ENVI Lodges, the outdoor hospitality brand and management company, has announced the addition of a new lodge to its African portfolio, set to open in Summer 2026.
The lodge, named
ENVI Addo Private Reserve, is located
within a private conservation reserve of 1,800
hectares bordering Addo National Park, in the Eastern Cape
of South Africa.
Just 75
minutes away from Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport
(formerly known as Port Elizabeth), and minutes away from the
iconic Addo Elephant National Park, the property consists of 10 safari
tents and 3 lodges offering an intimate and
immersive stay surrounded by pristine wilderness.
The Lodge will
offer guests a culinary journey through the Eastern Cape, from the
Xhosa hearth to the Afrikaans farm kitchen, and the Khoi
San roots of foraging and fire. Guests will enjoy an open fire
cooking experience, forming the heartbeat of the culinary
identity, a breakfast inthe bush, or a sunset drink
where guides share stories about their wildest wildlife encounters.
True to ENVI’s
philosophy, wellbeing lies at the heart of the experience. Guests will
reconnect with nature through guided walks, cycling trails,
meditation, and bespoke spa rituals, before unwinding by the lodge’s
serene pool, a front-row seat to the mesmerising sight
of animals gathering to drink at the nearby large
waterhole. The solar-powered lodge, with its fully equipped game
vehicles and highly trained guides, also promises to offer
some of the most unique game drives and walking safaris in the
country.
The reserve is
owned by Gavin and Lynn Biggs, two conservation philanthropists
who are devoting their life to regeneration and rewilding.
They use their large reserve as a rehabilitation field for animals
that they save from captivity, allowing
them to reacclimatise to the great outdoors
for a period, before releasing them into
the private reserve.
“I have been
fortunate in my life to have a successful
business that allows me to invest in what is
close to my heart: conservation”, said Biggs. “Throughout the years,
we managed to rescue and release into the wild many game
species and wildlife with rare genetic variations. This was only possible
thanks to the work that my team and I
do in the reserve daily.”
His reserve includes
very rare serval cats and black footed cats, as well as
giraffes, sable antelopes, black impalas, zebras, buffalos,
wildebeests, and large herds of impalas, kudus and Nyalas. It
is also the only reserve with 5 privately owned
elephants and 3 cheetahs, living freely within their natural
game reserve habitat. In fact, the herd of Asanta Sana
elephants, thanks to a landmark conservation initiative
with the Wildlife Emergency Fund and Fisher Foundation, was
carefully and ethically relocated to the reserve to ensure
the preservation of their unique family structure and to provide
them with a safe, protected habitat. As for the rescued
cheetahs, the expansive, carefully managed reserve provides these
remarkable cats with an environment that closely mirrors their wild
ecosystem, allowing them to exhibit natural behaviours and
thrive as part of a balanced predator-prey dynamic.
Biggs’ objective
is to attract more guests to come and
partake in the conservation initiatives that he has been
leading, allowing more people tolearn about endangered
species and support rewilding efforts. He is now
planning to re-introduce brown hyena to the
property, a scavenger which has not roamed these lands for some 150
years. “I now want more people to be part of our mission, and I
believe that hospitality and tourism can perfectly complement the
work that we have been doing”, added Biggs. “This is why I
decided to partner with ENVI Lodges tomanage
my lodge within the reserve. It
is an international lodge brand whose values align
with mine.” With ENVI, he wishes to raise awareness and
position his reserve on the global eco-tourism stage.
Paul Jordaan, ENVI’s
Executive Director, explains: “I am particularly proud of this
new addition to the ENVI portfolio. Not only because it
is inmy home country and that it marks our brand’s
entry in South Africa, but also because of
the incredible conservation work that Gavin has been doing, which
resonates with me personally, and with our company.”
Conservation is not
only about protecting wildlife, but also about healing the land
they call home. One of the lodge’s most impactful
ecological initiatives involves the revival of
Spekboom, an indigenous plant hailed as a natural
carbon sponge and a cornerstone of South Africa’s
ecological restoration efforts. Another conservation project is based on
protecting and nurturing the mighty Cape Honeybee which plays asilent
role in sustaining the natural environment.
The lodge will also produce and sell its own premium
organic honey.
ENVI’s objective for
this lodge goes beyond offering an elevated
hospitality and an unforgettable safari experience; it
is also about showcasing the reserve’s conservation
efforts and becoming a reference for regenerative hospitality
projects.
“Unlike traditional safaris, guests here are not just spectators; we want them to become actors”, concluded Jordaan. “The lodge will truly offer them transformative experiences, help raise awareness around conservation, and create encounters with animals that travellers will never forget”. -TradeArabia News Service