The reserve is very small (170 ha) and game drives are limited in terms of the variety of animals you can see. Not Phelwana specific, but the Rhino anti-poaching security guard at the entrance of Guernsey Road came across as a bit pushy for a tip when we left, even though he just moved the traffic cone when we needed to pass. It made us feel uncomfortable.

Loved the staff, especially Sly, the game ranger and Phumzile who served us during breakfast and supper. Both of them went above and beyond to make our trip memorable. Food was incredible and chef Kenneth made sure we were catered for, specifically tending to my dietary requirements The lodge is well kept and the rooms are cleaned daily and turned over before bedtime. Bedding is also changed daily. All this is done without you actually seeing any of the cleaning staff, so hats off to them for working their magic. The game walk with Sly was exceptional and he made every effort to ensure that the safari part of the trip was interesting despite the limited size of the reserve. The location is also close to the Orpen gate, so if you want to head into Kruger National Park on a self drive or with a separate guided safari, then that is also an option.

Stayed in August 2025

The villa was sprayed with copious amounts of air freshener before we arrived. The smell was so strong the we had to open the windows for several hours to remove the smell. It is necessary to drive between the lodges and the restuarant and we got a little lost several times in the dark as the signage was not as good as it could be. Dinner was served quite late. Dinner would start at 7pm but the chef would only start preparing your meal once you were seated so it could be a considerable wait for each course. Breakfast also took a very long time as we arrived at a busy time. To fully appreciate the dining experience you need to allow plenty of time. Dinner on the Sunday night was a BBQ but the options were very limited to game, chicken wings and bits of salad. There was no vegetarian option and when I enquired the waitress told me that I can only have what the chef has prepared on the bbq and that he will not make anything different. After the bbq ended we asked where we could drive to buy a meal (this hotel is very remote). Finally they agreed to cook some pasta which we really appreciated. We would have prefered a slightly wider range to include vegetarian options to save the embarrasment of having to ask.

We stayed in a 3 bedroom villa with a swimming pool. The villa was very spacious, the beds were very comfortable and the outside area was very nice. Baboons and a giraffe visited us a couple of times. We did a safari drive from the hotel which was very enjoyable. The guide was very enthusiastic, explaining many interesting facts about the wildlife and flora. One of the highlights for us was watching a family of hippos grazing next to the lake. Breakfast and dinner are generally inside a resturant area and all is waiter served. Dinner consisted of 3 courses with a choice of main meal. We actually preferred the kids menu to the adult menu and the chef was happy to oblige and we appreciated the flexibility. The experience is a little like fine dining. On Sunday, dinner was outside around a fire which was very nice. We were allowed a late check out which was very helpful.

Stayed in July 2025

Nothing. Keep doing what you are doing.

Thank you to Gale, Jo-Anne and Katie who went above and beyond to make our stay and my daughter's 9th birthday amazing. Special thanks to the Chef, the rainbow birthday cake was delicious. Thank you to Sly for a lovely game drive. This place is a gem and true value for money!

Stayed in June 2025

The bathrooms are a bit outdated but the room was great.

A wonderful staff with excellent food. Very french with local ingredients.

Stayed in May 2025

Nothing

The tented room was beautiful with lovely facilities and touches. The staff were very friendly - specially Jeffrey and Titus. Loved the animals roaming around so accessibly.

Stayed in April 2025

We had the best time at Phelwana! We’d really recommend staying at the lodge. We stayed in the tent and it was immaculately clean. Every morning we were greeted with different animals at the tent like monkeys, baboons, bunnies, deer and even a baby giraffe! The staff were exceptional, really friendly and helpful. Every member of staff went above and beyond for us to ensure our stay was excellent. We especially loved Jeffrey who made sure our every meal was amazing and that we had everything we needed. He even taught us some of his mother tongue language and we loved his jokes! Sly was an excellent guide who was so knowledgeable on our game drives. The game drives and bush walk were so cool and we saw so many animals like hippos, zebra, giraffes. The food was so nice, every meal we had was perfect! Inkomu swinene 🙏

Stayed in April 2025

Airport transfers and Kruger game drive were expertly coordinated. Family friendly activities at the lodge (fishing, bush walks, sundowner drives) were very enjoyable for all ages, the food was very good and the staff were just excellent. We had a great time.

Stayed in April 2025

Nothing.

Loved everything! The views on the lake are very relaxing, the private pool of the room is very nice. Bush walks and game drives organized by the lodge are cool. The lodge also help with organizing all game drives and activities. Food is good and staff very nice.

Stayed in February 2025

Phelwana is relatively small and doesn’t host all of the Big Five, except for buffalo but we saw an abundance of other game and they facilitated game drives into Kruger Park for us. No complaints; we loved our stay.

Old fashioned luxury in the bush: cabins were comfortable and well-appointed and the main lodge was beautiful. Loved breakfasts looking out onto the verandah and the dam; loved the braai at the boma, and the evening game drive with sundowners and snacks in the bush. Location allowed access to Blyde River Canyon, Kruger Park and Eastgate airport ( all within an hour’s drive). Katie was amazing at advising us on activities, and organising our itinerary seamlessly. Sylvester (aka Sly) looked after us for all transfers, game drives and walks, and was most informative. Geoffrey gave us excellent service in the dining room.

Stayed in March 2025

Everything was perfect.

