Pungwe Safari Camp — Hotel in Bushbuckridge

I am the owner of Blackwood Safaris, a photo safari company that teaches photography from zero and provides excellent views for non-photographers. I’ve been bringing clients to Pungwe since 2017, and I wanted to let you know that once again, Pungwe delivered. ||My clients and I had a wonderful trip in June 2025. From the moment they arrived to the time we left, the staff took great care of them. They loved Carol’s meals (Carol was a good cook when she started. She has elevated to a phenomenal chef, from someone who has watched her growth!). I loved Carol’s meals as always and am still in mourning that I couldn’t finish the last pork chop, as it was the best I’ve ever had. How she is able to layer flavors in a complex way that delights your taste buds is simply magical. ||Never was exceptional in positioning the vehicle for photography and for the experience for the non-photographers; I really love working with him! Issac kept us company at meals and entertained us with wonderful stories, as Mich, the regular host, was working with anti-poaching; we enjoyed visiting with him when he was there. I definitely missed his presence but was happy to see him when he was able to be there each day. Emma, Patience, Wonder and Richard kept everything else running smoothly. You’ve got a perfect team, Pungwe!||Some people don’t know that two chalets burned down last December. I love the new chalets! Wow!!! My clients were in them and they were thrilled. There’s no loss of ambience, as so often happens when things are replaced. ||And the wildlife? Elephants, two separate cheetah sightings including a male on a kill and a female with 3 cubs, excellent and awake lions, several quality leopard sightings, the wonderful and extremely rare sable antelope along with regular game like kudu, impala, duiker, buffalo, hippo, crocodiles, monkeys, and several great experiences with rhino (dehorned). The birds were on full display. My clients went home with “hang on the wall” photos, which is always the goal. ||Thanks, Pungwe, see you soon with...

Mixed feelings on our stay and Pungwe - we have been on many safaris and Pungwe delivered on some points (the camp set up) but failed on others (hosting and guiding).||+ the camp is great, very low key, no electricity/wifi as advertised and just what we wanted (kids not so impressed!)|+ tents simple but comfortable beds, plenty of hot water for showers also|+ breakfasts/brunches were really great|+ lovely chat with the host during the first brunch, engaged with our girls nicely|+ the kitchen ladies were super friendly, made a cake for our youngest even though we said it wasn't her actually birthday (trip was her 10th birthday trip, however!)|+ the Manyeleti is a good reserve, too many vehicles at some points yet the last 2 drives we barely saw anyone else and had some good animal encounters||- the complete lack of welcome or warmth on arrival. We were a little behind schedule so I think the guide Never was stressed to get the afternoon drive going for the other 3 visitors, which is fair enough, but we barely got a hello, just a 'we need to get going quickly'. No welcome, no welcome drink, no introductions, not shown around |- lack of hosting and genuine personal touch. Following on from the above, apart from the camp host joining for the one brunch there was no host present, a lack of warmth and personality within camp. Usually you have your guide and camp host - and that seems to be the case usually reading the reviews of Pungwe - but this time Never was both and didn't fulfil either role particularly well, he was not really very engaging nor enthusiastic |- the guiding was lacking in enthusiasm and motivation, felt like he was going through the motions. Not impressed with his driving also, disturbing resting animals a couple of times by getting too close and driving aggressively at a slightly moody elephant that ran off in distress, definitely unnecessary and unsettling.||We had very high hopes of Pungwe and some of them were met, but ultimately we were disappointed by the lack of warmth and missing...

I've never written a bad review in my life but Pungwe has earned every bit of the 1-star. Stayed one night. My wife woke up literally covered with red ants. Clothes we'd left on the floor were covered with ants as well. We left the clothes behind and left as soon as we could, even without accommodation lined up -- just had to get out ASAP. Owner promised a refund and still hasn't sent it after 7 months. She also tried to tell me there were just a few ants which is normal and I'm not used to the bush. I've stayed in similar set-ups in Rwanda, Kenya, and Ghana, and was never covered with fire ants!||But that's not all! Two game drives, saw basically nothing. It felt like a red flag when neither the driver nor the spotter were looking very hard. Made me think they weren't expecting to see anything to begin with. Staff mentioned they can go a month without seeing a lion, and leopards and cheetahs are spotted even more rarely. It seems there is very low animal activity in the Manyeleti. ||We ended up finding a room at Orpen Rest Camp in Kruger. I beg you, save your money and stay at a Kruger rest camp. There are SO many more animals (saw tons of lions, a beautiful leopard, and four cheetahs in three days). Also, it's more fun driving yourself, the accommodation is nicer, you get the same authentic bush experience (we were woken up by roaring lions right outside of camp!), and, oh yeah, it's about 1/10 of the price. ||Booking Pungwe was the biggest travel mistake of my life compared to saving loads of money and having a much, much better experience at Kruger without an ant infestation. I hope you don't make the...