Kishindo Private Game Reserve South Africa

The Kishindo Private Game Reserve in the Karoo (Free State South Africa) is a very special place for wildlife conservationists and photographers. Because in the 6,100-hectare reserve (formerly Tiger Canyon) and former farmland in the Karoo, there is a natural refuge for two of the world's most endangered cat species: Asian tigers and African cheetahs.

By coincidence, I stumbled upon this wonderful reserve while I was in India in Ranthambore National Park to see Bengal tigers in their natural habitat.

Quickly, I grew skeptical about the alleged number of tigers in India. I researched and came across a place in South Africa called Tiger Canyon (now Kishindo Private Game Reserve). Since my next trip to South Africa was already planned, I decided: I have to come here to learn more about wildlife conservation, particularly focusing on Asian tigers and cheetahs.

The Kishindo Private Game Reserve in South Africa is a sanctuary where not only cheetahs but also Bengal tigers and even a rare white tiger live.

Here in the Kishindo Private Game Reserve, Tiger Canyon sector, you will find the only free-ranging tiger population outside Asia.

There is a conservation project to ensure the global tiger population and maintain the gene pool. In the park, the tigers live in the wild and can hunt independently. This is neither a zoo, a petting zoo, nor a breeding station. The animals breed naturally when they are old enough. This sometimes leads to 2-3 years without any tiger cubs. Naturally, of course.

In addition to the tigers, which make these safaris a unique experience, there is a wide variety of other wildlife and birds. This includes the endangered cheetahs.

Before this trip and visiting other wildlife conservation projects (e.g., GVI in Limpopo), I wasn't very aware of how threatened cheetahs are. Through this journey, I saw and heard first-hand how more and more young cubs are killed by lions due to competition for food and survive less frequently.

In the Kishindo Canyon Private Game Reserve, there are no lions or leopards, the natural enemies. Cheetahs can live here without other big cats (tigers are in other sectors of the reserve).

The Kishindo Private Game Reserve is part of a project with Cheetah Wild, a Metapopulation Project of the Endangered Wildlife Trust. Within this framework, cheetah offspring are relocated to other reserves within the metapopulation to increase the number of cheetahs and maintain genetic purity.

The cheetahs are accustomed to humans, allowing you to experience these beautiful cats up close. For me, this was the most beautiful experience of this trip.

In the open African savannah of the Karoo, it is a unique experience for wildlife photographers, where there is much more light than in the dense forests of Asia to photograph tigers.

In winter, it must be something special to photograph a tiger in the snow. There are many books by photographers in the lodge showcasing tigers perched on rocks. Unfortunately, we have not yet had that pleasure, but many other great moments with the big cats.

I found the nature particularly impressive. Experiencing a white tiger among the rocks in pouring rain? Wow, very impressive. A tiger approaching you and looking deep into your soul? Scary. No wonder there are no open safari vehicles here like in the rest of the country.

The exclusive lodge in the Kishindo Game Reserve has three suites with views of the namesake gorge. This allows a maximum of only six guests to stay here at the same time. Each of these suites features a king-size bed or two twin beds.

Additionally, there is an outdoor shower to shower under the starry sky of Southern Africa in the evening.

When you book this accommodation, meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) as well as two game drives (morning and afternoon) are included.

The lodge itself is self-sufficient and powered by solar energy. The night skies are clear, as there is no light pollution in the Karoo. So, if you want to photograph the night sky of South Africa (we were here during the rainy season in February and had cloudy nights, sometimes rain), you are in the right place.

The team and the few guests made our stay something very unique. I would want to visit this accommodation again any time. The money is worth it for me. In comparison, you pay the same at luxury lodges along the Garden Route (the so-called Big 5 Game Reserves) and at or in the Kruger National Park in similar-sized accommodations far more.

Honestly: 3 nights at the Kishindo Private Game Reserve are not only something very special, but by staying here, you also help continue the good work of the owners in safeguarding the animals.

At Kishindo, you will not find the Big Five. Instead, in addition to cheetahs and tigers, there are springboks, wild horses, wildebeests, zebras, topis, caracals, secretary birds, and recently oryx among the stock. Also known in the Karoo are the cute ground squirrels and servals (more nocturnal), which you cannot see in Kruger National Park, for example.

Normally, tigers are native to Asia. Their natural habitat is densely forested, jungle-like regions, as I experienced in Ranthambore National Park in India.

However, since tigers are severely endangered, and according to my research, poachers in India are even known by name (Google 'Tiger Bone Trade'), the founders of the Kishindo Game Reserve have made it their mission to protect tigers in South Africa as well. Founder John Varty managed to rewild two tigers from a zoo, which is unique. Tiger Canyon is the first reserve in the world that has established an ex-situ population of wild tigers outside Asia in the Karoo, South Africa.

Along with a cheetah, a conservation project has also been created to secure the global animal population and maintain a diverse gene pool. Therefore, there is always an exchange, and the area is divided into several sectors so that the genes can mix.

In the last century, the Asian tiger has lost 95% of its habitat due to human activity. Therefore, alternative wilderness areas must be created for the survival of these graceful predators. In the Free State of South Africa, this exists: few people and a lot of uninhabited nature (for comparison: population per km²: Germany 243, India 464, South Africa 48).

Unfortunately, the tiger is on the brink of extinction. In the wild, there are fewer than 5,500 tigers left, and alone in Asia and the USA, 13,000 tigers live in captivity. It is believed that there are more tigers in captivity on breeding farms in South Africa (hunting farms) than in the wild. This is alarming. It is important to note that Kishindo is not a zoo or a so-called 'petting farm' or breeding farms. Unfortunately, these still exist too often in South Africa, especially to raise lions and tigers so that they can then be shot for a lot of money in hunting reserves as trophies. I recommend watching the film Blood Lions (YouTube) or the book Cuddle me, kill me by Richard Peirce on this topic.

Visit the website of the Kishindo Private Game Reserve to learn more about the lodge and the conservation of habitats for tigers and cheetahs.

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