Our Story
Family-Owned.
Conservation-Driven.
Longhill Reserve is not a corporate hospitality product. It is a family-built, personally managed private reserve in the heart of the Eastern Cape, and that difference is felt in every detail.
The Biggs Family
Built by People
Who Live Here
Longhill Reserve was founded by Gavin Biggs, CEO of the Multiple Group of Companies, Chairperson of the Homeowners Association, and Chairperson of the Tourism Association, and Dr Lynn Biggs, Executive Dean of Law at Nelson Mandela University and member of the South African Legal Practice Council.
Their vision for Longhill was never simply a business venture. It was a commitment to conservation, community, and creating a genuinely private reserve experience in the Eastern Cape, one that could stand alongside the best in Africa without pretending to be something it is not.
Today, Longhill spans 1,850 hectares of malaria-free Eastern Cape bushveld, is home to five active conservation projects, four private lodges, and a team of rangers, guides, and hospitality staff who share the Biggs family's commitment to the land and its guests.
When you stay at Longhill, you are a guest of the family, not a booking reference in a corporate system. That is the difference owner-led hospitality makes, and it is the reason guests return.
Gavin Biggs
CEO, Multiple Group of Companies · Chairperson, Homeowners Association · Chairperson, Tourism Association
Dr Lynn Biggs
Executive Dean of Law, Nelson Mandela University · Member, South African Legal Practice Council
What We Stand For
Three Commitments
Conservation First
Every guest stay directly funds conservation projects for elephants, cheetah, Spekboom, Cape Honeybees, and wider rhino conservation. Conservation is not a marketing add-on at Longhill; it is the reason the reserve exists.
Genuine Privacy
Longhill is a private reserve, not a shared national park. No crowds, no fixed itineraries, no other operators on the land. Your experience is shaped by you, guided by our team, and set against 1,850 hectares of unshared bushveld.
Eastern Cape Hospitality
Warm, unhurried, and personal. The Eastern Cape has its own rhythm, less performative than the Kruger corridor, more intimate than the mass-market safari product. Longhill is built in that tradition.
Active Programmes
Five Conservation Projects
The Longhill Elephant Herd
Seven elephants with Kruger and Phinda genetics
Longhill is home to seven elephants with genetics from Kruger National Park and Phinda Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal. Distinct from Addo's elephant herds, they are larger in stature and known for their impressive tusks.
Six Resident Cheetah
Six resident cheetah
Longhill is home to six resident cheetah, cared for as part of the reserve's ongoing conservation commitment.
Spekboom Revival Project
Carbon sequestration through indigenous planting
Spekboom (Portulacaria afra) is one of the most effective carbon-sequestering plants on earth, capable of absorbing up to four tonnes of carbon per hectare per year. Longhill's active revival project restores degraded thicket across the reserve.
Cape Honeybee Conservation
Longhill Premium Organic Honey
The Cape Honeybee is endemic to South Africa and plays a critical role in pollinating the Eastern Cape's unique fynbos and thicket ecosystems. Longhill's on-reserve hive programme protects this subspecies while producing small-batch raw organic honey, available exclusively to guests.
Rhino Conservation Strategy
Conservation Focus
Longhill supports rhino conservation through its private setting, 24-hour security, and anti-poaching protocols.
The Reserve
Longhill by the Numbers
Sustainability
Off the Grid, By Design
Solar Power
Mavericks Lodge, Mavericks Tents, and the Bush Boma run entirely on off-grid solar. No diesel generators, no grid dependency.
Water Independence
Two solar-powered boreholes and water rights for 4.4 million litres per month, stored across 10 permanent ground dams.
Habitat Restoration
Active Spekboom planting programme restores degraded Eastern Cape thicket while sequestering carbon at scale.
Anti-Poaching
24-hour security and active anti-poaching protocols protect the reserve's wildlife population and support wider rhino conservation.