Vuyani Safari Lodge

I cannot say enough good things about Vuyani and their staff. The thought, dedication, care, and consistency that they put into every single aspect of the guest experience at this lodge is something I have never experienced before. We already miss Wish’s calls of “ARE…YOU…READY!” in the mornings. Chef Rose and Duncan presented us with delicious, curated menus daily. Chriswell, Wisely, and the Vuyani F&B staff were incredibly attentive and friendly at every meal. We stayed in the Presidential Suite, and boy was it PRESIDENTIAL! Clean, HUGE, and beautifully decorated - grateful to the housekeeping staff for so diligently tidying it up daily for us. We were lucky enough to ride with 2 teams during our stay and absolutely loved the different dynamics we got with Solli/Stephen and Aggy/Jannie. Their knowledge, expertise, patience, and big smiles made each game drive so much fun! Of course, I cannot end this review without mentioning Vuyani’s most hospitable staff member - Tsingela, who greeted us at PS1 every day and night and even made sure we got our naps in! Thank you Vuyani, you made our honeymoon a trip we will never, ever forget!

Absolutely loved our stay at Vuyani. I was here for 5 nights recently, with my friend. Even before we booked our interactions with the staff were great. Both Tanya and Johan were really helpful in answering our questions. And then when we did book, sorted out return transfers from Joburg for us, which were excellent and wonderfully straightforward, with lovely, fantastic drivers. And then when we arrived, just wow. We stayed in a Presidential Suite which was huge, and equipped with everything you need for a lovely, relaxing, comfortable stay. The food is excellent, and incredibly varied and plentiful. I had a dietary requirement that the wonderful Rose accommodated at lunch for me. The evening chefs were equally fab. All the staff are fantastic. The safaris are just amazing. We saw so many animals and birds, and learnt so much about the South African bush. All our guides and trackers were superb. We initially had John, Peace and Godsave. And then Jannie and Aggy. All were so knowledgeable and hugely contributed to our overall experience. Of course we loved the sundowners too! This really is an amazing place, and I very much hope to return.

Just returned from the best holiday ever thanks to the team at Vuyani. Husband and I spent 4 nights here celebrating my birthday. Room was huge with a big queen size 4 poster spotlessly clean. Food was lovely and good choices of drinks available. Small lodge enabled the personal touch and staff made us feel like family but without loosing the experience. Highly recommended especially as a first safari as you don't see the volume of animals at once like in krugar but didn't feel we missed out on anything and saw all the big 5 in our first 3 days. Missing it already

Just to confirm I have visited this lodge several times. And each time I feel compelled to leave another review because it simply is THAT good. The game drives and wildlife sightings are excellent - and even on the odd quieter drives (these are rare!) it feels like such a privilege to be spending time in such a truly beautiful place. This time round we were treated to the Big 5 and cheetah and wild dogs. As well as plenty of non headline but still really interesting animals/birds/flora. Guide and tracker on this visit were John and Peace - absolutely brilliant at their jobs - fun, informative and getting you very close to the animals but without stressing the animals and making you still feel safe at all times. The hospitality side is also always top notch. It always surprises me just how good value this place is when you think that the price includes everything, including the mini bar in the room. Nothing is too much trouble, and everyone works so hard to make sure you have a fabulous time. Book it. You will not regret it.

