Shamwari Long Lee Manor
Shamwari Long Lee Manor sits at the centre of the Shamwari Private Game Reserve. It’s generally described, including by the reserve itself, as the collection’s flagship property. Eagles Crag leans toward exclusive, contemporary minimalism, and Bayethe offers a genuine tented experience. Long Lee Manor, by contrast, takes the opposite approach entirely. Edwardian-styled architecture and interiors build around a sense of old-world elegance, rather than safari-chic minimalism. Views over the wider Eastern Cape landscape run from a stupendous rim-flow pool, one of the reserve’s most photographed features.
Setting and Position
The reserve spans approximately 25,000 malaria-free hectares across five of South Africa’s eight biomes. It holds all of the Big Five, including the endangered black rhino. The reserve has also held the World’s Leading Conservation Company title since 1998. Long Lee’s central position within the reserve gives it good access to the wider property’s game-viewing terrain. As the largest and most established of Shamwari’s lodges, it’s generally recommended to first-time visitors wanting a classic, all-round Eastern Cape safari experience.
Accommodation
Accommodation runs to eighteen rooms across several categories: four Garden Rooms, eleven Plains Rooms, two Manor House Suites and one Family Suite. This gives Long Lee a genuinely broader range of configurations than most of Shamwari’s other lodges. As a result, it makes a sensible choice for groups or families needing more than a single room type. The Edwardian design language runs consistently through the rooms and the manor’s communal spaces, distinguishing it clearly from the more contemporary stone-and-glass architecture found at Eagles Crag.
Dining and Activities
Dining at Long Lee draws on the same Shamwari wine programme found across the reserve. South African reds and whites pair with rarer vintages and French champagne. A humidor of Cuban cigars rounds things off for evenings by the fire. Meals are taken on a full-board basis. The property’s relaxation retreat, one of four such facilities across the Shamwari collection, in addition, offers personalised treatments for guests wanting downtime between game drives.
Game drives run twice daily, in open 4×4 vehicles led by an experienced ranger. These run in the calmer light of sunrise and sunset, covering the reserve’s full range of habitats and wildlife. Guided bush walks are also available for guests wanting a slower, more detailed exploration on foot. As with all Shamwari properties, guests can visit the reserve’s Born Free Foundation big cat sanctuaries and wildlife rehabilitation centre. These facilities have rescued lions and leopards from zoos and circuses elsewhere in the world. This gives a Shamwari stay a genuine conservation dimension beyond conventional game viewing.
Why Stay Here
- The flagship, most established lodge within the Shamwari collection, with Edwardian-style architecture and interiors
- A stupendous rim-flow pool with sweeping views over the surrounding Eastern Cape landscape
- Eighteen rooms across four categories, offering more configuration flexibility than Shamwari’s smaller lodges
- Access to the full Shamwari reserve’s Big Five game viewing and Born Free Foundation conservation programme
- A central position within the reserve, well suited to first-time visitors and families
Accommodation
Eighteen rooms span four categories: four Garden Rooms, eleven Plains Rooms, two Manor House Suites and one Family Suite, all finished in a consistent Edwardian style. The range of categories makes Long Lee a practical choice for groups or families needing more than one room configuration.
Dining
Meals are served on a full-board basis, drawing on Shamwari’s curated wine list of South African reds and whites, with rare vintages and French champagne also available, alongside a humidor of Cuban cigars for evenings beside the fire.
Experiences
Twice-daily game drives in open 4×4 vehicles run at sunrise and sunset, led by an experienced ranger, alongside guided bush walks within the reserve. Long Lee’s relaxation retreat offers personalised treatments, and guests can visit Shamwari’s Born Free Foundation big cat sanctuaries and wildlife rehabilitation centre during a stay.
Best For
First-time visitors to the Eastern Cape, families and groups needing a range of room configurations, and travellers wanting a classic, well-rounded safari base within the Shamwari reserve.