Nyala Safari Lodge

Amazing experience and everyone involved in Nyala looked after us so well. The food, guides, rooms, all of it was excellent. Dave and Nikki are excellent hosts and Cristal is a fantastic guide, so knowledgeable about the animals, birds and scenery.

We spent four days in this exquisite, little camp. The managers Dave and Nicky made us feel at home with their attention to detail. They made sure each of our experiences, from the morning safari to late evenings by the fire were perfect. Shylet and Kudzu created delicious meals that were just right. The rooms and camp area were beautifully maintained. The highlight, of course, was the safaris twice a day. Nick, our guide, was knowledgeable, patient, accommodating and made it a great experience for every single person - and we were six individuals with different interests ranging from big 5 to birds to photography. We couldn’t have asked for more!

Joan and I had a fantastic week at Nyala Safari Lodge. From the moment Christelle our guide, picked us up at the gate to the private game reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park and the greeting at the Lodge by managers David and Nikki and staff, until we left (with not a few tears) a week later, we were treated as beloved guests. The accommodations are delightful, with views of an ephemeral river bed and permanent waterhole frequented by wild game including elephants, rhinos, antelope, and the occasional lion and leopard. The cottage was immaculately clean, large and comfortable with A/C, indoor and outdoor showers and an African veld charm (including a traditional thatched roof). The food was excellent and prepared by well trained and charming staff. And then there were the animals! Driving from the entrance gate to the Lodge we saw the first of our 5 lepards. Not only did Christelle bring us close to the beautiful animal she was able to tell us about her, how many babies she has had and a great deal about lepard’s natural history. This was typical of Christelle who is not only a great guide and tracker (in addition to being kind and very funny) but is also a knowledgeable naturalist. I am an avid amateur wildlife photographer, and never had to request that Christelle position me for a better shot - she just did it. During our week at Nyala, we not only saw the Big Five once, but two separate times. Equally exciting was seeing and photographing an incredible variety of wildlife and birds. Truly a remarkable experience. Joan and I cannot thank David, Nikki, Christelle and the Staff enough for one of the most enjoyable and exciting experiences of our many travels. While Joan and I are in our late 70’s we are already planning to return to Nyala next year.

For my first time in the bush i have experience this splendid feel-like-home place being operated by Nicky&David with Crystal as true wild nature expert. Those four days were full of genuine hospitality, great cuisine and unforgettable hours spent at Safari. Hope for comming back again!

We had the best holiday ever in Nyala Safari Lodge. I would definitely love to return there someday and I absolutely recommend this place. The accomodation is very nice, spacious, internal and external bathroom (perfect!), very comfy bed, nice patio. Dave and Nikki are great managers, they were doing everything to make our stay absolutely incredible and they suceeded. Girls from the kitchen and room service were also amazing, always smiling and the meals were excellent. We definitely gained some weight there, the food was delicious. And the best of all that? Our guide Cristelle. She was amazing. I was almost crying when saying bye the last day at the gate. You can see that she loves the bush and she has a lot of experience. She gave us plenty of information about big animals, small animals including birds or insects and even flowers. We saw so much during the games (twice a day, sometimes even third ride in the night). The experience was amazing and way beyond my expectations. If I ever return (I hope so!), I want only Cristelle as a guide!