Nature Reserves
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Sidbury Not only does Kwantu Private Game Reserve offer magnificent wildlife viewing in a malaria-free zone, it also has an elephant sanctuary and endangered animals in an untouched wilderness.
From the comfort of specially equipped open Land Rovers, visitors are able to encounter impressive white rhino roaming freely on the plains.
Entertaining antics of playful Vervet monkeys and Chacma baboons is commonplace as is the comical sight of warthog families speeding across the plains with their trademark tails held high. Other wildlife to spot is zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, blue duiker, kudu, porcupine, aardwolf, caracal, and leopard.
With over 250 different species of birds, Kwantu is an orchestra of sound, colour and movement. Even novice bird watchers will thrill at a glimpse of the gorgeous Narina Trogon or the Knysna turaco. Other birds to see are various kingfishers, owls, sunbirds, eagles, kites, and water fowl. Informative and friendly guides soon have guests marvelling at their intriguing and unusual habits.
Nature Reserves
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Grahamstown The spectacular Great Fish River Reserve lies in the Great Fish River valley between Grahamstown and Fort Beaufort and extends all the way to the Kieskama River. This malaria-free destination is still pretty much off the major tourist radar, offering visitors an awesome wilderness experience.
The typical Eastern Cape succulent bushveld and rocky terrain provides the prefect habitat for black rhino, Cape buffalo, kudu and hippo. Not only is it a haven for all shapes and sizes of wildlife, the reserve has several historical sites and offers outstanding safari and wildlife adventures.
Visitors can choose numberous ways to experience this rugged wilderness including exciting walking and hiking trails, day and night game drives, picnics on the riverbanks, bird watching trips, birding from a waterside bird hide and visits to the fabulous Adam Krantz viewpoint.
Nature Reserves
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Pumba Private Game Reserve Situated in a stunning Eastern Cape landscape, Pumba Private Game Reserve is the perfect destination for a malaria-free African wildlife experience.
In addition to leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant, guests of Pumba Private Game Reserve have the rare opportunity of seeing beautiful white lion.
Visitors can discover Africa’s wildlife in their natural habitat by joining a birding safari, guided bushwalk, stargazing and game drives. There’s so much to see including lion, hippo, hyena, giraffe, wild dog, cheetah and numerous antelope species. The birdlife is phenomenal and will keep birders busy with over 300 bird species to spot.
Guests at Pumba have the choice of staying in luxury at two unique five-star lodges. The Water Lodge is beautifully appointed on the shore of the Kariega Lake. Msenge Bush Lodge overlooks the waterhole on the Kariega River floodplain and boasts panoramic views of the Zuurberg Mountains.
Nature Reserves
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Amakhala Game Reserve Amakhala Game Reserve offers a wildlife experience that will inspire and revitalize your soul. Be captivated by the call of fish eagles echoing through the kloofs and the roaring of lion at night.
Named for the stunning display of aloes proliferating in the malaria-free Zuurveld, Amakhala is home to the Big 5 and numerous animals. Visitors have the opportunity to spot lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, abundant antelope and birdlife.
This breath-taking reserve also contains a prehistoric Bushman burial ground and some ancient dinosaur fossil sites.
By staying at Amakhala you can have a quintessential African experience exploring the bushveld while on safari, walking, and river cruising or simply chilling with a glass of wine at one of the well-appointed lodges.
Nature Reserves
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Grahamstown Named after the famous 19th century artist, naturalist and explorer, Thomas Baines Nature Reserve is a great spot for a day trip if you’re visiting the Grahamstown area. It’s an easy 12-kilometre drive from Grahamstown in the direction of Port Elizabeth.
Thomas Baines explored the region extensively and contributed a valuable record of the amazing plant life and wildlife that occurred here. The reserve represents three of the major vegetation types of the Eastern Cape – Grassy Fynbos, Valley Bushveld and Afromontane Forests.
There’s so much to do here – game drives, canoeing, hiking, camping, picnics, bird watching; and sailing and bass fishing at Settlers Dam. Look out for Cape buffalo, eland, red hartebeest, bushbuck, kudu, oribi, aardvark, warthog, vervet monkeys, genets and numerous small mammals.
Birders will find plenty to spot with 175 species of birds recorded in the reserve. Picnic sites, braai facilities and ablutions are available at Settlers Dam.
Nature Reserves
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Alicedale Malaria free and home to an impressive diversity of animals, Bushman Sands Game Reserve boasts wonderful Big 5 wildlife viewing opportunities.
