Kichaka Luxury Game Lodge - Lalibela Game Reserve — Hotel in Makana Local Municipality

We recently did 2 weeks in South Africa for our honeymoon, ending it with a three night stay at Kichaka at Lalibela.

Absolutely stunning doesn't quite cut it. The lodge, our private lodge, the surroundings, the animal encounters - all incredible. But despite all of that, what stood out above all was how immense the staff and rangers were.

The staff couldn't do enough for you. They were amazing and such lovely people. Right from the those serving breakfast through to the mixologist who'd make whatever you wanted.

A special mention has to go to our two rangers - Ash and Nathan (it was also Nathan's first day!!) - they were absolutely brilliant. I've never been more excited to get up at 5 in the morning. It was even seeing the animals, it was the excitement of trying to find them, and the enthusiasm and knowledge they both had was incredible. Parking up the jeep to have some G&Ts in the park was just stunning.

I never thought I'd be blown away by Termite mounds, but I was! We also did a couple of extras - a night drive and a walk. Both incredible and would highly recommend. The night drive in particular was a sensory overload, so exciting with an undertone of fear of hearing all sorts but without being able to see. The best part was driving into the herd of Buffalo and seeing a sea of red eyes staring at us - amazing.

Oh and we saw an Aardvark - apparently the first time in 7 years the rangers had seen one - they were super excited - so naturally we were too!! Oh and don't get me started on the herd of elephants...epic.

I could go on forever, but this place holds a special place in hearts. Thanks to all the staff involved, and thanks to our two amazing rangers - Ash and Nathan - we WILL be back!!

Tom...

From the moment you arrive at the reception and are taken down to the lodge you know this is going to be very special. The lodge had sitting rooms, library area, open fires, bar area and a beautiful restaurant. When the weather improved we also ate outside on the veranda looking at the waterhole and the hippos. All very high quality and spotlessly clean. The food is exceptional and apart from very high end drinks, wine, beer and some spirits are all included. The rooms are just as pictured, all just a few minutes walk from the lodge. Giant bed, sitting area, superb bathroom and a deck with heated plunge pool.|Despite all this luxury what makes this place very special are the staff. From cleaning, to waitress, to chef, everyone makes you feel so special. They are so friendly and willing to make sure you enjoy your stay. Special mention to Sam. But best of all, Woody. Woody met us as soon as we arrived at reception and explained he would be our guide on game drives. He was excellent, a fountain of knowledge about the animals in the reserve, including all the birds and flora. We also went one on a night drive with him, he's also a knowledgable astronomer.|I also need to note that during our stay, one of our group had a special birthday, cake was made by the staff and all the kitchen staff came and sang happy birthday. On our last night sparkling wine was left in our rooms, bath run and candles. Sadly we didn't take advantage of this as we went on a night drive. (Cheetahs and elephants in the dark and South African night sky)|A very special place that created many...

What can I say, absolutely amazing. We had a late afternoon flight and as soon as we entered the reserve we saw the most fantastic welcome by the impalas and zebras and the experience just improved from there.||A big shout out to our guide Des, and Shaun and the rest of the staff, all made us most welcome and could not have done more to make an experience of a lifetime for my wife and I and our teenage daughters.||We had the pleasure of two drives per day, the first a few minutes from arrival and included a male lion attack on a hyena. We also had fabulous experiences with a black rhino, white rhinos, giraffes, a family of elephants, a herd of buffalo, a female lion hunt, curious warthogs, sunbathing hippos, the highlight for me was coming face to face with a bull elephant on our last day 😬.||As for the sunsets, absolutely incredible, made special evening by Des stopping in the perfect spot with either a hot chocolate or gin and tonic 👏||The lodges were luxurious and well cared for, food and drink well above expectations and extremely courteous and helpful staff. Congrats to all the team and a huge thank you.||We cannot recommend highly enough and will definitely...