Where big five protection meets the bottom line
Spun off from Shamwari’s sale, Founders Lodge is a model of antipoaching security and conservation education
Adrian Gardiner always dreamt of owning a piece of Africa one day while he was growing up in Zimbabwe. His dream came true when, with his heart set on restoring overgrazed Eastern Cape land, he opened Shamwari Game Reserve in 1992. "I was able to share the joy of SA’s incredible wildlife with local and foreign tourists alike," he says. "And soon it became a profitable conservation project, giving back to the earth so dear to me." As Shamwari became more popular, Gardiner kept part of it separate for family getaways. This 400ha section of the farm was also used as a game-breeding facility and for antipoaching training. He and his wife would drive the 75km from Port Elizabeth to meet their children, then studying in Grahamstown, on this piece of land at weekends. After he sold Shamwari in 2008, he kept it. "The character-filled old farmhouse on this distinct piece of land is a link to something my team and I created," he says of the home originally built in the late 1940s. "I love the...
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