Safari tours were led by knowledgeable guides who were sure to expose us to the numerous herds of everything you would hope to see from leopards feasting to lions chasing down game and rhinos looking tough and elephants and giraffes enjoying their freedom as well as buffaloes too awesome

Stayed in April 2024

We were thrilled to be at Pondoro, I would describe it as exceptional and exclusive , "Must" once in a life time experience. The lodge itself is top notch, the staff are very experienced especially the game drivers, and the management spares no chance to make us have an unforgettable experience. I have to thank the kitchen staff for trying their best to offer us "Halal" meal options.

Stayed in April 2024

Was met with hostility from owner after we pointed out issues with our stay. We were quite taken aback by her response, especially given the price paid for accommodation.

Staff was amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed our safari drives with Raul. Food was delicious!

Stayed in March 2024

Nothing.

Exceptional experience. Top-notch service, where every staff member attended to us with great attention and joy. Luxury restaurant. The spa is definitely worth visiting. The room was spacious, comfortable, super clean, and with an incredible view of the river (we stayed in the "water" room). The hotel manager who assisted us (Trent) went above and beyond to ensure an unforgettable experience. And the game drive (safari) offered by the hotel, we did it with Sally and Edson, who spared no effort to provide us with a safari including sightings of all the Big 5.

Stayed in March 2024

Literally everything, from the staff, to the place. the care for details... everything was perfect And if you can, ask for Sully as your Ranger, he knows everything about the animal of the reserve and he'll make every effort to show them to you!! Bonus point: we were in the suite Earth and elephants particularly liked that.. they came to visit next to our balcony almost every day...was really spectacular

Stayed in March 2024

Every single person working here went above and beyond!!!

Stayed in March 2024

Nothing

Amazing property!

Stayed in March 2024

Nothing

Super lodges and staff

Stayed in February 2024

Nothing, everything was simply perfect!!

Honestly, I do not even know where to start. Pondoro Game Lodge is a true gem, true paradise: the rooms, the reception, the pool, the dining area, everything is simply amazing. But the best is yet to come: the 2 games drive you get everyday are something that is not possible to describe with words, you would need to try, it is an experience that we will never forget: from the subside and sunset, to the drinks and snacks basically next to hippos and elephants, it was simply amazing! Solly and Eric, you made our state the trip of a lifetime. The staff is incredible, from the service, to the food, to the attention they give you every single day, every single moment. I have never experienced something like this and it truly was something I will never forget! Thanks guys, you are the best!! Some of the top moments for us (on top of the game drives of course): the picnic at the tree house (definitely something everyone needs to do!), breakfast with a view on the elephants walking by, the bush walk with Eric.

Stayed in February 2024

Nothing. Faultless.

Stunning property in unforgettable location. Romantic, rustic, warm and welcoming, great attention to detail, fantastic staff who regularly went above and beyond to make our stay memorable. Food was great! We saw lots of wildlife including the big 5. Exceptional rangers and trackers (big thanks to Solly and Eric). Would return in a heartbeat.

Stayed in January 2024

our experience was topnotch. Very friendly staff, great food and drinks and of course an incredible safari experience. We received everything we wanted in overflow and the staff did their absolute best to make our stay romantic and unique,

Stayed in November 2023

I liked everything

The lodge is fabulous: the food is brilliant, the service is amazingly friendly, the rooms are spacious and comfortable, the massage at the spa is spectacular, the location is great, and the activities are very well organized. All is perfect.

Stayed in December 2023

The bugs

The staff was OUTSTANDING. They were on top of all our requests and the guide and tracker did an outstanding job as well I cant say enough about our stay. I highly recommend this place. .

Stayed in December 2023

Pondoro was the most amazing experience we had. We loved everything about it. Special shout out to Patricia who laughed us thru all the meals and all other staff including the cleaning service putting little notes in our room. The ranger Emilio and tracker Dion did a great job and gave us a most incredible safari experience!! Can’t wait to go back!

Stayed in September 2023

Nada

Gorgeous room and grounds. Attentive staff. Made a lovely effort for our honeymoon.

Stayed in October 2023

Couldn't have been better.

Beautiful setting, overlooking the Olifants River, very peaceful. Excellent game drives, good meals, and incredibly friendly, cheerful staff. Of the 3 lodges we stayed at in Greater Kruger, this was our favorite. A small-scale operation, efficiently run. Wonderful overall feeling.

Stayed in October 2023

Probably the best place I've ever been. The attention to detail, the customer first approach and the respect of nature has been astonishing. Best safari experience of my life. Pondoro Game Lodge will always have a special place in my heart!

