Dwyka Tented Lodge (Sanbona Wildlife Reserve) — Hotel in Swellendam Local Municipality

My wife and I stayed 3 nights in this lodge. We had an incredible experience while we were there. Between the game drives and food it was a time to remember. We had Marco as our game driver and he was the definition of the perfect guide. He was extremely knowledgeable on basically everything we asked questions on. Animals, plants, trees, birds, old buildings, history of the reserve…. You get the picture. He was the best!! The place is massive, like really massive, so the animals can be hard to find at times. But, thankfully for us, Marco was able to find everything besides the White Rhino close up and a leopard at all. Although he did try very hard!

Although I’m giving this place 5 stars, there are a few things that I wasn’t pleased about. The tents use to have hot tubs and were turned into “plunge pools”. This sucked for us as we planned on having drinks in the evening and enjoy the warm water since it was in the 40s Fahrenheit thought the morning and night. The water was extremely cold and got zero use.

The bathtub in the room has very little water pressure and was unable to enjoy a proper bath after a long day on the Safari truck due to the time it would have taken to fill up.

The walk way to the tents is all gravel/dirt/rocks and when we arrived they took our luggage to the tent. Well, they dragged it for some time basically destroyed the wheels on a brand new $250usd suitcase that was specifically bought for this trip. The lower wheels are basically locked up and will not roll with unless plenty of effot is given.

All and all it was a trip of a lifetime. We would definitely recommend this place. Ask for Marco and carry your own luggage...

If I could give Dwyka (and the whole of Sanbona) a 10-star rating, I would. We stayed here for two nights, and the staff were incredibly friendly, going out of their way to make our stay as memorable as possible.

The excellence lies in the small but significant details: the staff addressing you by name and remembering your food and drink preferences; the housekeeping team leaving thoughtful surprises and treats in the rooms for when you return from the game drives; and so much more. The lodges are beautifully designed inside and out.

The game drives were among the most incredible experiences we’ve ever had. We saw almost all the animals (though the cheetah eluded us this time!), and their proximity to our car was unbelievable.

Our guide Ethan really made our holiday. His extensive knowledge and passion for the animals, as well as the landscape and flora, were incredibly impressive—even down to knowing the names of small succulents we would never have noticed otherwise. We must have asked hundreds of questions over the course of the few days and he always had a fascinating answer for everything!

Thank you to everyone who made our time here so special. We will cherish these...

Dwyka Lodge is a great place to see South African wildlife. The accommodation in tents is simply amazing. Sanbona is a vast reserve with plenty of space for wild animals. The game drives last approximately four hours each, totaling to eight hours per day. This because the Rangers have to drive serious distances to find the animals. So depending on your luck, your game drive is sometimes more drive than game. Overall, the experience is impressive. The staff is generally very accommodating and friendly. The culinary experience for the lunches and dinners has its ups and downs. And if you choose Dwyka Lodge as your safari destination, make sure you ask for driving instructions. Google maps gave us several access points to the reserve. However, some are blocked by locked gates without access to the reserve. You also want to note that the drive from the main gate to the lodge takes one hour on...