Timbavati Safari Lodge

If you want to experience Africa at it’s best I really recommend this lodge. The staff are very friendly, as are the safari rangers. They make you feel right at home. The houses are clean and spacious. And of course it’s just beautiful to step outside and see the zebra and wildebeest walking on the property. The food here is incredible, also a true African experience. Wifi is good, we also had it in the rooms which was a bonus. Great bar with lovely cocktails. So overall a very nice place to stay close to the Kruger National park.

The lodge was amazing! Huts were spacious (twin room) and clean, toiletries provided and mosquito nets on each bed. Staff were super friendly and helpful. The lodge has animal that roam free so woke up to a baby zebra outside my room, fantastic experience. The evening food buffet was really good, tasty food and a really nice atmosphere. The safari trip was amazing and our guide Eric was super nice and knowledgeable and helped us find as much as we could. They also provide thick ponchos to wear as it gets cold in the morning. Very grateful and we noticed no other tour group had them so a nice touch. Had the best experience here and would definitely recommend. Only 4 star instead of 5 as its 20/25mins from Kruger gates so have to leave a little earlier but doesn't affect the experience at all.

I stayed here for 2 nights, I booked a 3 day safari trip with MoAfrika Tours. After I arrived I went on a sunset safari in the Kruger park, this was absolutely amazing. The next day I went on a full day safari, I was supposed to go with the same guide as the day before. However since I traveled alone they decided to put me together with a group of 24 American girl scouts. This has completely ruined the experience for me, they were rude, loud and not to mention racist. I understand that their behavior has nothing to do with the lodge, but I think the Timbavati management should have thought about not putting one single female traveler together with such a loud and obnoxious group. The next day I should have been able to do a morning safari, as was stated in the MoAfrika tours itinerary. However the Timbavati lodge said they were fully booked and didn’t offer an alternative. I believe it was the hotel manager(?) I spoke to at the reception, he was very rude to me. He even laughed at me while I was in tears and then disappeared, not offering any help with looking for an alternative safari for the next day. I also didn’t like the way this place was run, I could sense that Apartheid still exists at the Timbavati lodge. Side note: the people who worked at the bar were very kind. Just the management at reception was extremely rude and unhelpful. I paid over €500 for this 3 day Kruger experience, absolute waste of money due to the management of the Timbavati lodge I would recomment staying at a lodge inside of the Kruger park and driving your own vehicle or booking a private game drive.

Things to really like and things not to like To like: • Cool style lodges/rooms • Pool and bar available • Regularly wild animals on the premises • Good diner, real effort in presentation Not to like: • Not very experienced bar staff • Not a very clean pool • Visibly dirty towels were places back on the rack, no new towels provided • Quite big holes in the mosquito net (takes away the function ;)) • Two days no hot water in the room • Breakfast and Lunch disappointing. Definitely in comparison to diner Note! No airco in the rooms. So it can get quite warm. Everything considering I would probably go back in the future. Hoping they will use my feedback to improve :)

A very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, friendly and helpful staff, cosy and clean rooms, nice food and an excellent location, close to Orpen Gate ... I can recommend this place to anyone, even if you’re travelling on your own.

Overall Timbavati was a huge (2 night) disappointment The accommodation was old with very poor upkeep. Old towels in bathroom, neatly folded into a swan. The owners son ( we were informed) was initially welcoming and pleasant then became insulting and aggressive on our final night due to his drinking. A rondavel played excessively loud music until after 7am , that we realize we should have complained about around 2am but just kept on thinking they would be considerate and switch off. The early travel breakfasts were not eaten, as the sandwiches were squashed in cling wrap. Plus even after saying that we do not eat pork , ham was included in the sandwich. The evening game drive at R850 per person is a huge over charged compared to more upmarket resorts with more knowledgeable game drivers . Huge disappointment overall.

Coloured traditional cabin. 21 beds. Bathroom was fine. Had a safe. Food was good. People very friendly. Went for a walk with Derick. He was very good.Animals on the property. Welcome drink.Wart hogs, zebras and gnus there. We were a large group, but they accommodated us very well.

The Cambridge English dictionary defines “safari” as an organized trip to look at wild animals especially in Africa. The only thing missing from that description is a picture of Kings Camp Private Game Reserve in the Timbavati Nature Reserve in northeast South Africa. We spent four days there in luxurious accommodations, taking morning and late afternoon excursions each day. There was never a shortage of surprises on each outing. Its location near Kruger National Park probably had something to do with that but our exceptional guide and tracker, Grant and Elvis, respectively, were consistently finding us new things to see. Grant happens to also be an assistant general manager and never disappointed us in explaining in detail the flora and fauna we came across. He and Elvis were sure to have us see the “Big Five Animals” by the end of our second day! The staff at the lodge were friendly, charming, and accommodating that certainly reflects the genuine interests in our stay by general managers, Warren and Lisha Moore. An extraordinary and unforgettable experience!

This was our second visit to Timbavati Safari Lodge. We love that the units (rondovals) all have a front porch to sit on and watch the on-property animals. The units are rustic, yet comfortable and feel like a more "African" experience. We saw wildebeest, zebra, warthogs, monkeys and baboons from our porch. Had a wonderful guide, Vusi, who met us at the airport and took us on amazing game drives. Also did their Cultural Walk with a different guide, also named Vusi. He took us just across the road to visit his village. Very interesting! Food is exceptional and staff all very friendly and helpful.