Amakhala Big Five Game Reserve, 6139 Amakhala Game Reserve, South Africa
#6 of 10 hotels in Amakhala Game Reserve
Guests' ChoiceBased on 116 hotel reviews
9.3Cleanliness
9.0
Comfort
9.1
Location
9.7
Facilities
9.1
Staff
9.7
Value for money
8.7
Free WiFi
6.2
Each review score is between 1-10. To get the overall score that you see, we add up all the review scores we’ve received and divide that total by the number of review scores we’ve received. We are currently testing a weighted review system in Malta and Iceland (excluding hotel and vacation rental chains). For properties in these countries, the more recent the review, the bigger the impact on the total review score calculation. In addition, guests can give separate ‘subscores’ in crucial areas, such as location, cleanliness, staff, comfort, facilities, value for money and free Wi-Fi. Note that guests submit their subscores and their overall scores independently, so there’s no direct link between them.
You can review an Accommodation that you booked through our Platform if you stayed there or if you arrived at the property but didn’t actually stay there. To edit a review you’ve already submitted, please contact our Customer Service team.
We have people and automated systems that specialise in detecting fake reviews submitted to our Platform. If we find any, we delete them and, if necessary, take action against whoever is responsible.
Anyone else who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team, so our Fraud team can investigate.
Ideally, we would publish every review we receive, whether positive or negative. However, we won’t display any review that includes or refers to (among other things):
To make sure reviews are relevant, we may only accept reviews that are submitted within 3 months of checking out, and we may stop showing reviews once they’re 36 months old – or if the Accommodation has a change of ownership.
An Accommodation may choose to reply to a review.
When you see multiple reviews, the most recent ones will be at the top, subject to a few other factors (what language a review is in, whether it’s just a rating or contains comments as well, etc.). If you like, you can sort and/or filter them (by time of year, review score, etc.).
We sometimes show external review scores from other well-known travel websites. We make it clear when we’ve done this.
These guidelines and standards aim to keep the content on Booking.com relevant and family-friendly without limiting expression of strong opinions. They are also applicable regardless of the sentiment of the comment.
Contributions should be travel related. The most helpful contributions are detailed and help others make better decisions. Please don’t include personal, political, ethical, or religious commentary. Promotional content will be removed and issues concerning Booking.com’s services should be routed to our Customer Service or Accommodation Service teams.
Contributions should be appropriate for a global audience. Please avoid using profanity or attempts to approximate profanity with creative spelling, in any language. Comments and media that include 'hate speech', discriminatory remarks, threats, sexually explicit remarks, violence, and the promotion of illegal activity are not permitted.
All content should be genuine and unique to the guest. Reviews are most valuable when they are original and unbiased. Your contribution should be yours. Booking.com property partners should not post on behalf of guests or offer incentives in exchange for reviews. Attempts to bring down the rating of a competitor by submitting a negative review will not be tolerated.
Respect the privacy of others. Booking.com will make an effort to obscure email addresses, telephone numbers, website addresses, social media accounts, and similar details.
The opinions expressed in contributions are those of Booking.com customers and properties and not of Booking.com. Booking.com does not accept responsibility or liability for any reviews or responses. Booking.com is a distributor (without any obligation to verify) and not a publisher of these comments and responses.
By default, reviews are sorted based on the date of the review and on additional criteria to display the most relevant reviews, including but not limited to: your language, reviews with text, and non-anonymous reviews. Additional sorting options may be available (by type of traveller, by score, etc.).
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, express or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
End of dialog contentReviewed: 3 April 2024
Janet
IrelandMaybe a bit of choice for dinner.
Beautiful location and lodges. Loved the small group numbers and communal dining. Game drives were amazing. Great food
Stayed in March 2024
Reviewed: 26 March 2024
Samantha
United KingdomThat it’s mostly full 😉 excellent for them 😄
Everything from the location to the staff. The reserve is beautiful. The game rangers were incredibly knowledgable and funny and a pleasure to be on a drive with. As a solo traveler I love that everyone dines together
Stayed in March 2024
Reviewed: 24 March 2024
Erin
United KingdomFriendly and helpful staff, incredible game drives, very comfortable and luxurious accommodation.
