Pumba Private Game Reserve — Hotel in Makana Local Municipality

We really enjoyed our two days at Pumba; I wish we could have had a third night and we were sorry to leave, but we did have a wonderful time. The staff were excellent, from reception to restaurant – attentive and friendly. The food was also very good, delicious and the portions not over-facing.

The lodge room was comfortable and well-appointed though we didn’t spend much time in it, between morning and afternoon drives! And it was the game drives which were so special; our ranger was Harry and I’ve emailed Pumba to say how excellent he was. He seemed to know instinctively where the animals would be, and was first at the sightings of white lions, cheetahs and rhino, getting closer to the animals than the other vehicles which arrived later. And his off-road skills had to be admired! It was a very nice group in his vehicle: two women, a family of four and the three of us; we had a lot of laughs as well as some memorable animal sightings. Harry was lovely with Lewis, the young son of the family.

So al in all we had a great time and were very happy to have booked Pumba through you. I’d certainly go again.

Best wishes Roger

Our stay was absolutely fantastic, what a great place to have a true South African experience, Mark , my husband enjoyed his time there immensely. The staff were wonderful and food was excellent as well as the Accommodation and facilities.

Headman was an enjoyable ranger and incredibly knowledgeable, we would recommend this lodge to all our Ozzie friends.

Kerryn & Mark Argiropoulos

Pumba was excellent both in terms of room and food and service. We had a very good ranger for the game drives. I would rate that whole experience 9 out of 10.

The Sands was also very good and welcoming. Again room service and food were very good. They had a running problem with wi fi which was frustrating but otherwise it was 9 out of 10 again.

Thank you for all your help.

David

The experience was awesome. We had the big 5 twice in 3 Days. Perfect weather, good company and excellent food. The ranger was one of the best we ever had in our more than 100 game drives up to now.

Once again thanks for your support

Warm regards Pierre Lantsheer

I wrote an email to your Reservation Department this morning to thank everyone involved with the booking at Pumba game Lodge for my children Norman and Michelle van Graan from NZ. It was a most wonderful experience. The whole trip, from the pick up from the airport to the lovely chalet, game drives and food was absolutely wonderful. Marissa’s suggestion, to book at Pumba was spot on. Thank you again to everyone involved with the booking for a wonderful time at Pumba Game Lodge. We will definitely make use of your services again in the future. Greetings, Dorothy Horn. For Norman and...

Pumba is truly a magical place, and we feel so privileged to have spent our honeymoon in this beautiful paradise. From start to finish, we have been made to feel so welcome, and every day spent here has created amazing memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. We stayed in one of the large chalets at the water lodge, where everything feels luxury and grounded at the same time. A quality that is difficult to achieve, but ensures that the experience remains authentic in the best way. Our chalet overlooked the nearby lake, where we would watch hippos, baboons, and bushbuck bathe in the glistening sunshine. Monkeys visited often to play & tease, and bring so much joy to our lazy afternoons. The chalet itself is huge, decorated lovingly, and very comfortable. We slept so peacefully, listening to the echoes of wildlife beneath the stars. Food & drink is excellent, with plenty of variety, freshness and flavour. We enjoyed each meal immensely, and adored the inclusion of local ingredients such as meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, and fruits. The staff are fabulous! They are so attentative and personable, and it really feels like they love Pumba, and love to share the experience with guests. The most special of the staff are of course the rangers, who take you on twice daily game drives (in the morning and early evening). We were fortunate enough to have Nathi as our ranger for the entirety of our stay. We will be eternally grateful for the special moments his guidance created. He showed us each of the animals like they were his friends that he visited as often as possible, showing the mutual respect between himself and the wildlife. His knowledge and passion for the animals is inspiring. He truly is a credit to himself and to Pumba. Thank you all for the most special experience in the most...

This is our third game drive in South Africa, so we´ve got some experience. We stayed in the Bush Lodge. The hotel itself is great, the rooms are spacious, clean, with a little private pool, and hot water to warm your bed. These little details that make your heart warm. Also, we were very lucky with our Ranger Mzi, who made our 2 nights stay at Pumba very memorable, especially for my 6 y.o. boy, who did not want to leave because of the special bond they made with our ranger. Mzi is very knowledgeable and has a great sense of humour, so we really appreciated his dedication to what he does. We used the nanny service for our baby twice while we were in a game drive, and we were very happy for how it went.

On a not so happy note, there was one lady in the restaurant, that snapped at my kid in front of me, which is absolutely unacceptable, because if you have a problem with a child, you have to talk to a parent. We had a baby with us too, so maybe 2 kids was too much for this lady, or maybe she had a bad day, but all of us (and we were 4 grown ups) felt unwelcomed by her during our meals in the restaurant. After this incident with the child she did not serve us anymore, so we were relieved, but this one single person was the only bad thing about Pumba, still, I would want to have a more kid-friendly atmosphere next time we...