Stayed in October 2023

I loved the game drives, our driver and tracker were very knowlegeable about the animals but at times I felt we were too close to the animals and I would get nervous. It could have been just me because other guests in the jeep might have liked being close to the animals to take better pictures.

I loved everything about this lodge and I plan to be back one day. Staying here was such an adventure, from the game drives, bush walks, meeting the black Mambas, and sunsets. I had the impression that I would have time to nap, relax and read a book but the lodge offers so many acivitities that were hard to say no to. I enjoyed that the lodge is boutique because every guest received so much attention and it was easy to make friends with other guests in the lodge. One of the highlights of this lodge was the food and wine. Every meal was amazing, a blend of South African and European foods, lets just say you will never be hungry during your stay. The wine was also very good, we enjoyed it with our meals and also during our evening game drives. I'm so glad I picked this lodge for our first safari experience.

Stayed in August 2023

Leaving

Fabulous rooms , game drives , food and staff

Stayed in July 2023

The whole experience at Pondoro was beyond anything we could have imagined. Our Rock suite was surrounded by wildlife- including an elephant eating right by our front door! The staff are very accommodating, the game drives and meals were all well organised, including nice surprises for dinner. Special shout out to our guides Emilio and Anton who were so knowledgable and freindly, and did an amazing job on the game drives meaning we saw the big 5 on multiple occasions and more!

Stayed in June 2023

There was nothing we could fault.

We did A LOT of research on where to stay for our visit to Kruger and it can get quite overwhelming with so many options. What I will say is just book Pondoro, it was EXCEPTIONAL from start to finish. It is no exaggeration to say I actually cried a bit when I left it had been THAT special. The food and drink is incredible quality from breakfast through to dinner and all of the staff (from the management through to the cleaners) were welcoming, warm and went above and beyond on everything. We stayed 3 nights (which was the perfect amount of time) and they add in some surprises which I won’t spoil on here. There is an option to do a "romantic picnic" lunch in the hide overlooking the waterhole. This was the most incredible experience- not least because my partner proposed! The game drives are the reason you go to Kruger and these could not have been better at Pondoro. You get two drives a day of ~3 hours which FLY by. The drivers and spotters are incredibly talented, experienced and hugely respectful of the wildlife. We saw all of the big five and some hugely exciting encounters- thank you Anton and Sam (the leopard whisperer)!. I would advise looking at their brilliant instagram to see a snapshot for yourself. What really stands this place apart from other safaris is the privacy- as it's on an open (unfenced), but private, reserve there were at most 2 other cars with us when seeing an animal, but often on a drive we would not see another car. The room was fantastic with a lovely bath inside and a stone bath outside that overlooked the river. Having a jacuzzi with a glass of bubbles while watching elephants and hippos in the river was quite the experience! The bed was huge and very comfortable surrounded by a mosquito net meaning I didn’t get bitten once while there.

Stayed in April 2023

Absolutely nothing.

As Pondoro Lodge has a very high rating and has won many awards our expectations were high, both on the accommodation and the game drives. The remote location (private reserve, 45 mn of dirt road before reaching destination) by the Oliphants River is a dream in itself. Our suite was enormous and tastefully decorated, the common areas are very nice and cosy, and the deck under the trees and overlooking the river is amazing. The food was excellent, all dishes very tasteful and nicely presented. Beyond all this what made our stay so special is the extreme kindness of absolutely everyone at Pondoro Lodge. The small size of the Lodge and the spirit instilled by the owners make it so that you do feel being more than a customer. Our driver Robbie and our tracker Andries, who took care of us during every drive and every bush walk are experienced, extremely knowledgeable and passionate, and kind and attentive in every possible way. They both went to great lengths to make sure that we saw as much wild life as possible. And we saw a lot ! Not only the Big Five, but so much more. We will never forget our drink with the elephants at night, or the hyena cub and its mother. This was a once in life time experience. Too bad that we could not stay for a month !

Stayed in May 2023

nothing

beautiful property and well maintained. Staff was wonderful and exceeded our expectations. We stayed at another lodge called Jabulani Safari which was far inferior to Pondoro. Stay at Pondoro, avoid Jabulani!

Stayed in April 2023

Nothing

Pondoro is EVERYTHING you could want and more! The staff are incredible, the rooms are fantastic and the food and drink are amazing! We stayed for 3 nights and genuinely felt sad when we had to go home. The game drives were brilliant, Rul, Andries and America did everything to ensure that we saw as many animals as possible and stopping for the morning tea and coffees and evening wines was lovely! It was our honeymoon and we were truly made to feel very special with the amount of surprises they put on, our last night's evening surprise was amazing! This place is a little piece of heaven on earth and is absolutely worth every penny! Thank you so much to all of the Pondoro team!

Stayed in April 2023