Situated on 40 square kilometres of former farmland, the reserve has reintroduced animals that once roamed here over 200 years ago. Lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, elephant, rhino, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, zebra, giraffe, hippo, kudu, eland, springbuck and waterbuck can all be found.
Sunset cruises on the reserve’s large dam present perfect opportunities for spotting wildlife such as elephant and antelope. Other things to see are the Bushman rock art paintings that date back thousands of years.
Things to do near
Frontier Country
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and not necessarily the actual travelling
distance.
Galleries and Museums
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Grahamstown (1.1 km from Frontier Country) Visit a rare Victorian amusement once considered 'The Magic Mirror of Life'.
This unusual multi-storeyed 19th century Victorian shop and home is now a museum housing interesting displays, a Meridian room, an observatory and the only camera obscura in the southern hemisphere.
Known for its identification of the Eureka in 1867, this house had a place in the identification of the first diamond that was found in South Africa, and a display on the ground floor tells this story.
This connection with the Eureka prompted De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. to purchase and restore the Observatory in the 80s to commemorate the start of the diamond industry in South Africa.
The Observatory Museum is part of the Albany Museum complex – www.ru.ac.za/albanymuseum.
Weekdays 09:00 – 16:30
Saturdays 09:30 – 13:00.
Nature Reserves
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Grahamstown (10.9 km from Frontier Country) Named after the famous 19th century artist, naturalist and explorer, Thomas Baines Nature Reserve is a great spot for a day trip if you’re visiting the Grahamstown area. It’s an easy 12-kilometre drive from Grahamstown in the direction of Port Elizabeth.
Thomas Baines explored the region extensively and contributed a valuable record of the amazing plant life and wildlife that occurred here. The reserve represents three of the major vegetation types of the Eastern Cape – Grassy Fynbos, Valley Bushveld and Afromontane Forests.
There’s so much to do here – game drives, canoeing, hiking, camping, picnics, bird watching; and sailing and bass fishing at Settlers Dam. Look out for Cape buffalo, eland, red hartebeest, bushbuck, kudu, oribi, aardvark, warthog, vervet monkeys, genets and numerous small mammals.
Birders will find plenty to spot with 175 species of birds recorded in the reserve. Picnic sites, braai facilities and ablutions are available at Settlers Dam.
Nature Reserves
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Pumba Private Game Reserve (18.3 km from Frontier Country) Situated in a stunning Eastern Cape landscape, Pumba Private Game Reserve is the perfect destination for a malaria-free African wildlife experience.
In addition to leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant, guests of Pumba Private Game Reserve have the rare opportunity of seeing beautiful white lion.
Visitors can discover Africa’s wildlife in their natural habitat by joining a birding safari, guided bushwalk, stargazing and game drives. There’s so much to see including lion, hippo, hyena, giraffe, wild dog, cheetah and numerous antelope species. The birdlife is phenomenal and will keep birders busy with over 300 bird species to spot.
Guests at Pumba have the choice of staying in luxury at two unique five-star lodges. The Water Lodge is beautifully appointed on the shore of the Kariega Lake. Msenge Bush Lodge overlooks the waterhole on the Kariega River floodplain and boasts panoramic views of the Zuurberg Mountains.
Nature Reserves
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Kenton-on-Sea (30.6 km from Frontier Country) Enjoy an ultimate safari experience on the Sunshine Coast in the malaria-free Kariega Game Reserve.
Situated near the ever-popular Garden Route, this family-owned and operated private reserve spans 9 000 hectares of pristine Eastern Cape wilderness encompassing the stunning Kariega and Bushman's Rivers.
Awesome Big-5 viewing along with an extensive diversity of fauna, flora and birdlife in five different eco-systems offers an authentic and unforgettable African encounter.
Along with lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and white rhino, other wildlife you are likely to spot include hippo, hyena, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, Nyala, kudu, warthog and a variety of other antelope.
Over 280 species of birds have been recorded including Martial, Crowned and Fish Eagles which nest on the reserve.
Nature Reserves
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Grahamstown (39 km from Frontier Country) The spectacular Great Fish River Reserve lies in the Great Fish River valley between Grahamstown and Fort Beaufort and extends all the way to the Kieskama River. This malaria-free destination is still pretty much off the major tourist radar, offering visitors an awesome wilderness experience.
