Kgaswane is home to many species of flora and bird life and large and small mammals, and has been designated as a protected Ramsar site since 2019.

The reserve was originally established on the farm Rietvallei which once belonged to President Paul Kruger and has expanded over many to cover 5,300 ha (13,000 acres) with the park proclaimed in 1967.

[5] 320 species of birdlife has recorded in the reserve and includes a breeding colony of Cape vultures as well as martial and Verreaux's eagles.

[3] The reserve caters for day visitors who wish to visit the park to picnic or braai by following the tarred roads to those sites.

[6] The group camp can accommodate up to fifty people in huts with a communal kitchen and dining area, ablution block and an outdoor boma.