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The location is in the greater Kruger area and the animals can freely roam between Kruger and Grietjie Nature Reserve. The room was very comfortable and entails everything you need. There are four cute dogs, we were immediately best friends with Spotty. Xander is very knowledgeable about the area and animals and in general a great and fun person to talk to. We did the early morning game drive with Xander. Unfortunately it was low on game but we had a tee/ coffee break at a wonderful view point with hippos swimming in the river and get a lot information about the area, vegetation and many pretty birds. The dinner and breakfast were delicious and there was more food than a person can eat. We did our best to finish it but fell short.

Stayed in April 2024

We enjoyed everything about our stay at Ngalali, the lodge itself was beautiful and the area amazing for safari’s and spotting animals. The owners and other staff members are incredibly welcoming and kind, the home cooked meals were delicious and we enjoyed having dinner with everyone at night. The safari’s organized by the lodge are great, Xander and Chris knew so much about nature that even at times when we were’nt seeing animals they would still make it super interesting. Would definitely recommend this place to everyone making a trip to South Africa as we’re already looking forward to going back here sometime.

Stayed in March 2024

Everything! Xander and Lorenza made everything to ensure we get an amazing time at their retreat. The food is really worthwhile as well !!

Stayed in February 2024

We had a very special and beautiful stay at Ngalali Retreat. Xander and Lorenza are very friendly and welcoming. We enjoyed the lovely and tasty diners and good conversations with them. We also did the afternoon drive and half-day drive in the Krugerpark with Xander as guide and saw many animals, which was very exciting and special. In short, we have great and special memories to our stay :)

Stayed in March 2024

N.A.

The Ngalali Retreat is located in a Private Reserve with all Big 5 abundant. Lorenza (the very alive Italian owner) and her partner Xander (extremely knowledgeable about animals and their behavior) were hosting beyond expectations. Both prepared a Valentines Dinner as surprise with Italian cheeses, pickles and a full braai cooked to perfection (South African traditional barbeque) including beef filet, game meat, amazingly spiced sausages, chicken and vegetables. The tables were beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and red chocolate hearts to match the occasion. Lorenza even invited for some special sparkling wine and Xander for the Grappa digestif. The game drives with Xander proved to be exciting and informative. He even finds the camouflaged and well hidden lioness resting deep in the bush. Our room was clean and above average size with ensuite bathroom. On the property is a large swimming pool with comfortable sun lounges. Pool towels are provided. A few meters away is a water hole which was frequented by lions, elephant herds, Egyptian geese, warthogs, antelopes and monkeys, diverse bird species and other wildlife. All animals can be watched safely from the patio of the lodge. We did enjoy the tranquil place very much and left our new friends Lorenza and Xander with a heavy heart. Ngalali Retreat is very special to us and we shall return.

Stayed in February 2024

Nothing.

Xander and Lorenza are the nicest hosts you could ask for. The game drives with Xander were amazing, he is passionate about wildlife and can spot even little animals from a far distance. We had lots of beautiful animal encounters. Lorenza is really warm-hearted and welcoming. In the evening they served us amazing Italian food. We had the best experience at this lodge and will definitely come back.

Stayed in February 2024

Nothing - just perfect.

Wow what a gem of a lodge, a home from home, a proper family run business with a passion for what they do. Xander was so knowledgeable and a fantastic host, he went out of his way to ensure our trip was amazing, which it was; the best big 5 experience we have had! The location is great, only a few guests so game drives are not crowded and lots of opportunity to ask questions about what we were seeing.

Stayed in January 2024

Nothing

Swimming pool lots of animals around decorations were beautiful, beds are comfortable

Stayed in January 2024

Pool needed cleaning but I think it was a temporary issue and Xander was aware of that

This place is special. A home away from home. Xander and his team go out of their way in all areas to give you a wonderful experience., Xander’s knowledge of the land, the wildlife, the birds is incredible and he goes above and beyond to make your game drives exhilarating. We saw so much wildlife-,the big one’s and the small one’s. And Helen and her team of ladies look after you with their cooking… incredible! One of the best places I’ve stayed for an all round experience. Thank you

Stayed in January 2024

Nothing

Very friendly staff. Hellen and her sous chef made delicious food. Very nice ambiance. Great view to the waterhole and nice morning drive. The guide Eugene told a lot about the animals during the morning drive. A lot initiative.

Stayed in December 2023

Nothing to say. We had the best time here.

The food and the hospitality is incredible. During the game drives Xander explained a lot and went the extra mile to ensure that we have a great time and see a lot of animals. It really felt like an amazing adventure. We did the hiking tour, game drives and the boat tour and I would recommend to do all those things.

Stayed in November 2023

an amazing property with amazing hosts. we received an excellent service immersed in beautiful surroundings with incredible wildlife sighting straight from there. Xander and Lorenza are attentive, passionate and incredibly knowledgeable about the greater kruger and it was an honor and a pleasure to stay with them

Stayed in October 2023

Great hosts - fabulous food - wish we had had bit more time

Stayed in October 2023

Location is great! Hosts are so kind and helpfull, and the food is amazing!

Stayed in September 2023

Wouldn't change anything!