The typical Eastern Cape succulent bushveld and rocky terrain provides the prefect habitat for black rhino, Cape buffalo, kudu and hippo. Not only is it a haven for all shapes and sizes of wildlife, the reserve has several historical sites and offers outstanding safari and wildlife adventures.
Visitors can choose numberous ways to experience this rugged wilderness including exciting walking and hiking trails, day and night game drives, picnics on the riverbanks, bird watching trips, birding from a waterside bird hide and visits to the fabulous Adam Krantz viewpoint.
Popular Attractions
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Bathurst (41.5 km from Frontier Country) The little hamlet of Bathurst lays claims to the biggest pineapple on the planet!
Standing 16.7 metres tall, this gigantic structure is not a cell phone tower in disguise; but rather a tribute to the agricultural success of the prickly fruit. Early farmers struggled to grow any crops here until the first pineapple top was planted in 1865.
The interior boasts a tourist shop, static displays, and a great view. It’s a fun place to take the whole family and learn about the pineapple industry or find a little memento.
Head to the Porcupine Pub afterwards and try their popular pineapple cocktails!
Summerhill Farm, Kowie Road, Bathurst.
Hiking Trail
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Alexandria (43.2 km from Frontier Country) This totally awesome trail begins in the stunning Alexandria forest at the park offices. The two Langebos Huts are the base huts for the trail and it is recommended that hikers stay at these huts the night before leaving for the first day. The huts are newly constructed huts, sleeping 6 people each. They are equipped with hot water showers, toilets, a stove, fridge and braai area.The first section of the hike travels through magical forest where ancient yellowwoods and spectacular coral trees can be seen. The "Waterboom" or "Lekkerboom" - a gigantic yellowwood named for the reservoir of water held at the base of its trunk - provides an interesting stop. After crossing the open fields of Perdevlei, the trail moves onto the beach where the stark sandy beach ecosystem and dramatic dune cliffs provide breathtaking scenery. Six kilometers of untouched coastline stretches out in front of the hiker. The dramatic cliffs of Woody Cape provide the hiker with two options, either walking along the boulder-strewn base of the cliffs (impassable at high tide) or climbing a log ladder to reach the top leading onto the dune fields Southern right whales can be seen just off shore in certain months and dolphins are often spotted playing in the waves. The wreck of the Nidaros - an old steamer - can be investigated, as well as the fascinating natural debris washed up by the sea.After a walk through aromatic coastal fynbos, hikers will find the Woody Cape hut nestled in thick coastal forest on top of the cliffs with a view of Bird Island in the distance. This hut has 12 beds with mattresses and rainwater tanks.On the second day the trail traverses sand dunes of the largest coastal dune field in the Southern Hemisphere. Early morning offers hikers an opportunity to investigate the signs of animals, such as jackals, duikers and the endemic hairy-footed gerbil, left on the dunes from the previous night. Tall posts guide hikers through the shifting dune fields. Fascinating ancient middens sites, evidence of the strandloper people that wandered these shores, can also be seen. The last five kilometers of the trail winds again through indigenous forest, where Knsyna loeries paint the canopy. then into the Langvlakte valley where a chicory stack can be seen which was built in 1820's.Listen for the haunting calls of the rare tree dassie by night and awake to a chorus of birds in flitting through the forest canopy. Look out for trumpeter hornbills, ground hornbills, Knysna turaco, tree dassies and bushbuck.Need to know? Situated: Woody Cape section of the Addo Elephant National Park, departing from the offices near Alexandria.Length: Approx 36 km two day circular route of which the first day is 19.5km and the second day is 16.5 km. Estimated duration: 2 daysSuitable for: Those who want a challenging walk along the coastline. Hikers carry their own provisions and the hike is not guided.Logistics:Keys for the overnight huts are collected at the park offices near Alexandria. (Tel: +27 (0)46 653 061)Fees can be paid at Matyholweni rest camp or at the Addo main camp reception. At the Woody Cape hut, no fires are allowed and the hikers must carry their own cookers. Water at the Woody Cape hut is only for drinking and cooking as the hut relies entirely on rainwater.At least one or more of the hiking group should be able to read a map and compass, and to wear a brightly coloured jacket that can be seen from the air if a search and rescue is launched. The Langebos huts are available to hikers on the two-day Alexandria Hiking Trail, as well as those simply wanting an overnight stay in the forest. The 7km Dassie Day Trail begins at the huts and the breathtaking Woody Cape coastline of the Park is a short drive and walk away.
