Nambiti Plains Lodge — Hotel in Emnambithi/Ladysmith Local Municipality

Amazing stay with Nambiti Plains - very highly recommended. We chose to celebrate a big milestone in South Africa to create some very special memories. We toured from Jo'burg, through Nambiti to Durban and then onto Cape Town, and Nambiti Plains why by far the most memorable experience. ||Not only did we get to see each of the Big 5, we had close-up encounters with many animals on every game drive. Phil, our guide, was absolutely amazing and kept us captivated and engaged throughout - its easy to see why he won Safari Game Drive Guide of the Year. In addition to the 2x3hr drives each day (sunrise and sunset) we also did a guided Walk with Phil and got scarily close to a Rhino and some Buffalo! Nambiti (especially in the Winter) is amazing - every day we saw Buffalo, Black Rhino, White Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe and Zebra. One day one we heard the roar of a Lion close-up, the next day we found them feasting on a kill, and the next day we saw them mating! Really great Safari experience. Yes - bring a jacket, scarf and hat for the early morning game drives - but they provide warm blankets and hot water bottles, so it is always a pleasurable experience and you quickly forget about the cold. Binoculars are helpful, but every day we got very close to most animals (including Lion's and Cheetah's) and the only long distance sighting was the Leopard so its not the end of the world if you don't have them.||In terms of the accommodation it was certainly 5*. We loved the sympathetic design, the lodges really blended into the environment, and we often had wild animals roaming right up to the lodges. They have good safety protocols between sundown and sunrise to keep you safe. The rooms were spacious, clean and well appointed. Housekeeping was amazing and inconspicuous. The food was very good, wide selection for breakfast, varied options for dinner - and chef was happy to take requests especially as two of our group were Pescatarian and one was diary-free. You definitely won't go hungry. Facilities were okay (noting the main attraction are the amazing game drives) but a Gym and a Spa would not have been out of place and would have been used by our group. ||Service was the best we experienced in South Africa, everyone was super friendly and attentive - and being a small team they remembered our names just as we could remember theirs (Magdel, Cindi, Mambosa, Kate, Precious and Bettie). However, everywhere else we stayed (and had meals at) put on some cake or bubbles to celebrate our milestone - but sadly not Nambiti Plains. I'm 100% sure it was an oversight as we otherwise were treated like family, and if I had mentioned it they'd definitely have done something, but to be honest the memories Phil helped us create were more than enough. We only stayed four days, but shed a tear when we were leaving - you will absolutely enjoy your Safari experience at...

We were really disappointed with our experience at Nambiti Hills last week. Having stayed at Nambiti Plains a few years ago, the difference in value for money between the two resorts is incomparable. Sadly, I don’t think I would ever return to or recommend Nambiti Hills to anyone.

We paid over R9 000 on Booking.com for an all-inclusive one-night stay. The listing clearly stated “Full Board Included” — with breakfast, lunch, and dinner specified. Yet, upon arrival, the staff had absolutely no knowledge of what “all inclusive” actually meant. Despite the booking clearly stating that all meals were included, we weren’t even offered lunch.

When I enquired, I was told that lunch wasn’t part of the package and that only a 3 pm tea was included. Being 33 weeks pregnant and quite hungry, I asked if we could order something from the kitchen and was told by the bartender that à la carte service wasn’t available. An hour later, I noticed other guests being served lunch and asked management again — only to be told that yes, lunch was available, but we would need to pay extra, despite having paid for an all-inclusive stay.

Before our visit, I phoned ahead to confirm which drinks were included. I was told that selected coffees, soft drinks, and cocktails were part of the package. However, upon arrival, I was told that only virgin cocktails were included — and after ordering my second, was informed that no cocktails at all were actually included. At breakfast the next morning, there wasn’t even a coffee menu available. For the price paid, the overall value was absolutely unacceptable.

When we stayed at Nambiti Plains (a more affordable lodge) all-inclusive truly meant all-inclusive, with the freedom to order from any menu and consistently excellent service.

Smaller details also reflected poor management: there was often no bartender on duty despite the lodge being fully booked. On several occasions, I waited over 15 minutes at an empty bar. At this price point, I would expect attentive service, with waiters taking and serving orders around the pool — something you’d easily find even at a modest 3-star resort.

And lastly, I understand the boma braai night is done mainly for foreign guests, but to pay over R9 000 and have to serve myself braaied meat, pap, potato salad, and butternut was incredibly disappointing. If we had known it was a braai night, we honestly would not have booked for that evening.

Overall, the experience was confusing, poorly communicated, and far below expectations. For what we paid, it was a major disappointment — and unfortunately, I won’t be returning or recommending...

Amazing stay with Nambiti Plains - very highly recommended. We chose to celebrate a big milestone in South Africa to create some very special memories. We toured from Joburg, through Nambiti to Durban and then onto Cape Town, and Nambiti Plains why by far the most memorable experience. Not only did we get to see each of the Big 5, we had close-up encounters with many animals on every game drive. Phil, our guide, was absolutely amazing and kept us captivated and engaged throughout - its easy to see why he won Safari Game Drive Guide of the Year. In addition to the 2x3hr drives each day (sunrise and sunset) we also did a guided Walk with Phil and got scarily close to a Rhino and some Buffalo! Nambiti (especially in the Winter) is amazing - every day we saw Buffalo, Black Rhino, White Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe and Zebra. One day one we heard the roar of a Lion close-up, the next day we found them feasting on a kill, and the next day we saw them mating! Really great Safari experience.In terms of the accommodation it was certainly 5. We loved the sympathetic design, the lodges really blended into the environment, and we often had wild animals roaming right up to the lodges. The rooms were spacious, clean and well appointed. Housekeeping was amazing and inconspicuous. The food was very good, wide selection for breakfast, varied options for dinner - and chef was happy to take requests. Facilities were okay (noting the main attraction are the game drives) but no Gym or Spa and neither would have been out of place at a 5 resort and would have been used by our group. Service was the best we experienced in South Africa, everyone was super friendly and attentive - and being a small team they remembered our names just as we could remember theirs (Magdel, Cindi, Mambosa, Kate, Precious and Bethi). For example, we had a problem with our transfer on arrival day so arrived too late for the scheduled game drive, but Magdel and Kate kindly put on a special shorter game drive so we didn't miss out - nice touch. However, everywhere else we stayed (and had meals at) put on some cake or bubbles to celebrate our milestone - but sadly not Nambiti Plains - though on the final day they did dress the room a little. I'm 100% sure it was an oversight as we otherwise were treated like family. If I had mentioned it they'd definitely have done something, but to be honest the memories Philip helped us create were more than enough. We only stayed four days, but shed a tear when we were leaving - you will absolutely enjoy your Safari experience at...