Reviews of Safari Lodge - Amakhala Game Reserve 4 stars
Amakhala Big Five Game Reserve, 6139 Amakhala Game Reserve, South Africa

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Reviewed: 16 July 2025 · Stayed in July 2025
Verified reviewSerene setting. Very friendly staff. Lovely food. Enjoyed the game drives and felt very well looked after.
The lodge is in a corner of the game reserve and so some parts of the reserve are a bit of a trek to get there.
Dear Susan Thank you for the feedback regarding your stay at our lodge, we appreciate it. We are so pleased to know you have enjoyed the food and game drives. The lodge is situated in the Northern side of the reserve making it easy accessible from the PE airport but also away from the noise of the main road giving you the tranquility of a real safari experience by only hearing the noises coming from nature. Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Dear Susan Thank you for the feedback regarding your stay at our lodge, we appreciate it. We are so pleased to know you have enjoyed the food and game drives. The lodge is situated in the Northern side of the reserve making it easy acces… Show more
Reviewed: 15 June 2025 · Stayed in June 2025
Verified reviewPeople here are so nice and friendly. The place is beautiful and so organized. Everything works.
Good day Setenta Thank you for your lovely feedback, it warms our hearts to know you had a lovely stay at our beautiful lodge. Thank you for the staff compliments , we will pass it on. Kind regards The Safari Lodge Team
Reviewed: 16 May 2025 · Stayed in May 2025
Verified reviewEverything about our stay was fantastic. The staff were super and so helpful, rooms were beautiful and spacious and the food was delicious. The game drives were also amazing.
There was nothing we didn’t like about our stay. Everything was brilliant.
Good day Fiona Thank you so much for the lovely review. We are happy to know you have enjoyed your stay with us, and also that you find the lodge beautiful and the food to your taste. We loved that you had a great time on the safari! Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Good day Fiona Thank you so much for the lovely review. We are happy to know you have enjoyed your stay with us, and also that you find the lodge beautiful and the food to your taste. We loved that you had a great time on the safari! Wa… Show more
Reviewed: 16 April 2025 · Stayed in April 2025
Verified reviewLoved everything! The lodges, the game drives, the staff, the food, the pool! A dream come true.
Dear Davinia Thank you for the lovely review, we are so happy to know you had a great time time at our lodge and that it was everything you hoped for! We will convey your kind words to the staff. Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Reviewed: 15 April 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 7 April 2025 · Stayed in April 2025
Verified reviewA beautifully appointed, intimate lodge within Amakhala. Friendly, helpful staff and excellent rangers. The rooms are beautiful and we had animals at the watering hole outside our room most nights. The food was plentiful and delicious.
Dear Samantha Thank you so much for your lovely feedback regrading your stay at our lovely lodge. We are happy that the team looked after you and that you also enjoyed the delicious food. Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Reviewed: 4 April 2025 · Stayed in April 2025
Verified reviewThe rooms are stunning - huge and extremely comfortable bed, aircon/fan/underfloor heating, bath overlooking the watering hole, living room area, and of course the private plunge pool from where we saw warthogs and bushbuck wander over for a drink from the nearby watering hole. All the food was delicious and beautifully presented with 3-course meals for both lunch and dinner. We also enjoyed the sunset drinks and snacks. There were lots of little touches like the free minibar with bottles of wine as well as dry and sloe gin, bath salts and oils for the bath overlooking the watering hole, robes, fleece ponchos for when it gets chilly on the game drives etc, which made the stay feel even more luxurious. We had been at a different lodge the day before so had different things we had already seen/wanted to see to the rest of our game drive group. However, our ranger Mnoni aka Mr President went out of his way to accommodate us all and make sure we got to see everything we hoped for. We had an incredible 2 game drives seeing cheetahs, lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, buffalo, hippo etc. Mnoni was also very knowledgable and taught us lots of interesting facts about the animals and the reserve.
Dear Lauren Thank you for your wonderful feedback! It's great to know you enjoyed the facilities , food and also the game drives with Mnoni. Our team takes great pride into giving their utmost best to ensure our guests leave with lovely memories. Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Dear Lauren Thank you for your wonderful feedback! It's great to know you enjoyed the facilities , food and also the game drives with Mnoni. Our team takes great pride into giving their utmost best to ensure our guests leave with love… Show more
Reviewed: 4 April 2025 · Stayed in April 2025
Verified reviewLovely cottages, great food. Game drives very good with Martin our guide who is extremely knowledgeable and informative.
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Good day Alison Thank you for your kind words, we are very pleased to know you had enjoy your stay with us. Our team and Martin will appreciate the lovely words. Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Reviewed: 31 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewWe had the most amazing two days here for part of our Honeymoon. The staff were incredible, so friendly and accommodating. Mr. President's game drives meant we saw almost everything we could in 2 days. We 100% recommend and hope to return ourselves!
Good day Aoibheann Thank you so much for the lovely review. we are delighted to know you had such a great time at our lodge. We appreciate your kind words, and will make Mr President and Unathi gets the message and also rest of the team that made your stay so memorable! Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Good day Aoibheann Thank you so much for the lovely review. we are delighted to know you had such a great time at our lodge. We appreciate your kind words, and will make Mr President and Unathi gets the message and also rest of the team t… Show more
Reviewed: 30 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 29 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewEverything about our stay was wonderful! The staff was super welcoming; lodges are perfect, very romantic and good food as well. Game drives were great. Would absolutely recommend!
