Gwahumbe Reserve Game & Spa offers guests the ultimate intimate, relaxing
bush experience. Located in a Malaria free environment and easily accessible
from both Durban and Pietermaritzburg on good tar roads. Be pampered with
catered or self-catered accommodation and service in accordance with our AA
Superior accreditation.
A wide variety of catered and self catered accommodation ranging from ultimate
luxury to a rustic bush camp, together with excellent cuisine and a history of
renowned good service and satisfaction, makes Gwahumbe Reserve Game & Spa a
superb location to breakaway and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the bushveld.
Gwahumbe Reserve Game & Spa boasts a holistic, exclusive Spa Wellness Centre containing massage rooms, steam room, hydro room, wet room and couples treatment room enclosed in a tranquil setting where meals can also be had. Qualified therapists offer a variety of treatments and day or night packages can be arranged.
Conferencing, weddings, game walks, game drives and teambuilding are our forte. Gwahumbe prides itself in being small and offering personal service to you our guest. Rhino, Hippo, Giraffe, Zebra and Antelope as well as an abundance of bird life can be seen close up in a beautiful riverine environment on the banks of the Gwahumbe river, from which the reserve derives it's name. To enjoy this paradise, reservations are essential and the terrain is suited to 4x4's and pickups only.
"Gwahumbe" is the Zulu word for the river that flows through the reserve. Pronounced - "Gwa -ghoom-bee".
This private reserve overlooking the confluence of the Gwahumbe and Umsunduze Rivers forms part of the greater Gwahumbe Valley. This river system joins the Illovo River in the southern midlands of Kwa Zulu Natal and ultimately flows into the Indian Ocean south of Durban
The area covers 3000 ha of riverine forest, valley bushveld, plateau grassland and majestic cliff faces. Ranging from 700 m above sea level to 400 m in the river valleys, the topography is reminiscent of northern Kwa Zulu Natal but enjoys a milder climate and is malaria free.
This region once formed part of the ancient elephant trail as they moved between their winter-feeding grounds in the mangrove swamps of what is now Durban, to their summer habitat, the nearby Byrne Valley. This trail was later utilised by Boer Pioneers as a wagon route from the Cape to Durban. In a cave near the source of the Umsunduze River, Dick King and his Zulu companion, Ndongeni, are said to have rested while on their historic ride to Port Elizabeth. Agriculture at the turn of the century consisted of tobacco growing for which a factory was built in the Gwahumbe Valley.
In 1999 Gwahumbe Game and Spa was recognized as a natural heritage site and was issued the natural heritage certificate, which was signed by President Nelson Mandela.