Mafigeni Safari Lodge — Hotel in Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality

We’re just recovering from the jet lag of a long flight back from Africa, but I had to write this review while things were still fresh in my head. We met the owner of Mafigeni, Jill, at the hunting expo in Denver. We weren’t even interested in an African Safari but the friend we were with was, and he stopped by all the booths so, subsequently we did too. We started getting very interested and then fairly excited about the prospect of going to Africa. Mafigeni looked like they had a very nice package and after a bit of research and discussion, we decided to pull the trigger and buy their photo safari package. All I can say is that I’m really glad we went with them! The lodge itself is amazing. Tucked off in a very safe area, we left thousands of dollars of camera equipment and cash unlocked in our room without ever thinking twice about it. The lodge is secluded and beautiful, very authentic safari experience! We got our own “bungalow” which was very comfortable and in great condition. The eating area is amazing and I’d go up in the morning to check email on wifi and sip coffee with beautiful views. The staff is incredible. Let me start with our photo guide Leo. You absolutely couldn’t ask for a better guide in Africa! Leo was so attentive to us, always looking out for us and making sure we had anything we wanted. Leo has a lot of great stories and we very much enjoyed talking to him and learning about Africa. Leo can also spot animals like nobody I’ve ever seen. We’d be driving down a road and Leo would say “Oh, there’s some wildebeest over there”, we’d look and look and after driving a quarter of a mile we’d start to be able to make them out! He has a super eye for things normal folks would miss. Leo would also get the car in the perfect position for me to take photos. Not sure how he could just “judge” where I needed to be to get the perfect shot in a small opening, but he did it! The rest of staff is amazing too. They treated us like family and we were actually quite sad to leave them at the end of the safari. Theresa was wonderful and fun to talk to, her two beautiful daughters were there as well and both were so sweet and fun to spend time with. The hunting guides Gavin, Matt, and Alec are a blast too, we didn’t get to spend a ton of time with them, but each meal we had with them they would tell stories and make us laugh, what a great crew! The other staff such as Chef King and Happy who took care of our room were great. We ate out a lot as we were on the road for adventures so we didn’t get to eat a lot of King’s cooking, but what we did get was very tasty! The meals were from game meat harvested (I believe) on their farm and we got to experience some great local dishes! Don’t worry, none of the meat was “gamey” at all, everything we had was delicious! The package was a lot of fun. We definitely kept busy seeing cool things like animal rescues and game preserves. We opted to pay a little extra for an extra day in Kruger, glad we did as we got to photograph lion’s mating! The other adventures were fun, even the zip lining canyon beat the zip lining we did in Costa Rica! You’ll be tired when you get back to camp as there’s a lot to do and to see. I’d highly recommend a visit to Mafigeni, even if you only stop in for a night or two. Such a wonderful place with amazing people, you won’t be disappointed. Here’s a little advice I’d give anyone booking with them: Our package included airfare which was nice, but the flights were long and on Ethiopian Airlines which is not a great airline. See if you can either get a credit for airfare and book your own or find the path you want and request it. 30 hours of travel time on a crowded plane with little AC was not fun. Talk to them about the activities and what’s available. They have a lot you can do and as I said, we decided to pay for an extra night in Kruger and forgo another adventure which was well...

Went to Mafageni after years of my husband saying he wanted to go to Africa. We'd been to every booth at outdoor shows and collected every pamphlet there was. Met Jill and Alec at the show in Denver a few years ago and decided to book with them. Glad we did.

Like others, we got our own flights and got a credit for the airfare. Not that there was anything wrong with their flights, but we were able to upgrade to business, which was way more comfy! From the moment Alec picked us up at the airport, we had the best time. The bungalows were great, and the property is well maintained and beautiful. They go out of their way to take care of you. Your clothes are washed and left folded on your bed each day. Made it so you didn't have to over pack. We each took a small carry on instead of a giant suitcase. That was a nice feature.

My husband wanted to hunt for a couple of days, and they arranged our schedule accordingly. Alec said that if he was good at his job, we'd be back drinking a beer by noon. We originally started out Impala hunting, but my husband ended up getting a nice Kudu (Steve). And yes, we were back by noon. Since we didn't need two days for hunting, we got in more sightseeing, which was great. We were able to actually eat Kudu, and the whole camp enjoyed it. The rest of the meat went to locals, so it wasn't wasted. Alec got the head over to a local taxidermist, and helped with the process of getting it mounted. The taxidermist did a great job, and were very helpful getting the mount to Denver. Clearance through customs was really easy, and you can easily save money and do it yourself.

Never seen so many animals in my life. Alec was the best guide, even though he claimed he was only a hunting guide. He answered my questions about trees, flowers and birds, so I think he did ok on the non hunting stuff.

I could go on and on, as it was the perfect holiday. We referred some friends, who ended up going a year after we did, and they loved it too. Just referred them to someone else. Hopefully, they go as well. They said they always dreamed of going, and I said they needed to go to Mafageni. It would meet all their expectations. We're plan on going back again in...

This experience is absolutely something I'd recommend everyone to do at least once in your life. If you've ever thought about going to Africa and don't know where to start, reach out to Jill at Mafigeni. She'll ensure you get the best possible mix of safari, plus excursions that will change the way you think of life in South Africa.||||Jessica the hippo is a once in a lifetime experience, you'll never forget it. ||||Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation is doing incredible work to save injured African wildlife and was a 10/10 tour. Very glad this was part of the itinerary.||||The safari itself though Kruger... I cannot put into words how mind-blowing it is to see these majestic animals in their natural environments. The photos we took from cell phones look like they were taken with a professional zoom lens.... The animals are so close to you it's really hard to believe. What a magical place. ||||And finally, a huge huge thank you to our guide Herman. He made this trip extra special for all of us and tailored every single day to our group's interests. The man works HARD to make sure you have an unforgettable trip and we cannot thank him enough. He's a pro in every sense and really puts his heart into making your trip special. Thank you Herman! ||||If you see Jill at a show and are reading reviews trying to decide if this trip is for you - this is your sign to do it. Just do it. You'll not regret it for one second. ...