Stayed in March 2024
Reviewed: 4 March 2024
Christopher
United KingdomSecond time to this property lodges need a bit of a freshen up last year was seven years ago
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: 4 March 2024
Paula
United KingdomFantastic views from lodge. Walking trail to hide is recommended as you can see animals at the watering hole. The game drives were excellent due to the knowledge of Rob and his colleagues. Seeing the male lion was a real thrill. The bar and dining areas are lovely. Pool water is cold but on a hot day this is very welcome. The staff were all very friendly and helpful.
Stayed in March 2024
Reviewed: 4 March 2024
Pts
QatarThere is nothing to dislike.
The game drives were simply superb. Rob our ranger was excellent and made sure each of our trips in 2 days were a unique experience. The staff are so warm and welcoming. The cottages are lovely and comfortable. The service is impeccable and the food is delicious.
Stayed in March 2024
Reviewed: 2 March 2024
Lynn
United KingdomVery friendly knowledgeable staff especially Rob the guide. Good food and comfortable accomodation. Will definitely return.
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: 1 March 2024
Sue
United KingdomMy only negative was that our room was in need of a refurb. All the other guests raved about their rooms so I can only assume that we were a bit unlucky. The bathroom extension was very smart but the main room whilst in a great position was shabby. However I wouldn’t let that stop anyone from booking- I reported our feedback so hopefully they will redecorate!
Well designed, tastefully set into the landscape, great facilities- both indoor and outdoor eating areas, a plunge pool and small swimming pool, enough sun loungers for everyone, air con for the lodges, mosquito nets around the beds although they weren’t needed, lovely private outdoor balconies attached to each room/ lodge, daily room service, great food, great guides who worked really hard to find as many animals/ sightings as possible each game drive, the whole set up was well organised and the cam staff were well trained, friendly and really helpful.
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: 27 February 2024
Luke
United KingdomNONE
It is one of our best holiday ever we had. We enjoyed every single minute of our staying at the Woodbury Lodge. We got engagement at the game drive break with beautiful sunset. From game drive, restaurant foods to accommodation were all so perfect and met our needs. We thank to all staff and game drive ranger Rob Smith for all their hard working. We were so impressive with Rob Smith - fully knowledge all about the animals and trying his best to taking us to sightsee the different animals as possible.
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: 27 February 2024
Donald
United KingdomNothing
The staff were so friendly and helpful. The food wonderful, game drives superb (thanks Nico). The whole ambiance was relaxing, you were made to feel so welcome and cause of its smaller size, it was quite intimate. The pools and decking area are fantastic as are the views.
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: 16 February 2024
Carol
United KingdomNothing
Everything
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: 12 February 2024
Vanessa
GermanyOur tour guide Tim was amazing, we saw so many animals and had a great time with the other guests at the mealtimes together. It was the highlight of our trip in South Africa.
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: 6 February 2024
Trounce
United KingdomNothing
Great staff and game drives
Stayed in February 2024
Reviewed: 29 January 2024
Terri
GermanyNothing negative to say
I have been blown away by the kindness I accidentally left something and they work hard to help em get it back and the view magnificent
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: 21 January 2024
Mike
United KingdomEveryone eating together at one table was a bit of a shock but we quickly got used to it.
One of many lodges in a vast safari reserve - and I mean vast. Safari drives were over three hours and we saw the big five and many many other wildlife. The all inclusive nature of the lodge was exemplary - lovely meals (although little choice) and uniquely we were offered bottles of wine to take to our rooms.
Stayed in October 2023
Reviewed: 9 January 2024
Eduardo
NetherlandsI like everything. It’s expensive but worth it!
I like the experience of sleeping inside the reserve. Very nice! The people working there are top! Kudos!
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: 7 January 2024
Pippa
United KingdomNothing.
