About
Ideal for safari virgins or those coming from Cape Town or the Garden Route, malaria-free Shamwari Game Reserve boasts Big Five game and six superb lodges across a 25,000 hectare reserve. Home to prolific game and exceptional game rangers, Shamwari is well known for their intense conservation practices, and their ethos is to 'conserve a vanishing way of life' which is apparent at each of their lodges.
Riverdene Lodge is the most family-friendly of the lodges, with excellent facilities and child-suited safari experiences. Built in the grand style of a frontier homestead, restored Riverdene stands amid fenced, manicured lawns.
Accommodation
Like hotel rooms in style, Riverdene’s 18 luxurious units are split between nine twin-bedded options sleeping 2-3 and nine able to accommodate two adults and a child with interconnected doors. All of them have air-conditioning, small lounge areas, writing desks and bathtubs. Private terraces face the landscaped gardens and lawns.
Facilities
Inside Riverdene’s handsome lodge you’ll find two finely-furnished lounges full of colonial relics, a dining room and a bar plus humidor. Outside are gardens lawns and more lawns, as well as a ‘jungle gym’ play-area for children, shaded seating for lunches and, best of all, a large rim-flow pool with a shallow end. There’s also an al-fresco boma facing the Bushmans River.
Activities
Included in your board are 4x4 game drives at dawn and dusk, each lasting 3-4 hours. You’re very unlikely to see vehicles from Shamwari’s other lodges, but odds-on to spy the Big Five and numerous other beasts. Also complimentary are guided nature walks and visits to the Rhino Awareness Centre, the Born Free Centre and a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and Hospital – where guests can have one-to-one experiences with current patients. As all this suggests, Shamwari is extremely conservation-minded, scooping regular awards for its efforts.
Child Policy
Those animal-rescue centres are perfectly suited for children, who (all ages) are made extremely welcome at Riverdene. The evidence for that includes a playhouse in the garden where children can enjoy story telling, bread making and wii and xbox. There is also a jungle gym, a supervised playroom, children’s menus and extensive babysitting options (additional cost) for young kids. Those over 4 can join game drives, but these aren’t especially tailored to children. Children stay at 50% of the adult price, regardless of whether they are in their own inter-connecting room.
The Best of South Africa Travel map displays the locations of the destinations and accommodation that we have selected and visited; for each item, hovering over or clicking the marker will display a short summary and photo of that place or hotel, and hotel pricing. Follow the links in the info box to the full page listing which has much more information.
Note that the online map offers both a satellite view (click satellite in the top right) and, for some locations, a street level view (Drag the person in the top left onto the map). These let you explore the country; and when you wish to explore in person, or if you have any questions about the places you see, give our staff a call, or request a quote. Our staff regularly visit the places and accommodation that we feature.
When you book a holiday with us we will provide full driving instructions for reaching your accommodation, where necessary; these can be used by yourself, or you could enjoy the luxury of a driver. Alternatively we will arrange private (car rather than coach) transfers for you; helicopter transfers are also possible for some destinations.
