pergola slats creating geometric shadows on the timber flooring.

Entrance of Sindile Lodge

Panoramic view of rolling hills and countryside from elevated wooden deck stairs.

The viewing deck

Luxury freestanding bathtub with mountain views through floor-to-ceiling windows in modern bathroom.

A bath with a view

Rustic spa treatment room with wooden benches and white fabric drapes creating a serene atmosphere.

Bathroom

Modern living space with black wood stove and woven basket decor on hardwood floors.

Fireplace within the room

Contemporary dining area with orange chairs and pendant lighting featuring wooden flooring.

Restaurant of Sindile

Artfully plated appetizers served on wooden boards with dipping sauces in sunlit setting.

Fantastic Food

Curved wooden deck with canvas shade sails overlooking scenic valley landscape.

Plenty of space on the main terrace

Elegant lounge area with white sofas, woven pendant lights and modern fireplace under vaulted ceiling.

The cozy bar area

Quality of the Safaris

In terms of the quality of the game drives I can't complain at all - this is one of the main reasons why this was my 6th visit at Shamwari Private Game Reserve already, whilst my first visit was far back in the year 2005. In 2005 was my first wilderness experience in South Africa after my trip to Kenya (Tsavo East & West and Amboseli National Park) when I was 12 years old in the late 80s. The quality of the whole package is top-notch - but does come with a price tag as well!

Field guides at Kruger National Park are calling Private Game Reserves "Game Parks" sometimes, because they are so much smaller than the greater Kruger area. But if you like to off-road for the big five and if you don't like to share a sighting with dozens of private vehicles, then you will have to book a private game reserve in the Kruger National Park, and their sizes are usually smaller than Shamwari, which spreads over 200 km2 and is still growing. Whenever there are no fences in between Kruger-based private game reserves, you are still not allowed to cross its borders, so Shamwari is far away of being a "Game Park". The biggest difference between Chambray and Sabi Sabi in my opinion is just the landscape, the trees and the flowers - and maybe the fact, that in Kruger it is almost easier to see a leopard than a lion - which is the opposite at Shamwari.

My field guide was Mino again - the Indian Ranger. We actually became pretty good buddies and we are in permanent contact - even when I'm back at home. Mino is a true professional and he is always improving his knowledge. Not only about animals and the eco-system - even if a photographer like me is on his vehicle, he likes to learn about my favourite angles, positioning of the vehicle for the perfect light, etc. If you are out for a game drive for photos, it is very important that your ranger understands your needs and Mino has adapted my habits very fast. The other important thing are the other guests on your vehicle. At Shamwari there are not more than 6 guests on one vehicle - plus the ranger. They do not have trackers at Shamwari. The "middle seat" has been removed and replaced with a big storage box. If you like to be sure, that you can spend enough time at a sighting to take your pictures or just to watch the animals, it would be recommended to book a sole-use vehicle, which I did this time again. Like that you have the complete freedom and you can even spend the whole day out in the bush, if the ranger is a cool guy. But if you do that: Please leave a good tip at the end of your stay as well.

So let's see some of my captures of my 5 days at Shamwari:

Only giraffes are able to do that ;-D

Cheetah walking on dusty ground showing distinctive spotted coat pattern.

a lovely cheetah boy

Close-up of rhinoceros face illuminated by warm golden light.

The angry black rhino was charging us

Sequence showing an eagle diving and catching prey in mid-flight against a blue sky background.

Fish eagle soaring with wings spread against pale sky background.

Bird soaring over green vegetation against a bright blue sky.

Lovely giraffes

Lioness moving through tall grass in a sequence of images.

Lioness watching out

Male lion resting on grassy hillside in golden sunlight.

Male lion just gets up from a nap

The Big Five

At Shamwari you are able to see the Big Five: Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Rhinos and Buffalos - the five most difficult animals to hunt - beside of many other species like hyenas, cheetahs, different kind of antelopes, etc. It's almost guaranteed that you will see lions, elephants, rhinos and buffalos - even if you are just there for 2 days. But it takes a big amount of luck to see the legendary cape leopard at Shamwari. The count of cape leopards at Shamwari is not really confirmed but estimated with about 4-7 wildcats. Where leopards in Kruger National Park could climb on one of the many trees to get away from lions, the cape leopard has not so many options to choose from because of the lack of high trees in the Eastern Cape. The Eastern Cape is a bushy and rocky landscape and differs from the Kruger area. So the cape leopard habits are different and they need to hide quite a bit better than their brothers and sisters at Kruger. This is the main reason that it is really not that easy to spot one of these majestic wildcats at Shamwari.

