Bukela Game Lodge - Lion Roars Hotels and Lodges — Hotel in Sundays River Valley Local Municipality

It’s rare to find a place that surpasses your expectations in every way, but that is what you get with Bukela Game Lodge. From the moment my fiancée and I arrived we were blown away, and that wonderment only grew throughout our stay. From the wonderful private transfer, to the stunning lodge, the spacious room, the attention to detail, the phenomenal food, the most incredible staff, and what can only be described as an unreal safari experience, let me share why you need to make Bukela your next vacation destination.||Starting with the private transfer, we booked a round trip transfer through the lodge. Our driver, Igna, was an absolute treat and the perfect introduction (and conclusion) to our trip. She was prompt, kind, knowledgeable, and was gracious enough to share her enthusiasm and a bit of herself with us. She made the just over an hour drive go quickly and we felt safe the entire time we were with her. ||Upon arriving at Bukela we were greeted with welcome drinks and our bags were immediately taken from the car directly to our room. We wanted to make our first game drive that evening, and despite the close time, the manager hurried to get us checked in without feeling rushed so we could make it. ||It was on the first day that we met Evence, our driver for every game drive during our stay. While we may have had an idea that he was special on that first drive, we were left speechless by the end. I have been lucky enough to have traveled around the world and in that time I have had some amazing guides, but I have never met anyone like Evence. From that first drive we had it seemed that we had seen so much, but we were told that isn’t always the case. As fellow guests echoed that sentiment, one who had stayed a bit longer told us that he had a gift. We seemed to be the first people to every animal we came across. I was impressed when he said he prefers to use the animal tracks and sounds to find the animals as opposed to chasing radio calls. He could hear a roar and tell you that the lion was 4km away, place a hand in the air and determine how a shift in wind would send an animal in a certain direction. I have never seen anything like it in my life. The more time I spent with Evence, the more I learned just how his appreciation and respect for animals came to be. He is one of the most knowledgeable, hardworking, dedicated people I have ever met, and I learned so much from the six days I spent with him. Not only did we see more animals than I could have imagined, but our experiences with the animals seemed to reflect the inspiring respect that he had for them. While I could write a book about our time together, just know if you are lucky enough to have him as your driver, please know that you have someone special with you. ||Back to Bukela Game Lodge, the staff go above and beyond anywhere I have ever stayed. They greet you from every game drive with a special welcome drink, and when you arrive back to your room the housekeeping team has already gone through to open or close blinds and tidy up. You are in an unfenced area, so every day you call for the staff to take you to dinner. Everyone you speak to is always happy, genuine, and gracious. We were lucky enough to experience a brai twice during our stay as well as watch the staff sing songs and dance. It was an incredibly beautiful experience that moved me to tears before being swept up in the joy they exuded. Aside from the brai, all other meals had menu full of selections. Breakfast stayed the same, while lunch and dinner rotated. We were blown away by the food from the presentation to the flavor. I can be a picky eater, but I was so impressed I ventured outside of my comfort zone and tried many more dishes than I would have because they were so good. (If they have the beef skewers you must try them!) ||Our final evening we had a private dinner that they set up for us on the observation deck, and it was fantastic. Our server, Uzile, took great care of us, and we were gifted a delicious bottle of champagne to celebrate the occasion. The care they took to create that ambiance did not go unnoticed, and it was the best way to end our trip. ||The whole time I was there I was sharing Bukela with family and friends, and now I want to share it with you. There are countless nuances, surprises, and special touches that the staff provided for us, but that is for you to experience. What I can say is that I have never felt more respected and cared for on any trip than I have this one. We had so much fun and our enthusiasm was always matched. The people working there seem to be more of a family than a staff and that bleeds through to the guests in the best way. Be sure to bring extra cash to tip, because the one common conversation we heard in the mornings was people saying they wish they had more to give after their stay. Bukela surpasses expectations, and while we never once felt pressured to tip, I promise you the recommended amount will not feel like enough when it’s time to leave. Thank you again to everyone at Bukela for making our trip better than I could have hoped for. We can’t wait...

