Karongwe Portfolio - Becks Safari Lodge

We loved our stay at Becks. The lodge is beautiful and the food is amazing. Our guide Matthew and our tracker Forget were very informative, engaging and great at spotting at wildlife. We saw the Big 5 during our stay and had multiple sightings of each. All the staff were welcoming, friendly and attentive. Namely Granny always had a smile on her face and she was lovely. Moses was very helpful too. Johan and Adelina were always on hand to help and nothing was too much trouble. The wildlife was incredible, but the staff made our stay special. Thank you so much, we will be back!

We had an amazing stay at Becks Safari Lodge in Karongwe Private Game Reserve, arranged through Platinum Holidays. The game drives were well-organized and exciting, giving us the chance to see the Big Five, other incredible wildlife, and abundant bird species. The lodge, with its stunning riverbed and plains views, offered luxurious accommodations. Villa #7 was a delight, and the meals were exceptional, especially the standout breakfasts and delicious South African dishes. The outstanding staff, including our guide and tracker, made the experience truly magical. We highly recommend Becks Safari Lodge for an unforgettable safari adventure!

We booked an Africa trip through Platinum Holidays, and the Karongwe Portfolio is one of the properties that they book. That's how we ended up at Becks. We loved it! LOCATION: The Reserve is very large. We were there 4 days and mights for a total of 7 game drives and every drive saw new territory that we had not seen before. We flew into Hoedspruit and departed from Nelspruit (this was due to traveling on to Zambia) which was a three hour drive from Becks. ANIMALS: We saw the Big 5 multiple times (except buffalo, only once). On one game drive, a group of lions walked right along and in front of the vehicle! We saw two different rhino cow/calf pairs, and at least three different leopards. Additional mammals included hippos, zebras, wildebeest, babboons, vervet monkeys, mongoose, jackals, warthogs, all antelope except eland, wild dogs, hyena, and cheetahs. There is also abundant birdlife, and our guide and tracker, Jack and Raimondo were both very well studied in bird id and willing to stop for birds. LODGE: The Lodge and most of the villas overlook a riverbed and grassy plain. At breakfast and lunch we would bring binoculars and bird watch. The other two or three villas overlook a watering hole, and some young men from Spain saw a lion at the watering hole while we were there. The lodge is very well cared for and the villa we stayed in, #5 was extremely comfortable and had a wonderful view of from the deck. FOOD: Breakfast is stunning. The crescent rolls were phenomenal. They also had fresh fruits and cheeses and a menu to order from. The lunches and the dinners were also outstanding. Because game drives are the main event and the first drive is at 0530, that drives the meal schedule. Breakfast after morning game drive, lunch at 1300, and dinner after evening game drive 1930 or so. Two of the dinners were grilled meats and South African dishes. And for vegans, they always have options that sounded great although we did not try any.

We spent five days visiting Hluhluwe Game Reserve and five days in Kruger National Park. We did the self catering and self driving trip and we decided to spend two days at Becks Safari Lodge at the end of our trip and it was great. Fantastic lodging, food, care and guided game drives.

Saw the Big 5 multiple times over on my 3-night trip. The guides were energetic, funny, and knowledgeable. I was most surprised by how amazing the food was and appreciated the mix of traditional and modern dishes.