The property is lush, with animals everywhere, including some visiting us at breakfast and in our tent. We stayed in a magnificent tent facing a river with hippos constantly appearing to greet us. The hospitality of the Phelwana team could not have been better. Rating 11 out of 10! Although I am always lucky enough to receive good service, at Phelwana Game Lodge I received the best treatment of my life in all my travels. Service like no other! Honorable mention to Jo-Ann and Sly, people of unparalleled kindness. They helped make our trip to Hoedspruit a true dream. The food here is amazing. It can't be explained in words. You have to go there and try it for yourself. Thank you, Phelwana team! May God allow us to return many times!

Stayed in March 2025

The food and staff were exceptional. Our guide Sly’s enthusiasm was infectious and his bush knowledge unbeatable. The beds were super comfy. The location was perfect and a short drive to Kruger. I highly recommend this resort.

Stayed in February 2025

The Tour to the rehabilitation centre was a bit on the expensive side

The luxury tents were very comfortable and had a great view over the dam. Unfortunately the hippos had decided to stay in another dam opposite but we got to see lots of monkeys/baboons, giraffe, zebras and even a Warthog. The staff were fantastic and we were very well looked after. Unfortunately it rained a fair bit but we kept ourselves occupied in the main lodge with various games. Sly was amazing on the game drive and walk and extremely passionate and knowledgable.

Stayed in February 2025

To be honest there was nothing to complain about

There is so much to tell! From the minute Sly fetched us from the airport our amazing South African holiday started, we were blessed with so many animals and a lovely tour by Sly to the facility. We received a warm welcome and our rooms (villa) awaited our arrival, at first we were worried that we booked a place with no AC but the fans are more than enough. I was even "cold" the one night. Katie, Phumzile and Jefferey made each day memorable. We booked a trip to the Panorama Route with Sly and it was just perfect, great company, chats along the way, shopping, sightseeing the works. They also booked our Kruger trip - so memorable! Phelwana actually have enough animals on site that you can enjoy via their bush walks at 7am and or their afternoon drives at 5pm, it was baby season so we saw so many little ones from baby zebra, giraffe, nyala and water buffalo. The food was really great as well. I don't think there was anything missing. The wifi can be a bit iffy but you are in the bush it is to be expected. We had some traffic issues from the local giraffe :P so cute but a quick call to the reception and someone would fetch us safely. If I had to pick one item it would to request more vegetarian opinions like tofu but honestly we ate well! We loved our stay and everyone there made it so special, they even decorated our breakfast table and arranged a cake for my birthday!

Stayed in January 2025

Thought the ablution facilities at the dinner in the bush was a disgrace, to say the least.

Good selection and choices of meals With excellent service by staff.

Stayed in January 2025

No food options for kids dinner apart from ice cream as a special request. WiFi in rooms wasn’t good.

Scenic location, total number of guests was comfortable so we always had a table, or could get into the game drive bookings. Animals roaming freely are healthy and abound. Dinners were great and breakfast was sumptuous. Walking game sessions were lovely and extremely insightful with Sly. Chalets are beautiful and spacious. Having a private pool alongside the chalet was such a luxury!

Stayed in December 2024

Nothing

Everything

Stayed in December 2024

Hospitality

Stayed in December 2024

All exceptionally good! No complains.

Awesome accommodation and food! Our guide, Joe, was amázing! A wealth of knowledge over such a wide spectrum. Animals, big and small. Insects, birds, trees, biosphere, I came back having really learnt a lot! We felt like family after a couple of days. We’ll be back.

Stayed in September 2024

Great based camp to your safari in the Kruger area. Charming and well taken care at all levels

Stayed in September 2024

Nothing

Service

Stayed in August 2024

Nothing. Just a tip don't drive the long unmade road in and turn left, come from the other way its less unmade. It was 15km on a 'corrugated road' although our big people carrier made it fine. Just unpleasant.

Beautiful small game farm. Luxury tents, yummy food. Gorgeous main lodge/sofas/dining room/garden. Lots of tame antelope, mainly nyala and waterbuck plus giraffes(obviously we kept our distance but they were very close). Baboons and vervets not too in your face which was nice(unlike at Kruger). Did bush walk which was very relaxed and bush drive same. Our guide Kyle was brilliant. They have hyaenas and leopard around at night so you can't walk but must drive to the main lodge after dark for dinner(but it's a short slow safe easy drive). Not good if you're a bit jumpy but we felt safe in our tents and in the day. No lions, elephant, crocs or rhinos but everything else. Staff very kind and helpful. Insanely good value for money. Would return and I almost never go back anywhere....

Stayed in June 2024

Great hospitality.

Stayed in May 2024

Nothing. All fab.

Absolutely everything. This was the best place that we have stayed in Africa Bar none. loved the staff, loved the view, loved the food, loved the general experience. We would absolutely come again.

Stayed in April 2024

The only thing I wasn’t so keen on was the air conditioning in the safari tents. It didn’t really seem necessary, isn’t very environmentally friendly and was very loud! Would be better to install ceiling fans.

Beautiful lodge with choice of different rooms on a small private game reserve. We opted for a luxury safari tent with private plunge pool. It was amazing! Beautifully furnished with private bathroom, comfortable king sized bed, well stocked mini bar and complimentary tea, coffee and water. The room rate included breakfast and dinner which were also amazing. Great choice of food that was delicious and well presented. An evening game drive and morning bush walk were also included and these were expertly led by knowledgeable guides. We saw so much wildlife with the highlight being a leopard cooling off next to a small pond. Staff were all so friendly and welcoming. I would highly recommend this lodge and hope we will return again soon!

Stayed in April 2024