My wife and I spent five nights here. Although we enjoyed many aspects, such as the exceptional food and the amazing game drives led by Solly and Steven, we encountered several issues that greatly detracted from the experience and where the management did not meet the standards expected given the rates: We had problems with the maintenance of the rooms, for example: a wall-mounted toilet paper holder was loose and falling to the floor; a water tap was loose and tilted and an insect was peeping out of the hole at the base; the AC remote control was broken and you couldn't tell which mode it was in (we used it in the wrong mode for a while); the pillows were poor quality and worn (lumpy); and the hairdryer had no adaptor so didn't work. The cleaning was also poor. We had candy wrappers on the floor from the previous guest, some towels were musty throughout our stay, a bathrobe was visibly dirty and the outside shower was never cleaned and had lots of hair from previous visitors. In addition, our few requests (to fix the water tap, to get an adapter or a hairdryer, to change the AC remote control) were not responded to well, and the booking of activities seemed confusing as we were sometimes given contradictory information. Incidentally, after doing the Panorama Route and hearing from other guests, we think the best you can do is stick to the Game Rides, which are great. Another aspect that affected us was the staff's poor handling of a guest's bad behaviour. Finally, the method of payment - taking credit card details over the phone - is inadequate and raised our security concerns. While the warm hospitality, the delicious food, the other guests we met, and the game drives were great positives, the issues I mentioned significantly affected our overall experience. I emailed my review to the management on the day of my departure a week ago, but haven't received a reply.

Booked Vuyani for our honeymoon, a lodge I have been dreaming of going to for over 5 years and it exceeded my expectations! Even more beautiful in person and the food was delicious! We were not expecting a 3 course meal each night and the lunches and dinners plus snacks and drinks all throughout the day and on the game drives were amazing. The game drives were incredible and also exceeded expectations, we saw the big 5 and plenty more animals during our 5 night stay! We were so happy to be on a private game reserve where we could be out for sunrises and sunsets. A particular shout out to our guide and tracker for the whole duration, Solly and Stephen. They made the game drives even more. We learned so much about the flora and fauna and felt at ease to ask as many complex or silly questions while making it fun and hsving a joke or 10. We ended up being like a little family by the end. The only feedback to take on for improvement would be the communication of extra activities booked as a number or us were unsure if we got a booking or surprised with an activity scheduled on a different day to what was requested or finding out we have an activity on the day of. Availability you can't control, but a little bit clearer communication would be wonderful. Overall the stay was 10/10 and we hope to be back in the not so distant future!

Having just returned from Vuyani’s Marula Lodge for 7 nights, I thought I would review the amazing holiday in stages. We went on 2 game drives per day, an early morning and late afternoon. We managed to see so much variety of game both close up and afar and the tracker (Stephen) and the guide (David) were both knowledgeable and entertaining, each day managing to find animals to tick off our wish list, ‘The big 5’ and even the ‘ugly 5’ , and so much more. Finding places to stop in amazing locations for early morning coffee or evening ‘sundowner gins’. Marula Lodge was an absolute delight… the villa is traditional , with beautifully decorated and spacious rooms. It is set in its own very generous plot giving the feeling of being in your own private game park. The lounge was perfectly comfortable for relaxing after the evening game drive. The bedrooms overlook the bush so game walking past your windows became our normal. The pool area gave us perfect down time and enough shade for an afternoon nap. The food was of restaurant quality and the Chef surprised us each day with exquisite foods often adapting it for myself. Each day we were offered a variety of choices with the menu changing each day. Nothing was too much trouble for any of the staff, from serving us drinks when we got back to making up the beds at night. I can honestly highly recommend this Lodge if you are looking for a quality, luxurious and exciting holiday…….

Where do I start ! Excellent accommodation, staff all friendly and fun ! Devine was professional and so helpful ! Rose - amazing chef and delicious food ! Put on an amazing birthday celebration for my brother in law , with BBQ , African singing and dancing and cake ! Finally - the best guide and tracker - John & Peace ! Always fun , informative and found the best places to go ! Thank you to EVERYONE!! We’ve met friends for life ! We can’t wait to come back !!

Marula Lodge was perfect the most comfortable beds and pillows were very welcome after long days . Food outstanding . Staff always on hand and treated us like we were very special . Trackers Gillie and Steve were just brilliant . We got to see the big 5 several times and lots of the other animals birds and insects as well as learning about tracking animals . I cannot rate the holiday high enough and will never ever forget the experience . I would go as far as to say it’s the best adventure we have had and we have visited many countries in the world . We can’t wait to come back . A huge thank you to everyone that made the holiday special.