Aha Makalali Private Game Lodge

We stayed in the River Lodge for 4 nights and the experience was absolutely incredible. We saw so many animals (including the big 5!) and watched a herd of elephants go past the room and pool. Honest and Lucas were our Ranger and Tracker and they were absolutely amazing!!! So incredibly knowledgeable and personable, they really made our experience special!

Amazing place!!! Wonderful, caring and efficient staff. Delicious food, great variety. Fabulous safaris. The guest rooms are spacious, spotlessly clean, with wonderful views of the reserve.

Overall a great experience. Only negatives were a few maintenance issues in the room. Lodge was very nice and food was good, not great. I enjoyed all the drives and was able to spot the Big 5,. They do their best to make sure that you have a fabulous game viewing experience

Makalali Private Game Lodge/Reserve is absolutely stunning! The accommodation was beautiful, spotless, and even featured an outdoor shower — such a great touch! The food was superb, and the daily schedule was perfectly planned. I loved the early morning coffee before the game drives and the cocktails before the sunset drives — everything was just right. But above all, the staff truly made our stay unforgettable. Throughout our entire visit, they were warm, attentive, and amazing in every way. A special mention goes to our incredible guides, Rodney and Ingrid. They were knowledgeable, friendly, and made every safari experience memorable. Their communication and passion for what they do really stood out. We couldn’t have wished for a better stay or experience at Makalali. An absolute 10/10!

We had a fantastic holiday. It exceeded all expectations. The staff were friendly and attentive. Our ranger Andrews could not have been better; very knowledgeable, an excellent tracker, very enthusiastic and great personality. He went that extra step to make the trip amazing. Saw dozens of different animals, just the leopard missing from the big five. Nice touch to be greeted at the entrance after every game trip. The food was delicious. Was nice to relax by the pool or read a book between trips. The time went very quickly. Truly a holiday of a life time.

This review is for our stay at the River Lodge, which is situated not far from the Makalali main lodge. It was our first time going on a safari and it was an absolutely incredible experience!! We stayed for 3 nights, doing 6 drives total and saw four of the big five on our very first drive! Each drive was awesome and we saw a different variety of animals each time. We stayed in one of the private suites and loved the accommodations and staff. The lodging portion of the reserve is not fenced in, so cool to see animals walking through the lodging area during the day. The staff was awesome- our safari guides Nongbu and Patrick were extremely knowledgeable and made each drive memorable for us. Chef Sarah cooked incredible meals daily, and Romi & Dorothy provided excellent service while hanging out at the lodge. Solly guided us to our room at night and is the absolute best!! Amazing experience overall. Would highly recommend to anyone considering staying with them and we can’t wait for our next safari!