We were lucky enough to spot three different cape leopards in just one day. This is like a win on the lottery for three times in a row! Whenever the first two (a mom with it's cub) did just show up f(or a blink of an eye) I was able to get some shots of a cape leopard during our evening drive in the darkness:

A leopard rests in the grass during golden hour.

Cape Leopard by night

A leopard resting in the grass during golden hour.

Cape Leopard by night

Extras for returning customers

Mino was really into making my fifth trip a bit more special: I’d told him about the sundowner drink breaks at Madikwe Hills lodge, where they provide freshly prepared game meat (just as a snack), and guess what? He organised right that on one of our game drives and invited other field guides to get a taste of it as well. He even provided my beloved „coffee-replacement“ Red Bull in the fridge, which is usually not available at Shamwari. Another day he arranged a stop-over and prepared fresh wraps with tandoori chicken, which was absolutely delicious (Mino knows how to create the perfect marinade for it with his Indian roots)! I've really enjoyed that and I really hope, that Shamwari will introduce this kind of stuff permanently for all of their future customers. This small things can make a huge difference - especially because everything else is pretty the same in the high-class category of private game reserves. You need to stand out - even with small things - that the word by mouth is being spread.

Below you can find some shots of these experiences:

Fresh ingredients and tortillas laid out for making tacos.

Tandoori chicken wraps

Collection of assorted condiments and spices arranged on a wooden surface.

What a nice presentation for a sundowner!

Cooking process showing meat being grilled in a cast iron pan.

Freshly prepared game meat

Person in green vest preparing food outdoors at sunset.

Preparation of the game meat on-site

Chef demonstrating cooking techniques with a pan outdoors.

Mino - the Indian Ranger

Chefs preparing fresh ingredients on a wooden cutting board during an outdoor cooking session.

Karin and Mino preparing the wraps

Professional wearing olive green jacket and baseball cap in an outdoor setting.

Watching and learning

Cast iron pans and plates arranged on a rustic wooden table for outdoor dining.

Soft and tender

The perfect wrap comes along with a good glass of white wine

Fresh ingredients and prepared dishes laid out on wooden cutting boards for serving.

The finished product

The Staff of Shamwari

The staff of Shamwari feels somehow like my extended family. It was so nice to meet up with this amazing guys and girls again! Whenever my camera is with me - and my camera is with me at most of the time - I was being asked to take some pictures of them. This is always a great pleasure for me, whenever I prefer to take photos of unexpected scenes and animals. I'm not a portrait or studio photographer, because I don't like to shot photos of posing people and I don't like to ask them for a certain pose either. I prefer snapshots in general. But if they are used to pose for their selfies, I'm even available for a little portrait shooting session whilst stepping out of the lodge.

Here are some of the photos of some of the great staff members of Shamwari - guess which one was the "snapshot" out of the first 4 photos:

Restaurant team member wearing black uniform with elegant design elements.

Staff member in professional white uniform posing against neutral background.

Staff member in crisp white chef uniform sitting in professional portrait setting.

Hospitality professional in blue shirt and black jacket smiling warmly.

Restaurant staff member in white chef coat seated at wooden table.

A person wearing a khaki hat and white shirt smiles warmly in natural outdoor lighting.

A collection of beer bottles and drinks arranged under a tree trunk outdoors.

A person in a black cap and white uniform smiling at the camera.

Even my lens hood was being used as a hat

Conclusion

It was a pleasure to be back at Shamwari again. If you are looking for a malaria-free, big and luxurious private game reserve, this is the place to be! I will be back at Shamwari in two months already - including my whole family this time. On the upcoming blog entry of this upcoming trip, I will focus a little bit more about the "Kids on Safari" options and the facilities at Shamwari for families with kids of all age groups.

Disclaimer: As usual I'm writing this blog post without receiving any compensation from Shamwari. I received a little discount as a returning customer but not to write a nice blog post for them. So the whole text reflects my own impressions as a guest only.

I'm looking forward to my next trip to Africa in a few days. I will go back to Sabi Sabi at Kruger National Park for my second time. But this time for 6 nights. Let's see, what I will see and experience there! I'll keep you updated as usual!