I purchased a steeply-discounted voucher from Travel Zoo for six days at Bukela Game Lodge. I was pleased with the price, because I believe a stay at Bukela can run anywhere from 600 USD to close to $1000 per night. I did not have a great experience with reservations at Lion Roars (parent company) when trying to secure the days for my visit (slow responses, and polite but unhelpful), but Travel Zoo was helpful. That said, I had a fabulous time at Bukela. I stayed during the third week of October, and the weather had surprising temperature fluctuations. The day of my arrival was cool and rainy. Two days later, it was 94°F at the height of the afternoon. Pro tip: pack so you can dress in layers. Clothing color doesn’t much matter because you are almost never out of the game drive vehicle. But you might want to avoid red, because evidently the animals don’t like it. Avoid white because of the dust, and I was told that it attracts ticks. When it was warm, I wore shorts and a tank top — and sunscreen! When it was cold, I had boots, leggings, a tunic, a cropped sweatshirt, and a linen hoodie. The lodge will give you a fleece-lined, hooded rain poncho, which is wonderful for windy or early morning and late night drives. At this time of year, a long scarf is also a great idea, as the drives can be windy. ||Be prepared to have a light breakfast at 5:30, and be on the road for your three-hour game drive by 6 AM. Return to the lodge at 9 AM for a hearty breakfast, and then most folks take a nap, or sit by the pools, or in the lounge area for water-hole viewing. There is a light lunch at 2 PM. My husband, who is a carnivore, wasn’t that jazzed by the lunch options. I am a pescatarian, and I thought the vegetarian options were outstanding. The second game drive of the day is from 4 to 7 PM. It is generally warm at 4pm, but it can get chilly at the end of the ride. Some folks go straight from the game drive to the bar or dining room for a pre-dinner cocktail. Dinner, which was a rather slow affair when I was there, can last for an hour and a half — or longer, if you get talking to the folks at the tables around you. The food is plentiful, as is the liquor. (No children under 12 at this lodge.)||I stayed in a tent with the equivalent of a thatched roof. It had a combination heating and air conditioning unit, as well as a small wood stove, which I didn’t use, but I’m sure would’ve been lovely. The tent was glamping in every sense of the word: coffee/tea station, stocked beverage fridge, porch with chaise longes, comfy seating area inside, huge bathroom with a soaking tub, shower with sliding glass doors opening on to nature, and housekeeping service twice daily. The staff were wonderful and so friendly. My only two complaints: unbelievably hard bed and no portable fan. ||Tipping was suggested at ZAR 150 per person per day for the general staff (an envelope will be provided at your checkout to leave that tip). For the ranger — who drives and shares knowledge on the two daily game drives — R150 per person per day is also suggested, and we tipped our ranger at the end of our last drive. I scheduled a deep-tissue massage — it was great. Book early, so you are not disappointed; Americans will find the price reasonable. You can also purchase from a limited selection of books, clothing, and jewelry at reception. ||To get ti the lodge, we flew Safair from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth (close airport to the lodge). I think most folks scheduled their transportation from Port Elizabeth to Bukela through the lodge. The charge was US$123 each way, which is expensive — but convenient. We used the Uber driver who drove us around Port Elizabeth during our short stay, and we paid him R1300 to take us to the lodge, and R1500 to return us to the airport. We communicated via WhatsApp, so it was convenient — and about half the price of the lodge-scheduled transportation. ||Our game drives were marvelous. We saw water buffalo, cheetahs, lions, warthogs, ostriches, zebras, elephants, rhinos, monkeys, hippos, birds, tortoises, and all manner of antelope and similar species. In a word, spectacular. I could have been satisfied with two days of game drives, and it was a real treat to have five days. Though, I will say that getting jostled around on the bumpy roads started to get a bit old at the end. The third row of the game drive vehicle at the back is a bouncy ride if you are on bumpy trails. If you have a bad back, ask to sit beside your ranger. In the last 45 minutes of a drive, we stopped for a small snack and a beverage. There are options for teetotalers, and my preference was coffee in the morning with Amarula, and gin and tonic in the afternoon. ||All in all, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I recommend Bukela...

From the positive side. If you are coming to S.A for a safari experience, then this reserve is great! We had the best experience with one of their rangers, Dario. We did 4 excursions in total with him, and he was passionate, knowledgeable, took his time to explain and show us all the animals, and made the safari experience all the more pleasant. We saw a lot of animals in the reserve, from the big 5 list, we saw 4, just missed the leopard (but I think that’s the most difficult one to spot). Dario had an amazing eye to spot tiny little animals at great distances. All 3 stars go to this experience.

The accommodations were fine, we stayed in what they call tents, which is more like a cabin, comfortable size, and with 360 views a bit nested on the hill, puts you in the Safari mindset right away.

It’s all downhill from here on.

When it comes to the staff, most of them are friendly, and try their best to be hospitable, however, most of our stay the staff at Bukela were clueless, and what it can be best described as “headless chickens” just passing time, no service-oriented whatsoever.

Food was the WORSE we had in South Africa. First dinner I had an overcooked risotto that honestly it looked like someone had already chewed it and spilled it on the plate, just a tasteless brown blob, it was the nightmare risotto that will forever hunt me. On the next morning I ordered eggs royale for breakfast, the waiter asked me how I wanted my poached eggs, which I requested soft, the eggs were so hard boiled that they were rubbery, Hollandaise sauce was tasteless, the bread part was defrosted and microwaved so it was chewy and spongy, not the best description for a bread, isn’t? Yet another nightmare in the making.

We complained to management (Silma), she assured us that she would keep a close eye on the catering and the restaurant staff. Last morning at Bukela, before the safari-drive in the morning (you are encouraged to be at the restaurant at 5:30 to have a small snack and coffee), on this particular morning there was no coffee and only one staff member that couldn’t cope with anything, and he was for lack of better words just absent-minded. When we came back from our morning drive, at the fear of getting another nightmare breakfast, I requested just two sunny side ups and toast (thinking they can’t mess it up), well I stood corrected, I’ve never seen more horrid cooked eggs in my life, it was just inedible. I think if I had salted my shoe-slippers would have been more edible, than the plastic-looking eggs. Yet another disappointment.

When we were leaving, we let the Bukela manager (Silma) know that food wise and staff wise, they have a long way to go to be calling themselves 4-star accommodation, she of course apologized and explained that their staff turnover had been quite high and that the new staff needed training still… I couldn’t agree more with her! Training is an understatement! I appreciated her care and her friendliness at the end, however I can’t help but feel that it was just of damage-control act, as nothing was really done after our first complain. For our 3 day-2 night’s stay.. we did not eat well at all, everything we requested from staff took ages and sometimes we even desisted because we couldn’t wait any longer.

Anyways, want to end in a good note, THE SAFARI IS WORTH IT!

As I’m hunted by the food… I share the pics of the...