Hiking Trail
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Kenton-on-Sea (45.3 km from Frontier Country) This day walk consists of a network of trails and is pretty easy to do. The trail is located in the 30 ha reserve above the beach between the Bushman’s and Kariega Rivers, just south of Kenton-on-Sea. There are three designated parking lots and a boat-launching site.
Beaches
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Kasouga (45.8 km from Frontier Country) Kasouga Beach is one of the Eastern Cape’s best-kept secrets combining pastoral country living with a stunning beach. Although it's incredibly tranquil, there's no shortage of things to do. Here you can view amazing birds and wildlife including shy bushbuck and the ultra rare Oribi antelope; or go canoeing, swimming, hiking and surfing. The surrounding farms and entire coastline are an artist or photographer’s dream.
Golf Courses
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Alicedale (45.9 km from Frontier Country) Bushman Sands Golf Course is conveniently situated near Shamwari Game Reserve and Addo Elephant National Park just 80 kilometres from Port Elizabeth. Designed by South African golfing legend, Gary Player, the 18-hole championship course lies on the banks of the Bushman's and New Year's Rivers.
Characterised by undulating fairways and pot bunkers, this challenging but friendly Links course has some unique features. The first stroke is played over an active railway line. A double green is shared by the second and fifth holes, crossing the Bushman’s River and New Year’s River on several holes.
The final hole finishes with a drive over a small cemetery in the centre of the fairway. Bushman Sands facilities include a halfway house, pro-shop and gents and ladies locker rooms with showers and steam rooms.
This stunning property has had new life breathed into it with the rescue work done by River Hotels Team. The tar road is complete all the way from Port Elizabeth. So now the 100 kilometer trip is easy and without any stoppages or stone chips. The golf course is certainly in a fine condition.
Beaches
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Bushmans River Mouth (46.1 km from Frontier Country) The beach at Bushmans River Mouth delivers incredible sunsets and stunning views of the coast and Bushmans River. It lies next to one of South Africa’s most picturesque holiday villages, Kenton-on-Sea, with the Kariega River on the other side. Both tidal rivers are safe for swimming and water sports. The marine and birdlife is abundant and whales return each year during the winter season.
Beaches
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Kenton-on-Sea (46.2 km from Frontier Country) The holiday village of Kenton-On-Sea boasts one of the loveliest Eastern Cape beaches. Set between the Kariega and Bushmans, two awesome tidal rivers, the area offers an incredible setting for family holidays.
Behind the beach is a nature reserve, perfect for quiet strolls. Parking is right above the beach. Lifeguards are on duty during the peak summer season (1 December to 31 January).
Nature Reserves
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Alexandria (47.9 km from Frontier Country) Woody Cape Nature Reserve is now incorporated into the Greater Addo Elephant National Park.Listen for the haunting calls of the rare tree dassie by night and awake to a chorus of birds in flitting through the forest canopy. The Langebos huts are available to hikers on the two-day Alexandria Hiking Trail, as well as those simply wanting an overnight stay in the forest. The 7km Dassie Day Trail begins at the huts and the breathtaking Woody Cape coastline of the Park is a short drive and walk away.5 Things to Seek1. Trumpeter hornbill2. Ground hornbill3. Knysna turaco4. Tree dassie5. BushbuckContact MatyholweniTel: +27(0)41 4680916/8Fax: +27(0)41 4680949Email: matyholweni@sanparks.orgRanger at Woody Cape – Tel: +27(0)46 6530601
Nature Reserves
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Alicedale (48.1 km from Frontier Country) Malaria free and home to an impressive diversity of animals, Bushman Sands Game Reserve boasts wonderful Big 5 wildlife viewing opportunities.
Situated on 40 square kilometres of former farmland, the reserve has reintroduced animals that once roamed here over 200 years ago. Lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, elephant, rhino, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, zebra, giraffe, hippo, kudu, eland, springbuck and waterbuck can all be found.
Sunset cruises on the reserve’s large dam present perfect opportunities for spotting wildlife such as elephant and antelope. Other things to see are the Bushman rock art paintings that date back thousands of years.
Beaches
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Boknes (48.2 km from Frontier Country) The main attraction of Boknes Beach is the excellent kitesurfing and fishing conditions and blissfully warm water for swimming. One of the Eastern Cape’s beautiful beaches, the area is named for the river, derived from the Khoekhoen word for “father’s river”. There’s a lovely walk along the undeveloped beach to the next coastal village, Bushman’s River.