Mabula Game Lodge

We have just returned from a week at Mabula (booked through Newmarket Holidays) i am a firm believer in giving an honest unbiased review so here we are. Mabula is about 2.5 hours transfer by bus, the driver stopped for 20 minutes at a service station which was welcome for a loo break, sandwich or icecream. On arrival at Mabula we were welcomed by a team who ushered us to get checked in with a lovely aromatic hand wash and towel and cold drink. Our bags were taken to our room for us. The rooms are spacious and traditional in design. We had room 17 which was behind some rocks which was home to some fluffy Hyrax and lizards. We didn’t have any unwelcome visitors in our room (spiders) but it is Africa so it is possible as some of our group witnessed. There is a fridge and aircon in the rooms, and daily room servicing with a turn down service at night with a little surprise left on the bed. The rooms are spread out around the grounds, at night the paths are lit by low lighting but we were ok with this. If you are worried take a torch. There are some improvements being made to the lodge at present but the work did not affect our stay in any way. We were on an ‘all-inclusive’ package, we were given a list of what was included to avoid any confusion. Included drinks started at 12noon, i think this is fine for alcohol, but soft drinks could have been served earlier or water even. This isn’t a party place and people were not drinking to excess. The included drinks end at 10pm, and that is late enough as the game drives start early. Sadly the bar staff at both the pool bar and terrace bar are not the fastest or most friendly (Moses and James) and even refused to serve us at 21.55 one evening. We aren’t big drinkers but were celebrating a friend’s birthday. The restaurant is a lovely space serving fabulous meals, the meals are all buffet style with such a great choice, from cereal and fruit to cooked items at breakfast, Theo on the egg station is so friendly and hard working but possibly this should be the start of the cooked items as by the time you have your eggs the other items on your plate are not as hot as when you got in line. Before the morning and afternoon game drives you are served tea/coffee and biscuits or cake. Our drives lasted 2.5 hours. We had Frans as our driver who was always well presented and super knowledgeable, he went out of his way to make the experience fun and we saw so many animals. We were the ‘naughty’ van but appreciated everything he taught us and can now differentiate elephant and rhino poo although that skill won’t be able to be put to use on the streets of the UK. One improvement that needs looking at are the sun loungers, there are a lot of damaged ones and they are quite uncomfortable. There is a new curio shop being built but there was a lack of quality items to buy. You have a captive audience so why not have us spend our money with you instead of at the airport. Although there was no rain umbrellas to buy along

We had a week long safari stay at Mabula and everything exceeded our expectations. The accommodation lodges were well equipped and the bed was huge and really comfortable. The room overall perhaps needed a bit of updating in places but it is a safari lodge so this added to the authenticity! The food was plentiful and excellent quality served as a buffet style for all meals. Obviously the main reason for our stay were the safari drives and they were simply outstanding. Our ranger guide KC worked hard to show us all the beautiful wildlife on offer at this huge reserve. Lots of unexpected added touches such as a dinner and a breakfast out in the wild. We used the added services such as horse riding, quad biking, spa massage, bush walk and the gift shop, all of which were great and excellent value for money. Overall, if you’re expecting one of these modern all-inclusive type resorts where you just lie by the pool all day relaxing then just stay at home! This is an activity based holiday where you’re up at dawn and on-the-go for most part of the day taking in everything that this fantastic reserve has to offer. If you enjoy the great outdoors and appreciate wildlife then get yourself booked on this trip as you will not be disappointed.

Just spent a week at the Mabula Game Lodge and it lived up to our hope of a holiday of a lifetime. Got to see Lions, Cheetahs, Elephants, Hippos, Giraffe, Hyena, Rhino's, and so many other beautiful wild animals. The only thing we did not see was a leopard. Our guide Ethan was fantastic and was really passionate and knowledgeable about the animals. He also had a good sense of humour. Although you are up early for your morning game drives this was never a problem as we were always excited about what we were going to see. The staff at the Lodge are excellent and so hard working and always greeted you with a smile. The food was great and there was always something tasty to eat at breakfast, lunch and dinner (ate loads of the muffins as they are the best I have ever had). We were in room 16 which was huge and was well cleaned on a daily basis. Would definitely recommend the accommodation and the safari experience and hope to visit again some time in the future.

We really enjoyed our stay. Excellent for a 4 star Lodge. Food was excellent We would definitely come back

Really enjoyed my stay here . Travelled with a group from Titan. The food was excellent with plenty of choices every day and the accommodation was very good. The game drives were superb and our driver/ranger Frans made sure we had the best possible sightings of the wildlife. His expert knowledge and good humour enhanced the experience. The visit to the Ground Hornbill project was interesting and informative and the staff very dedicated. Whenever you met any of the staff in whatever capacity there cheerful hellos were very welcome. Very reluctant to leave after a fantastic holiday