Elephant Plains Game Lodge — Hotel in Bushbuckridge

This is a 2-part review. Part 1:

We very rarely write google reviews. However, we felt compelled to do so following our awful experience at EP and their horrible customer service. It’s a long read, but well worth it if you are considering a stay at this lodge.

This review will aim to highlight our disappointment with the lodge, as well as general points about safari in the area, which I wish I had known before choosing both this location, and South Africa in general, for safari.

After reading such great reviews here, and a personal recommendation, we decided to stay four nights at EP in May 2023. As others have mentioned, the drive from Hoedspruit takes about two hours and is very bumpy. We were very glad we hired a driver. Although the road didn’t bother us, we did note that if we were ever to stay again (which we won’t) we would consider flying directly to their local airstrip.

Check-in was fine, if not a little lack lustre. Our room (luxury suite) was very pretty and clean. Other than poor pillows, we have no complaints about the room.

We had read such great reviews about the food, so I suppose our expectations were high. It was average, home-style cooking. Definitely nothing special and quite heavy.

Sadly, after our first game drive we knew we had been appointed an ill-fitting guide. I will not mention a name, as I’m not trying to name and shame. It is not someone mentioned frequently in other reviews, so perhaps request one of those guides if you want a different experience. We had no complaints about the trackers, they were great.

Our guide barely spoke or explained what we were seeing, and he was dis-engaged and abrupt, particularly to a Singaporean couple in our group. We ran into them later in our trip and learned that they had also complained about our guide. I am both an ecologist and a veterinarian so I tried engaging our guide with questions, which had very little effect (apart from him being shocked that I knew and asked about secretary birds). Most explanations entailed something along the lines of “this animal is here for work/grocery store” etc. This was “cute” the first time. I had avidly followed the EP instagram for years and knew that all leopards and lion prides had names. Whilst we overheard other guides discussing the individual animal/pride and their history, this was never explained to us. It was very tough seeing other trucks near-by with engaging, talkative guides.

After our second drive, I was very upset about our experience. We went to reception and gently asked if we could please switch guides half-way through our stay (8 drives total). At that stage, we didn’t want to directly complain about our guide, so we said we wanted to learn from as many people as possible and hear different stories. We received a very hesitant “I’ll speak to management and we’ll let you know”. However, we never heard from anyone after that. We were left feeling uncomfortable, upset and honestly, quite ready to leave. We do understand that there are possible safety reasons why we could not swap guides. However, we do not think that there was any acceptable reason to treat guests with a lack of respect and communication. We also overheard us being talked about when they didn’t think we were there.

Following our stay, we composed an email to express our disappointment. We received an apology from the reservations worker and were told management would be in touch. We never received an email, so two weeks later we checked-in with the office again. We then received a very curt reply saying that the Singaporean couple had received a reply from management. Whilst I was glad they had received a reply, I asked her about our own complaints, and she once again said management would be in touch. That was over a...

This is a 2-part review. Part 2:

Our stay at EP soured our trip to South Africa, let-alone a life-long dream. We definitely would not recommend staying there. Whilst it is one of the cheaper lodges in the area, it is definitely not cheap and a higher level of customer care was expected. Perhaps better guides and service could be found at more expensive lodges.

Things to consider. All game parks in South Africa are fenced. There are very important reasons for this, of course, and their presence is understandable. However, no matter which way you spin it, seeing a fence (on your drive into the park, most of the way to the lodge, rarely on a drive), emits an off-putting, zoo-like quality. This area of Sabi Sands seems densely populated with game lodges. You will see many other safari trucks during your game drives. All the drivers talk to one another over radio, which allows them to know where animals are located. Whilst this communication allows for multiple sightings of animals, like the fences, it feels slightly contrived and an un-natural experience. With rhino or leopards with cubs there were never more than two trucks total, but at other times there were up to three other trucks viewing the same animals with us. There is a lot of ‘bush-bashing’ with the safari vehicles. They go off-road frequently and sometimes extensively. They do note that they talk with ecologists about which areas this can occur, but the damage to saplings and undergrowth was quite shocking (running over 5-6 foot tall saplings regularly). This is not unique to EP, as most trucks we saw were driven similarly. It was simply something that did not sit well with me. The area is very thick bush/scrub. There are no large, open plain areas except two different air strip regions. As a result, there are no large herds of plains herbivores, so it’s definitely not the location to visit if that is your vision of a safari. Zebra and giraffe are rare in this area, and we only saw them on our 8th drive. Large herds of Cape buffalo are regularly seen, just through the scrub rather than in the open.

The above points may be a perfect fit for you, but after talking to several people, we probably should have chosen Kenya, Botswana or Tanzania.

Nearly two months later, we remain very saddened by our stay at EP. Maybe we’ll actually receive an...

50 stars would be more accurate. Let's start at the start. Every single employee greets with a warm and sincere smile and friendly demeanor. We landed on the airstrip and was greeted by animals and our driver. A welcome drink and a quick tour of the grounds followed. We entered our room overlooking the watering hole in the short distance and immediately saw elephants 🐘, impala,zebras all within the first 45 minutes. Then we saw leopard! Again, from our room! The room was s u p e r spacious and had everything you need. Things we did not expect but appreciated was an outdoor shower, super comfortable outdoor seating, an indoor fridge and extra pillows. This truly lived up to 5 stars. Towels were plush, linens were soft and the room staff made sure we stayed well stocked. Doc and Dion were our guide and trackers. They work awesome together and their experience shows. We saw The Big 5 within 2 days and had numerous encounters with all the 5. Doc is not timid about pushing the open jeep into the bush to get the best position for you to view the animals. He is a funny, personable, highly knowledgeable guide who really wants to experience his passion for this life. Special shout out to Betty the chef. If you have been to all inclusive resorts that boast 5 star food you know 3.5 is more accurate. Betty delivers 5.5☆ various options daily, large portions and always delivered to the table the way you ordered it. She is flexible to make you something off menu if her selections for the day do not satisfy you. I do not believe the word no is in the Elephant Plains staff vocabulary when you have a request. Julia is another of several staff that stands out. It is like they are competing to be the most gracious staff in the industry. Can't wait to return. Note...to underscore this was the norm, 3 totally different guests were returning for what was their 3rd...