Dear Stephanie Thank you for your lovely review, we are so pleased to know you had such a lovely time at our lodge. We will pass on the lovely compliments to the team. Warm regards The Safari Lodge team
Reviewed: 25 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewIt's very accessible from the N2 main national road between Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth Eastern Cape. The staff were all so friendly and welcoming. The Safari drives we got to see most of the animals available there. The Ranger was very insightful and knowledgeable about the animals. The establishment is breathtaking. Peaceful place with great adequate facilities. Each room had its own personal pool and Butler. It's great to see animals wandering around the lodge at a safe distance. Guest were friendly aswell. Great experience. To be repeated again some day.
Nothing. All satisfactory. Best value for money
Good day Wongeza Thank you for the lovely review. We are pleased that you find the lodge to be of a good distance from the main road. Thank you for the kind words towards the team, will make sure to pass it on. Looking forward to your next visit! Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Good day Wongeza Thank you for the lovely review. We are pleased that you find the lodge to be of a good distance from the main road. Thank you for the kind words towards the team, will make sure to pass it on. Looking forward to your n… Show more
Reviewed: 23 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewThe safari lodge is amazing - staff incredible. Martin - our safari guide was wonderful.
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Reviewed: 22 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 21 March 2025 · Stayed in January 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 19 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 18 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewWe could not fault our stay. Everything from start to finish was seamless and well organised . The individual lodges are completely private and beautifully appointed with really comfy beds. The common areas are gorgeous too. The food is outstanding and very plentiful, we loved that we dined on our own for breakfast and lunch but then got to all sit together for dinner sharing and chatting about our day. The staff are very professional and friendly. The game drives are amazing!!!Our guide Justin was awesome sharing lots of interesting information and finding so many of the animals for us to see in the reserve. We were also very impressed by the fact that it truly is all inclusive, no unexpected surprises. We just wish we had stayed longer as this truly was a trip of a lifetime.
That we couldn’t stay longer😞
Dear Karen Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback. We are so glad to hear you had such an amazing time with us. It is wonderful to hear you enjoyed the facilities, food and safari tours. We will definitely pass on the lovely compliments to Justin and the rest of the team. Hope to see you again in the future! Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Dear Karen Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback. We are so glad to hear you had such an amazing time with us. It is wonderful to hear you enjoyed the facilities, food and safari tours. We will definitely pass on the lovely compli… Show more
Reviewed: 14 March 2025 · Stayed in March 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 12 March 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewReviewed: 3 March 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewWow. If you dream of a Safari Lodge where giraffes come down to the water hole whilst sat in your plunge pool, this is the place. A beautiful location with just 11 lodges strategically placed so that it still feels intimate. Good food and hospitality with Safari Drives makes this a special place for us safari newbies. Would highly recommend.
Dear Paul Thank you for the time you took to write such a lovely review, we are so pleased to know you had lovely stay with us. We are also happy to know you enjoyed the food and the safari drives especially since you were newbies(:) Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Dear Paul Thank you for the time you took to write such a lovely review, we are so pleased to know you had lovely stay with us. We are also happy to know you enjoyed the food and the safari drives especially since you were newbies(:) Warm… Show more
Reviewed: 28 February 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewLovely place. Would like to be given the option of dining as a couple OR sharing a table. We spoke to several couples you would have preferred sharing as it's a fun way to meet new people, swap safari stories and share laughter. We asked a couple to join us fie dinner saying the previous night they had dealt outside the group. Loved Addo Park. The food was fantastic!!
Wake up calls that were not correct for days activities.
Dear William Thank you for your review, we appreciate the time you took to write it. Your suggestions has been take into consideration and we will definitely look into making these changes. We apologise for the mistake with the wake up call, it was addressed with the responsible staff member. Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Dear William Thank you for your review, we appreciate the time you took to write it. Your suggestions has been take into consideration and we will definitely look into making these changes. We apologise for the mistake with the wake up cal… Show more
Reviewed: 27 February 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewThis property is just out of this world the staff are so friendly and just want to make your stay as great as they can. The room is wonderful and you have animals walking past
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Good day Trevor Thank you so much for the lovely review, we are pleased to know you have enjoyed it. We will pass on the compliments to the staff. Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Reviewed: 15 February 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewThe outlook from our lodge was lovely.Seeing the animals at close quarters was wonderful. Our safaris were great,although it did take some time to reach certain parts of the reserve,but worth it to see the animals. Our ranger was very informative and dedicated to tracking down the animals.
Our bathroom could do with some tlc. We had problems getting hot water in the outdoor shower, but was sorted quite quickly. The shower attachment with the bath was very ineffective and we weren't able to fill the bath. The area around the sink needs to be refurbished. Our plunge pool was not working so was covered in dead bugs and it was cloudy. It took a reminder to get it sorted.
Dear Shirley Thank you for the review, we are happy to know you a lovely stay and had good safari drives although it took some time. Thank you for the feedback regarding water issues and the pool, and that the team was quick to assist in sorting the problems. Apologies for the state in which the pool was, it is not normally what it looks like and we are happy they sorted that as quickly as possible. We will work on the problem areas to ensure guests comfortability. Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team
Dear Shirley Thank you for the review, we are happy to know you a lovely stay and had good safari drives although it took some time. Thank you for the feedback regarding water issues and the pool, and that the team was quick to assist in… Show more
Reviewed: 14 February 2025 · Stayed in February 2025
Verified reviewAbsolutely superb from start to finish, quality will always triumph!
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Dear David Thank you for the review posted, we are happy to hear your stay was superb. Warm regards The Safari Lodge Team