Kariega Game Reserve - Main Lodge — Hotel in Ndlambe Local Municipality

We were counting down the days until our visit to visit Kariega and we were not left disappointed. As the 4th of August approached our three children (aged 13, 11 and 8) were beyond excited, their first ever African Safari experience was about to begin. Communication prior to arrival was prompt and booking rooms making payments thanks to Amber were a breeze. Then we arrived to a cheerful welcome from the receptionist and the man who made our stay amazing, our game driver Daniel. From the second we passed those security gates we were in heaven. We dropped our cases at our very spacious comfortable chalet and headed on our first of many game drives. Honestly I would recommend Kariega to anyone looking to book a safari experience. The staff were all so attentive, professional and made our stay wonderful. Massive shout out to Ntosh who organises the children’s junior ranger activities in between the game drives. We wish we could have bottled up her wonderful personality as her positive energy is just a joy and the children had a fantastic time with her. The variety of food choices and quality in the restaurant along with the selection of drinks at the bar was incredible. Just too delicious and plentiful with exceptional service from smiling staff. We have extremely fussy eating children so had been apprehensive but there was a children’s menu with usual favourites to pick so nobody was ever hungry. I honestly felt we had 3 course meals 3 times a day plus snacks on the game drives in between! The Boma was a real treat of the local food and it was a joy to watch the foundation children perform and be able to join in, we can still hear the music and chanting. But on to the main event our game drives. Honestly these are the memories we will cherish forever and we were so lucky to have Daniel take us out as he made these moments “epic” and cannot thank him enough. Being so unbelievably close to the animals, yet feeling at ease because of his knowledge and calm nature meant the experiences were enjoyable. He engaged with our children throughout each trip ensuring they were fully involved, taken care of and had enjoyable experiences. We had several game drives and seeing all the animals free and living their best lives was just a dream. We saw 4/5 big five, despite my children’s best efforts sadly no leopard was spotted. We will always remember seeing the lioness and her cubs, watching the braver curious cub creeping closer to our vehicle before yawning. Also the cheetah’s blood on their faces, paws, lying looking extremely fat, next to an ostrich carcass was impressive. For me though my favourite moments would be the elephants, not when we drove and found them munching and doing what they love in the bush but rather when we stopped for a morning coffee and I spotted them actually approaching us. It was a quick drink and back in the vehicle so we could be ready for when they passed right by us. Then seeing the matriarch telling off the teenage bulls to back away from her heard was awe inspiring, broken by amusement as seeing the baby ‘dumbo’ charge too! Super cute. Daniel ensured we had an amazing time, whilst laughing along the way. Thanks to him we got to go look for hippos on a night drive, hear their bellows, then witness one diving so close in front of us. Also at each turn on the road we didn’t know if the traffic jam would be a giraffe, elephant, or in one case a rhino who was not up for moving! Heart pounding moments, but again despite knowing how wild and dangerous these creatures could be we felt utterly safe because Daniel was alert and we followed his instructions. With the exception of not seeing a leopard our only wish could be that we were closer to hear the alpha lions roar and watch them in action… definitely next time. We came away from our stay here (4 nights) blown away by the staff and our experiences, already planning to return, on the provision that if he’s still there we can have Daniel again as a guide. He might be new to Kariega but his personality, approach and knowledge is excellent. Thanks Kariega, destination of dreams,...

Where to even start... My wife and I stayed at Kareiga Main Lodge for 3 nights in Sept 25. The lodge itself was clean and well situated being only a short walk to the restaurant area and also a nice little trail walk (which you can do unguided). The food at the restaurant was superb, very varied and we were also treated to a lovely outdoor BBQ one evening. The staff on site were superb. Always welcoming and even managed to help us retrieve lost luggage from the airport. Special mention for our guide, Hein!! Hein, you truly took our Safari experience to the next level, so thank you so much! Your breadth of knowledge was informative without being the slightest bit off topic or uninteresting. Special note to finding a Cheetah on our first Game drive and then being treated to him hunting! (hope the Brothers have been reunited). Second special note to AJ, the graduate part of the local training scheme. AJ your ability to integrate into the group within a few minutes was brilliant and you brought some very good facts to the table too! I hope you find a place as a guide at the Reserve. 10/10 life experience, I cannot recommend enough. In fact, I have been :D Thanks...

We spent 4 days at Main Lodge, Kariega from 01 - 04 Aug. We’re a family of 4 with 2 children aged 14 and 10. ||We have no hesitation to say that every aspect of our stay exceeded our expectations.||We were housed in a very comfortable 3 bedroom chalet with stunning views across the forests and hills. Daily visits from the housekeepers kept it spotless. ||The breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets provided plenty of delicious, wholesome dishes served by permanently smiling, polite staff.||The safari drives were just brilliant, escorted by the superb Amber. Her ability to identify birds and animals by sight or call was amazing. Her knowledge on animal and bird behaviour was also excellent. The above was delivered with fantastic enthusiasm to educate all in her happy group, whatever their age. We can’t imagine a better guide.||The reserve is huge with a variety of environments. We were lucky enough to see a long list of different animals and birds which included lions, rhinos, buffalo, cheetah and elephant. ||Can’t recommend this...