First we smell them: pungent, somewhere between heavy sweat, urine and dung. Then we hear them: crashing, tearing and snapping the thick Eastern Cape indigenous bush. Then we see her: a huge female elephant with a tiny, days-old calf at its side, its little ears folded tightly against its body. She is directly in front of the Landcruiser, looking straight at us, her huge form brightly lit by the morning sun.
I can sense Melanie, in front of me, who has never been in Africa before, going rigid with shock, surprise and excitement.
The elephant puts out her trunk, probing us inquisitively. The trunk wavers towards Melanie and I can feel her cringing in near panic. Then back to Keir Lynch, our ranger at the wheel. This could mean big trouble and a terrifying high-speed reverse, but the elephant stays calm and so does he.
It comes for him again. "Hamba," he whispers and the elephant has seen and smelt enough, and moves off. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, the rest of the herd emerges - about 30 big, small and medium-sized creatures and an enormous bull, heavily in musth, testosterone at many times its normal level, with only one thing in mind: the young cows in season.
Our tension turns to delight as we watch them file past, many with branches and twigs in their mouths. Keir explains that unlike some of their northern cousins, these elephants have not had bad experiences with humans, and their attitude is relaxed. They are highly intelligent animals that communicate invisibly, inaudibly and effortlessly.
The Shamwari wildlife department was set up to ensure that the reintroduction of wildlife and native plant species was overseen by experts. A large part of the reserve has been set aside as the "first official private wilderness area in Africa".
Keir followed his formal training with experience at game reserves in the Western Cape, Northern Province and KwaZulu Natal, and his knowledge of the wildlife and plants at Shamwari is impressive. Our fellow guests, honeymoon couple Robert and Melanie Graham, were the ideal people with whom to share these game drives. This was their first such experience, and their enthusiasm was palpable. They were overjoyed at each new sighting and stunned by the first sighting of white rhinos. As a team we were able to spot plenty of game.
Being accustomed to Lowveld game reserves, my first reaction was "oh oh, what's this?" But by the end of the first evening drive and the next morning's encounter in the thick bush, I realised this place is special and that the enormity of what has been achieved here is not commonly understood. On our drives we came across two big lion females, one with two cubs, a leopard female with a cub, lying calmly in the long grass surveying the surrounding landscape, and, similarly, a cheetah.
We stayed at Riverdene Lodge, which consists of nine twin rooms, sleeping 18 guests. Rooms are fully air-conditioned, with a television and phone in a comfortable lounge area. The public areas consist of two elegantly furnished but casual lounges - one with a bar - a dining area and a rim-flow swimming pool with sun deck and poolside bar. There is also an outdoor dining area with barbecue, ideal for the summer months. At the time of our visit, the weather was chilly and warm clothes are recommended for morning and evening game drives.
Even in non-game drive mode, Keir kept the answers to questions flowing at the bar and over dinner. Guiding is certainly a demanding job, rangers having to keep their wits about them at all times, spotting animals, explaining ecological phenomena, late to bed and early to rise.
Among the range of accommodation available at Shamwari is Longlee Manor, built in 1910 by the descendants of William Foulds, one of the early settlers. Restored and expanded, the Edwardian mansion now has the feel of a country manor. Lobengula Lodge is a thatched, five-star establishment tucked deep in the valley bushveld, and Bushmans River Lodge is located along the Bushmans River, which flows through the property.
Perhaps one of the most important attractions at Shamwari is the Born Free animal rescue and education centre not far from Riverdene. It is a co-operative effort between Shamwari and the Born Free Foundation, an international wildlife charity that saves lives and prevents suffering among wild animals. The centre at Shamwari provides an "old age home" for seriously injured lions and leopards that are kept in spacious enclosures with the natural bush left in place, allowing the animals privacy.
It is not a zoo and sightings of the animals are not guaranteed. At the time of our visit, the residents included a lion from Liberia, which belonged to a former president, the notorious Charles Taylor, who abandoned it in a concrete pit, and another lion that was mistreated in Romania.
A magnificent male lion that we did manage to get a glimpse of came from Greece, where he had been so badly abused that he is extremely aggressive towards humans and will even try to bite and claw through the electrified fence to attack.
A trio of neutered male leopards found by soldiers in Sudan as cubs are now thriving and live happily together in their enclosure.
We were shown around by a young man called Vuyo, one of the animals' enthusiastic caregivers. He studied nature conservation with the help of Shamwari. The centre was created in memory of Julie Ward, a young animal lover who was murdered in Kenya after her vehicle broke down. The Born Free centre provides a resource centre for visitors, schoolchildren and students, especially those from less privileged backgrounds.
The scene of conflict and strife
Shamwari is in the middle of the tourist region now known as Frontier Country. Arguably, some say, the crucible of South African history, with a turbulent past and more forts than the rest of South Africa combined. Now no longer the scene of conflict and strife, Frontier Country is the historical heartland of the Eastern Cape, a land of many cultures - Khoi, Xhosa, Boer and British. Each group has left a rich heritage that can be seen in towns and villages all over the Eastern Cape.
With the quaint historical university town Grahamstown at its centre, Frontier Country is one of the most diverse ecological regions in South Africa, with a variety of biomes that provide unspoilt and spectacular scenery, as evidenced at Shamwari.