Lorenza and Xander were amazing hosts, and it was great to spend time with them and their puppies. They catered to our every need during the stay. They even arranged for us to go a sunset spot for champagne on one of our game drives to celebrate our honeymoon! Helen was such an attentive server as well, delivering beautiful meals. We were somewhat picky about the timing of our meals, and we worked with the team in advance who was able to cater to us with no issues. They even gave us a choice for lunch when we arrived on the first day, and when we chose a salad, they delivered a mountain of fresh vegetables such as avocadoes and courgettes, paired with delicious olive oil. We of course were treated to home made pasta at night, as well as a braai with a tomahawk steak on our other night. Ngalali is located on a private reserve which makes driving to the game drives convenient. It was also much less crowded than Kruger. There were lion cubs staying in the private reserve, and we were able to see them waking up just next to our car during our last game drive. But the best animal viewings were honestly from the hotel itself. Two giraffes were just in front of the gate when we first arrived, and we were welcomed by a herd of elephants and their babies playing in mud as we were having lunch. On the last day, a herd of about 150 buffalo were running past and we could see them from the gate!

Stayed in September 2023

Gastgeber, Personal, Lage, Essen, Game Drives

Stayed in July 2023

Thank you Lorenza and Xander for the lovely stay! For your knowledge and hospitality, when we come back to SA we will definetly stay again with you.. xx

Stayed in September 2023

To leave...

Lorenza, Xander, Rebecca, Grace, Helen e Sidney are incredible people, they made me feel at home, with my own family. They accepted to change my reservation, 'cause I had problems with my flight, and they didn’t charge me for that. And all the hospitallity, the kudu's barbecue, the chocolate mousse... Jan, Cris and Eugene, the guides that also worked with them as I was a guest, were fantastic guides, adding so much to the experience. Thank you, again, Lorenza and Xander, see you soon with Teresa and Antonio.

Stayed in September 2023

The shower in the room was a bit weird. Good shower made a wet mess of the bathroom. Everything else was great... Beds were not my cup of tea but I'm not the reference. If you like dinner without a view don't take this place because sometimes there is an elephant playing around the watersource 😉.

Fantastic food great hosts and super friendly staff No really: fantastic food Sometimes it is difficult to find good accommodation and you don't know where to start, well don't look further...take this place. It is comfortable, clean and has a nice atmosphere. Do not expect to find a five star hotel, it is not nor does it pretend to be. It is a good accommodation in a game reserve. Ask Xander for a game drive or a bush walk. Wish we could have stayed there longer

Stayed in September 2023

Toilet inside the room haha. Another level of intimacy. But not a problem for us. 😂.

The accomodation was super. You feel like you are the only people in the entire park. Monkeys and impala’s right outside your room window. The rooms are spacious and very nicely decorated. The outside area’s are incredible. Very piecefull and while you sit on the porch you can see the animals outside the gate. If you book the breakfast and dinner you are in for a treat. Helen is an amazing cook. The owners xander and lorenza are very friendly. They accompanied us two nights. That was very entertaining and interesting for us. We got to know a little bit more about the country this way. We did the safari in kruger park which was very well organized. We also had the boattour. That was a great adventure, where kruger park was on paved roads for everybodies comfort we enjoyed the game drive with xander as it was much more the real game drive out of africa feeling on unpaved roads. We loved that. Bottom line you will enjoy yourselves immensely at Ngalali retreat and we made some new friends in Africa.

Stayed in August 2023

The quality of the mattress need upgrading

The food was great. We liked the idea of all the guests and host having meals together, and the group interaction was superb. The host and staff are very friendly and helpful.

Stayed in July 2023

Amazing, atmospheric place. Xander is a very involved guide :-) Very delicious food.

Stayed in May 2023

The nature reserve in which the property is located is in an amazing spot. There were lions’ sightings almost everyday in that reserve. We spotted lionesses and cubs and so many other animals around the property. Elephants were coming to drink water from the water hole just in front of the property, and we kept hearing Lions roaring in night which was something else. The property is quite big and the room was very comfy. Xander and Lorenza are an amazing host and they have a great great staff. Helen, the chef, prepared delicious meals every night for us. Getting top-notch Italian food in the bush is a luxury and I don’t think that you can get that kind of food in any of the big lodges in Kruger. We did a few game drives with Xander during our stay. He is so knowledgeable that he can give you so much detail about animals, birds, wildlife. We were in awe to see his passion about what he is doing and thoroughly enjoyed both morning and evening drives with him. Apart from the game drives with Xander, we did a full day Kruger national park drive as well which Xander and Lorenza helped us to organise. We did a couple of other activities - Boat tour and Panorama route For Boat tour, Xander took us through three different reserves (again fantastic and different drives) and the boat tour on Olephants river was quite a different experience with sightings of birds, elephants, and big crocodiles in the river. The Panorama route was something different and gave us a break from the bush. Xander took us to some of the beautiful spots. Blyd canyon was the highlight of that route and Xander helped us to know everything about those sites. We got engaged during our Panorama trip, and Xander made sure that we had the best spot for it and he helped us in capturing those amazing moments. Overall, we had a very personalised experience from Xander and Lorenza which is so hard to find these days; it felt like home, and I am sure we will come back again.

Stayed in June 2023

Would like to have been greeted by owners or managers with a welcome drink. It like I was intruding and ignored without the respective welcome.

Loved the location and the game viewing of the waterhole while sitting on the veranda. Breakfast was bountiful and delicious. Game drive was classy and attentive. Rooms were lovely. highly recommended

Stayed in June 2023