Nedile Lodge

We had the pleasure of staying at Nedile Lodge in July, and it was an unforgettable experience. The lodge is absolutely beautiful, blending seamlessly with its natural surroundings. From the moment we arrived, the lovely staff made us feel incredibly welcome and attended to our every need with warmth and professionalism. Our guide, Aoundru, was great. His knowledge of the wildlife and the area was impressive, and he made our game drives both educational and exciting. We were fortunate to see a wide variety of animals up close. The accommodations were luxurious and comfortable, offering stunning views of the landscape. Every detail, from the decor to the amenities, was thoughtfully designed to enhance our stay. The meals were delicious and beautifully presented, adding to the overall excellence of our visit. Nedile Lodge provided a perfect balance of adventure and relaxation. We left with wonderful memories and a strong desire to return. Highly recommended for anyone seeking an authentic and memorable safari experience!

My wife and I had the most amazing 4 night stay at the lodge over the easter weekend. The setting and the views from the lodge and on the game drives were amazing, the Welgevondon Reserve is a stunning place to spend time. All of the staff looked after us superbly, the food was very good all week and the selection of drinks matched this brilliantly. The 8 game drives were superbly managed by Morne our guide and we were very lucky to see some very special animals. The quiet and the stillness at the lodge gave us time to relax and we loved to just sit and watch animals as they came to the watering hole.

Nedilenis a great lodge, nicely situated in the Welgevonden Reserve. Design, look and feel are very nice and warm, however it’s the team that truly brings it alive. The service is one step beyond excellent and it’s all done with passion and a smile. The chef is passionate about the food, the ranger is next level knowledge and passion, but in the end it’s the fun and laughter that made the magic happen. Pampering has a new name: Nedile

Wow wow wow is all I can say! My husband and I spent 4 glorious honeymoon days at Nedile Lodge. From the start we were blown away. Picked up by Wienand at the gate and straight away we experienced the magic of the Safari as we drove past cheeky warthogs, sweet impalas, elegant zebras and the ever contented wildebeest. When we arrived at the lodge all the staff came to meet us and we were offered a lovely cocktail. Wienand then told us they had a special surprise …and it was a huge one, a massive Bull Elephant washing himself in the pool (watering hole) just below the balcony. It was so emotional! Such a big Elephant leisurely washing just next to us. During our stay many other animals came up to lodge to basque at the water hole and we were able to sit there and just enjoy watching them. We spent the first day just my husband and me which isn’t usual but was amazing for us, we had a personal game drive and learnt so much. That afternoon we saw: another Bull elephant, a Cheetah mum with her cubs, who had just made a kill, they were eating and playing she was relaxing just next to our jeep, we also saw Rhino’s, Zebras, more warthogs and Wildebeest. At Welgevonded they have such a large number of white Rhinos and due to their location and guards the Rhino all have their horns which is lovely to see. We were blessed to see a whole family with their baby and take a drink right next to them! We went on many more drives over the next few days and saw so much: hyena’s with cubs, Baboons, Vervet monkey’s, Buffalo’s, Giraffe, male Lion who again had just made a kill (zebra), Crocodile, and Hypos with their baby on their back. We saw So many beautiful birds too, one had real attitude and really made me laugh. Wienand was so good at spotting all the animals and was very knowledgeable and we learnt a lot on the drives. Especially about poop, I know all the different colours shapes and sizes lol. The lodge itself was a dream. It was the first time for ages I felt true peace, sitting on our balcony just looking out over the reserve was so zen for me. I felt weird to begin with having a bath with no blinds but once in I felt at one nature lol hope no one had binoculars near by!! The food was just out of this world. John would tell us the menu choice at the start of the day, and each meal was top class, delicious. Not one disappointing meal. Between drives you get a little down time to sunbathe, read or have a massage. Gladys gave me an incredible Swedish massage and I felt even more relaxed after that, perfect way to get rid of the flight stiffness. Lizzy gave my husband an African massage, using what looked like a rolling pin lol Remember to tip the staff, we took cash with us but were able to also tip on card. They work very hard and really deserve it. It’s hard at first to get your head around the currency, but take a few moments before you go to work out what the exchange is and consider what you would tip in your country and work it o

Absolutely fantastic stay. First time on safari and I think we were very lucky to have had Nedile recommended to us because I believe the reserve is amongst the best and so is the lodge. Only 5 rooms and no children. Staff are all superb: extremely helpful, welcoming and passionate about what they do. The two guides, Weinant and Danell (apologies if wrong spelling) are lovely: knowledgeable and inspirational. Lodge is in a lovely location with great views. We had 3 whole days there; lots of close up animal sightings including white and black rhino and a cheetah which walked past our vehicle! No hesitation in recommending.

If you are after a mid range, good value, affordable game reserve/safari experience in a beautiful, malaria free, reserve then Nedile is unlikely to disappoint. I was looking for a last minute 2 night ‘bush fix’ while on business in SA and as I am familiar with Welgevonden Game Reserve - having stayed at various lodges going back 20 years - made some enquiries and Nedile could accommodate me. I knew of Nedile Lodge and it was a different experience to others I have enjoyed on this well managed reserve. While Nedile has a 5 star rating it is smaller and more intimate than some of the bigger commercial lodges on the reserve - only accommodating 10 in five rooms; some in the same unit, and quite close to one another and the central facility. Nedile was built 20 years ago by the current South African owners on the rocky top of one of the mountain ridges and enjoys a spectacular and commanding view over the reserve with the Waterberg mountains in the distance. The immediate outlook over hilly wooded bush means there is not a lot of passing game although I saw warthogs, zebras, baboons and kudu drinking from the small waterhole below the central facility deck. The close proximity of bedrooms and central facility means you can hear fellow guests and also conversation, noise and activity at the central facility. Quite a few other solo guests when I stayed. I think Nedile would work well should you want an exclusive use experience with up to 10 family or friends. The rooms are well appointed with a degree of privacy including private deck with chairs and usual outdoor shower with the same incredible view. While the rooms have a ceiling fan there is no A/C and it was very warm at night when I visited at the end of November. There are also no flyscreens over windows or doors meaning you can’t leave these open at night to cool down or to enjoy the sounds of the bush! There are no mosquito nets over the comfortable beds although at the time of my visit I was not troubled by any bugs or mosquitoes outdoors at night. A small and friendly staff took good care of guests. The food was good, relatively simple and tasty, and served at tables (one for each room) on the central facility deck next to the pool and with the view stretching in from of you. The lodge has a boma area but this was not used on the 2 nights I stayed; apparently it is a Saturday night thing. Nedile is situated right on the western side of this vast reserve which means that getting there via the West Gate added 40 minutes to the journey compared to Main Gate, and the last 16km was on a very poor corrugated sand road in desperate need of repair and tough on non 4x4 vehicles. Being right on the western side of the reserve makes it practically difficult to get to large parts of the reserve as the drive would take quite a lot of time in the game viewing vehicle. This means you may not see as much of the reserve which may impact on which species you are likely to see. Of the Big 5, r