Gondwana Private Game Reserve — Hotel in George

Booked into the Kwena lodge for my fiancés 30th birthday. Saw online that Gondwana lodge offered all meals, two game drives per day as well as mountain biking and hikes and thought this was an excellent deal- boy was I wrong!

Firstly, I had requested arrival at 9am so that we might do some mountain biking. However, despite the website and brochure offering “complimentary mountain biking” I was told that recent rains had rendered this service unavailable. However, this was later exposed to not being true as in fact half of the staff told us this was available and could be arranged, whilst others said this service had been discontinued and the website needed to be updated. And on the game drive, all mountain biking routes were intact with signs demarcating the routes still present.

Secondly, the stay was plagued by poor service and plain confusion. On arrival, no one was present to welcome us. On check-in, the host had clearly been informed of my frustration with not being able to bike, and this seemed to have made him cold and unfriendly towards us. On returning to my car to fetch the luggage, I was then surprised by staff offering to move the car and carry luggage only to have a balloon I bought my fiancé be released into the abyss. There was no welcome tour of the property to orientate us to the facilities. Signage is non-existant. We were however shown to our room when we informed the host we did not know where to go, and this seemed like quite the burden for him.

Meal times were disorganised and every single time we had to wait to be helped. We were invited to a “high tea” which was anything but the sort - after about 8 minutes, I had to ask how to get some tea or coffee and was then told I had to go to a self-service area that provided only watery filter coffee and tea, with no snacks whatsoever on offer. Perhaps I may be old fashioned, but a high tea generally includes sweet and savoury finger snacks. On our last day, our game drive ran late and so we arrived late to breakfast. Our waiter asked us if we had been helped, and when we said no he immediately asked what we wanted, to which we replied we did not know as we had no menus! His irritation seemed to only grow as two courses were brought out simultaneously - being forced to gulp down breakfast was almost as unpleasant as the waiters attitude.

The game drive was fun. We got to see most animals, however a more informative drive with more exposition would have been appreciated (but that is my personal preference). However, it became a bit much when the ranger started telling us about a desire to change career paths and seemed demotivated. As someone who has come to a nature reserve to celebrate my fiancé and escape the problems of every day life, I could have done without this negativity (although my deepest sympathy extends to the ranger in question).

As the weekend was designed to celebrate my fiancé, with the lodge being informed in advance, it was frustrating when I had to remind the staff of the occasion - after they had already taken our dessert orders. My fiance was presented with some hurriedly-defrosted sponge cake with icing piped on top (this was given to us, mind you, in place of what seemed to be the best meal of the trip looking at others' plates - gourmet citrus malva pudding and tiramisu). Not to sound ungrateful, but if one is going to try to attempt to surprise the guests, perhaps plan this in advance with the booking person/host.

Finally, on check out, it turns out our waiter who rushed us from the restaurant did not submit our slip and so we had to wait for our final bill for approx 10min. We were then presented with the wrong bills, which was an unpleasant cherry on top of an unpleasant stay.

Also, note that an additional fee of R400 per adult is levied for a "conservation fee" despite this being a private game lodge. Gondwana lodge charges luxury prices but delivers a...

Not What I Expected After planning the Gondwana Safari for 4 months, having to postpone because I tested ‘positive’ 2 days before departure and then rescheduling for 5 weeks later…My expectations were to have a relaxing ‘safari’ adventure…it was not what I got… What I did ‘get’ was a week, yes 1 week, filled with excitement, thrills, awe in all of the wild kingdom the “Safari” had to offer. From 6 am -ish rides, to our 4 pm-ish rides… our guide for the week was “Q”... Gondwana… keep “Q” happy, as you will lose one of THE best Rangers in your reserve. “Q” is the “whisperer”, he is so knowledgeable, compassionate and extremely patient. I read TripAdvisor reviews before we came and all said the same thing… if you get “Q”, you will have the experience of a lifetime! We had the same 2 other couples for the week, and we, too, were patient. Q knew when the “King” of the Jungle, was going to ‘roar’, when ‘The Ladies Club’ came to visit my hut, Q knew how to coax them out and move on to their merry way. Let’s get back to the ‘relaxation’ part…ha! We were up at 5 am every morning, sure, we could have ‘missed’ a Safari ride or 2 to enjoy the Reserve, but why? This is why you are here, right? During our early morning rides, we enjoyed coffee & rusks with the zebras & giraffes… during our evening rides, we enjoyed delicious Gin & Tonics (or whatever your taste desired) at our Sundowners ride…again in the ‘safe’ area. We saw the “BIG 5” and then some. I won’t tell you what I found because some ‘people’ who are reading this, might have other ideas about ‘safari’ and they are not welcome. There are the ‘night’ rangers who ‘protect’ who I am referring to. You will understand when you get there. On to the food… there was a signature ‘juice’ every morning. The breakfast and lunch menu did not change, but the dinner menu changed after 5-6 meals. We did not leave hungry. Wine was served if desired, the coffee…best I’ve tasted. The breakfast offered Egg and non-egg (tofu) which I enjoyed thoroughly, when I wasn’t in the mood for the full meat breakfast. We enjoyed the Braii served one evening. So Delicious…African BBQ–can’t be beat! Each and every staff member from the front desk to the ‘cleaning/housekeeping’, to the waitstaff, cooks, greeters, Rangers, bartenders…were amazing! I honestly did not expect this ‘trip’ of a lifetime to be so engaging for the week. I can’t believe what we saw, did, experienced during the 7 days and I am so glad we took advantage of each and every Safari ride, as it was always different each time. Just a little bit of info about our Hut... there are bugs..yes..but remember, you are in 'their' house, just 'get over it'.We had no mosquitoes, don't remember any files. Also...there is NO TV...you are not there to 'plug in'..you are there to be 'one with the wild'. Wifi is fine...but just enjoy being 'disconnected'...it does a body good! I just can’t believe what we experienced in a week. It feels like a dream now that we are back home in the States…but I am printing many pictures for our new African theme house! Thank you Q and Gondwana for such a life changing, renewed feeling! The air smells amazing and I filled my lungs, brain and heart with an unforgettable memory!

