Kariega Game Reserve Ukhozi Lodge

Cannot put into words how amazing our stay was at Ukhozi Lodge. The staff cannot do enough for you, they are so welcoming. Thank you so much to everyone. The rooms, food, drinks, wellness center were all faultless. Big comfy bed in the room! My dream was always to go on a safari, so I had high expectations and was so excited. Well, I cannot stress enough how much Megan our ranger guide/driver exceeded every expectation I had. What a wonderful person with so much information to share and a true passion for wild animals. The game reserve is beautiful, it is amazing to get so close to the animals whilst respecting their space and boundaries. To see Thandi in real life after reading so much about her… it was so special. We were so emotional saying goodbye to Kariega and Megan. This was the best place we have ever visited and I have never felt happiness like it. We will be back!!!! Kirsten & Ben

The Ukhozi Lodge was stunning on every count possible, beautiful scenery, idyllic and calm, mixed with pure comfort and amazing food and drink. But all of that is nothing compared to the wonderful team who look after you. Oh my gosh, the service, the kindness, and constant warm smiles are truly what make this hotel the best I have ever stayed in. The individual lodges provide a scenic delight across part of the reserve as well as provide ultimate comfort. Then, after all that, you get assigned a Ranger who remains your ranger for your stay, I had not read anything before we went.. but I can tell you from a very biased perspective we had the best... Melissa. She was amazing, so knowledgeable and for sure the best driver I have ever seen!! Her superb reversing skills are a must for those moments when the track is only wide enough for you and the Bull Elephant!!! Melissa knows that Reserve like the back of her hand and was relentless in ensuring that we saw every animal possible from cheetahs to Rhino's to the pack of teenage Lions and mum fresh with their kill. The hippos, the birds, every type of antelope, and the stealers of our hearts the crazy warthogs.. finally, on our last day, she rearranged the morning drive so we could attend and be back for our 9.00 am pick up.. and to top it off with minutes to spare, she managed to show us elusive male pair of Lions. Honestly, Kariega is more than your average safari.. the landscape alone sets it apart from many others. We will defo return and will be bringing our tribe to share the beauty with our friends and family.. and maybe we will get lucky and get Mellisa as our Ranger Guide again

It was our second time visiting Kariega (thanks to an Instagram competition win!) - last time we stayed and Settlers Drift and this time we were at the Ukhozi Lodge… and it was just as spectacular as our first stay! The staff and service was great and the food was exceptional. We particularly enjoyed the braai night - fab food (and atmosphere with the singing also). The accommodation was incredibly clean and the decor is great. Huge comfy beds! Unfortunately the weather wasn’t warm enough for us to brave the plunge pool on our balcony or the communal pool. We had an issue with our shower one night but it was fixed within 15 mins of reporting the problem to reception. The cleaning of the room while you are on the morning drive and the turn down service when you are on the evening drive are lovely touches. Obviously a very special mention is needed for our guide - Melissa. She had it all - amazing knowledge of the animals (and plants and stars!), great chatting away with us all, fab bartender / barrista(!), lovely to spend time with at breakfast/dinner, not to mention the driving skills. Her determination was second to none in ensuring we saw the lions - not only did we find the 2 male lions, but also the female lion with her 3 cubs - wow. Also, the rain was pretty epic one day - hats off to her to keep smiling, driving & talking! She also took us on a walking guided tour one day in-between both safari drives. Feeling very lucky to have had so many amazing encounters with the animals. I feel so lucky to have experienced Kariega twice now and would love to make it three!

I dont know where to start. The Ukhozi Lodge was stunning on every count possible, beautiful scenery, idyllic and calm, mixed with pure comfort and amazing food and drink. But all of that is nothing compared to the wonderful team who look after you. Oh my gosh, the service, the kindness, and constant warm smiles are truly what make this hotel the best I have ever stayed in. Now, after all that, you get assigned a ranger, I had not read anything before we went.. but I can tell you from a very biased perspective we had the best... Melissa. She was amazing, so knowledgeable and for sure the best driver I have ever seen.. she knows that Reserve like the back of her hand and was relentless in ensuring that we saw every animal possible from cheetahs to Rhino's to the pack of teenage Lions and mum fresh with their kill. The hippos, the birds, evey type of antelope, and the stealers of our hearts the crazy warthogs.. finally, on our last day, she rearranged the morning drive so we could attend and be back for our 9.00 am pick up.. and to top it off with minutes to spare, she managed to show us the male pair of Lions. Honestly, Kariega is more than your average safari.. the landscape alone sets it apart from many others. we will defo return and will be bringing our tribe to share the beauty with our friends and family.. and maybe we will get lucky and get Mellisa as our Ranger Guide again

From arrival to departure the staff were wonderful, the luxury room was clean and beautiful. The view itself stunning. Food excellent, room and surroundings spectacular. A special thanks to JJ our safari guide who was amazing. Very knowledgable and great safari experience.

Wow Wow Wow If you are looking for a truly wonderful experience look no further, There will be a similar review posted for the River Lodge as we also spent several nights there. I'll begin by saying that Ukhozi lodge was stunning, the room was so well appointed and the renovations made this stand out from the River Lodge. We were gutted we only had 2 nights here. The reserve itself is incredible. We were fortunate to have 8 nights in total across the two lodges which afford us the opportunity to experience the big five and avoided us feeling like we had to see everything on one game drive - although within our two nights here we had seen the majority of the big 5 with the first day and a half! The food was truly exceptional here and we were blown away by it - if anything there was too much! The drinks were also of an impeccable standard with a great selection of International drinks and an array of South African wines that were all amazing. As mentioned our suite was well appointed and designed so well with really useful details (Like a glass fronted fridge so you could see the contents without opening the fridge and hooks by the doors, a coffee machine in the room to name but a few. There was no screen in the rooms which was actually quite refreshing. Our guide JJ was top drawer and made tracking look easy, and happy to impart how he was able to follow the tracks, whether it was spotting Elephants, Birds, Lions, Rhinos or finding the Hippos. He was also happy sharing information and setting up our breakfast coffees and Sundowners. The Staff were fantastic and nothing was too much trouble. I don't recall my glass ever getting empty at dinner! I have already recommended this too everyone I know and words can't ever express how wonderful Kariega is. We originally wanted to spend the whole time in the river lodge but found that due to the renovations Ukhozi was actually nicer (While we preferred the vibe at River Lodge being slightly more laid back and on the river!) We absolutely loved our time across both stays and would put this is in top experiences we have had!