Choose Woodbury lodge if you want a family vibe, a community feel and top quality rangers. This place prioritises safari above all else - it's not as high end as other resorts, but that's part of its charm! We actually visited a 5 star lodge in the reserve when we visited some hippo bathing in their watering hole, and I can confirm you'll have a much more luxurious experience elsewhere. But this was not our vibe, and we loved befriending other guests and sharing stories around the dinner table at Woodbury. There was an equal mix of honeymooners like us, and families from children to young adults with their parents. The rangers were incredible. Rob was our ranger and he was an expert tracker, taking time to stop and show us different footprints, along with sharing his techniques for locating animals by picking up on signals. We almost always found what we were looking for and Rob was often the one letting other rangers know where to find them. He took great pride in giving every group an awesome experience and even added on time to our drive to enable those staying for one night to see more. His knowledge was incredible and he was so respectful of the animals. We stuck to the roads to keep a respectful distance, and due to all rangers of Amakhala sticking to this the animals have learned to trust the vehicles, and would cross roads right in front of us giving us an up- lose view, but on their terms. The rest of the staff were fantastic. They let us check out one hour late as no one was staying in our room that night. Essential as Rob had kindly given us extra safari time that morning as we agreed with others in our vehicle that we'd be willing to set off at 5am (vs. the usual 5.30am). Our room was refreshed several times throughout the day, the food was delicious (hearty, big portions, very tasty), the fridge was super cold and stocked with any drink you could wish for, and the snack & drink breaks out on safari were wonderful.
Stayed in January 2024
Reviewed: 4 January 2024
Nicky
New ZealandI thought the lodge was looking a bit 'tired' and felt that the value for money was not quite what I would expect. Our guide, whilst knowledgeable and fabulous on the game drives, was incredibly gregarious and loud at dinner and the entire conversation related around herself which grew quite tiresome. Our dinner meal of steak was tough and almost inedible but the lemon meringue for dessert made up for it. Guests said the dinner the night before was exceptional, so I guess just a matter of luck.
The lodge lounge has beautiful decor and was relaxed. We enjoyed dining with other guests and our waiter was exceptional.
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: 1 January 2024
Marcela
GermanyI wanted to have 1 night in a safari experience and this place was really good!! It was easy to find. They have a nice pool area with drinks. We had a good lunch and dinner included. We had an evening and morning safari also included. All the crew from the hotel and safari were super friendly. The Safaris were great. We saw many animals, the guide Rob was like a Wikipedia, he had so many interesting things to tell and answered to all our questions. The rooms are quite luxurious considering that it is a hut.
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: 19 December 2023
B
United KingdomRather lacking in the bigger game viewing but that was probably luck of the draw as people a day ahead had seen everything.
Unusually good views of the reservation from the lodge. Able to see quite a lot of game from the sitting areas. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the bird life and was an excellent driver.
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: 18 December 2023
Glenda
AustraliaThe staff were great and went above and beyond to ensure our daughters allergies were accommodated.
Stayed in December 2023
Reviewed: 10 December 2023
Noelle
United KingdomFood can be a bit hit and miss but nothing bad. If you are in Dassie or Jackal, it's a bit of a hike up to the room in the evening.
Exceptional game drives by Rob Smith who we found to be super passionate and informed. The man had hawk eyes to spot the animals he did - either really far or really small. Made the early morning starts worthwhile. The hotel is low key and laid back with a good pool and open bar. It was a real treat and one we won't forget quickly.
Stayed in November 2023
Reviewed: 30 November 2023
Ian
United Kingdom-
Cléan comfortable stylish friendly small great food only 12 guests we loved it well planned and organised
Stayed in November 2023
Reviewed: 6 November 2023
Judith
United KingdomNothing to dislike.
Staff made us feel very welcome, they were very professional and friendly. Rooms were clean and comfortable and there was plenty of delicious food. The drives were wonderful; our guide, Lenny, was incredibly knowledgeable about the area, the animals, birds, insects and the flowers. We saw everything we hoped for.
Stayed in November 2023
Clare, Australia
Ischia, Italy
Medulin, Croatia
Kötschach, Austria
Batumi, Georgia
Dijon, France
Tangalle, Sri Lanka
Porto Ottiolu, Italy
Booking.com is part of Booking Holdings Inc., the world leader in online travel and related services.
We have more than 70 million property reviews, and they're all from real, verified guests.
1
The only way to leave a review is to first make a booking. That's how we know our reviews come from real guests who have stayed at the property.
2
When guests stay at the property they check out how quiet the room is, how friendly the staff are and more.
3
After their trip, guests tell us about their stay. We check for naughty words and verify the authenticity of all guest reviews before adding them to our site.
If you booked through us and want to leave a review, please sign in first.
End of dialog content