Here is a nice thought…tip well. The African Rand only goes so far. We tipped our Ranger separately and added American money to our tip as he went well beyond what we expected and did it willingly. He enjoyed our company as we enjoyed his! We tipped over $1000.00 Rand for the entire week for the staff and I still don’t think that was enough. I did enjoy the 2 hour African Spa treatment–Happy Hippo. I fell asleep! It...

It’s difficult for me to put into words what I experienced here, but let me try.

We wanted a private game drive and the only chance was at Gondwana Private Game Reserve. We needed to book a night here which was not really financially viable for us. But.. I really wanted a private game drive so YOLO. They couldn’t guarantee it because that’s only possibly from 48 hours in advance. I came into contact with Serina, someone who I’ve come to learn as the very best in her line of work. She pulled some strings and eventually could guarantee the private game drive. Something that Milan helped her do (THANK YOU MILAN!!).

So, we went to our lodge for 1 night. The same day we had our private game drive booked. And ofcourse, the only day that it was raining, and heavily. Because of this we didn’t see much but Tharin made sure I had a big smile on my face the whole 2,5 hours we were basically drowning 😂. Thank you Tharin for not giving up!!!

The next day the animals weren’t really out and about so we didn’t feel like we got the whole experience. We went to the reception and tried to book another night. This was not possible for the lodge we were staying in. The only thing available was a villa for a surplus of 50%. We found this to be a bit overkill so we decided not to. But the whole time I had this gnawing feeling. Where I’m from there is a saying: “you don’t get what you don’t ask for”. So I tried to negotiate the price for the lodge but for the villa. The lovely woman at the desk gave me the phone and guess who was on the other line.. You guessed it; Serina!! Yeeeeeejjjj! I was so happy to speak with her again so I could thank her again for what she did for us. She couldn’t give us the available villa for the price of the lodge (it’s not their villa but privately owned). But ofcourse Serina doesn’t come with problem. Serina comes with solutions! ❤️❤️❤️

She could offer us a villa for the price LOWER than the lodge. WHAAATTT???? We couldn’t believe our eyes when we got there and we were literally jumping up and down so happy!

The same day we had our first game drive with Soney. What. A. Guide!! We saw so much.. He knew where to go and he was so knowledgeable! This is a person who is passionate about what he does. The experience we had was lovely.. But it was nothing compared to the next day.

The morning after we had our last game drive, again with Soney! We were 2 minutes late but at 5am we were scheduled to go. So we drove past him and he turned around. We saw the lions which we really wanted to! But later.. Later we saw something we’ll never forget. Because of his knowledge, he knew we had to keep around an area that had a baby impala wondering alone. He said something like “just hold tight”. And what happened next.. We couldn’t believe. A cheetah showed herself and was hunting the baby impala! And we got to witness the hunt in full! What an experience.. 🥲

So.. a special thank you to 2 people who deserve a big raise! Serina and Soney.. You are both amazing at what you do and you made this an unforgettable experience for us!!! I cannot thank you both enough. From every fiber in my being…. THANK YOU!!!!

Oh, and Soney.. I’m sorry about that wildebeest skull. I was a bit excited. 🫣

Also, the rest of the staff that tended to every of our needs.. Thank you for a wonderful experience! All the staff is lovely and very kind. I love the South-African...