Lodges Pondoro Game Lodge  

29 Dec 2024

The resort is very thoughtfully decorated and the staff is super helpful. The food is of very high quality with daily changing menu's (Ala-carte) and the team is very flexible to cater any dietary and allergy requirements. The rooms are very spacious with built in snacks and drinks (on the house) overseeing the river and you can spot few animals from the comfort of your room. The safaris are long (4 hour each - morning and evening) but an amazing experience to understand and see the African wildlife. The team of rangers and trackers will go extra mile to help you spot the big 5. Special mention to Patricia (supervisor) and the entire kitchen staff, JD (manager) and the amazing team of rangers and trackers.

06 Dec 2024

All the staff were great The location was great The rooms were great

25 Nov 2024

May the safari adventure begin while driving into Pondoro. A giraffe to the right, impalas to the left and an elephant herd of twenty in the center. Magic. Pondoro combines luxury with a touch of laidback style. Sit down to a sense of familiarity, but with hidden surprises in between. Game drives packed with experience and sightings. And the bush sound to fill your listening pleasures. What a perfect way to begin.

09 Nov 2024

To the Pondoro staff and in particular our guide Dewald and tracker Andres, thank you for the unforgettable experience! Dewald and Andres were very knowledgeable about wildlife, and we got to see the big 5 - including a leopard poised on a tree with its kill - and many other animals up close over a 4 day tour. Back at the lodge, everything from food to room had a personal touch. The kitchen did amazing breakfast (avo toast and Pondoro breakfast were our favourites) and exceptional starters, and the rooms were cleaned 2-3 times a day with a personal pick me up note each time. Truly a stellar experience!

19 Oct 2024

This was by far the best hotel we have ever stayed in. The people here try so hard all day long to make every moment of their stay as special as possible that you can't help but be amazed. Super friendly staff, incredibly beautiful location and a wonderful reserve. We really enjoyed the game drives with Shadrack and Dion, they put so much effort and gave everything so that we could see all the animals for as long and as close as possible and shared their immense knowledge with us, we were able to ask as many questions as we wanted. The food and drinks were excellent, there was always a vegetarian alternative and the food locations were super romantic and unexpectedly varied. Patricia was always there for us - she is Pondoro’s good soul. The minibar was always full. The housekeeping put a lot of effort into not only freshening up the room several times a day and keeping everything clean, but also surprising us with attention every day. Everything was perfect all around, from the planning in advance, greeting at reception, coordination to the moment of departure, everything was wonderfully arranged, so a thank you to the organizers. Best time ever!

04 Sep 2024

The room was brilliant and the hot tub overlooking the river was amazing, so nice chilling there in the day. The staff were fantastic, so personable and friendly. The room service was immaculate and they wrote us lovely messages and had lots of little surprises for us as we were on our Honeymoon. All the little touches were incredible, along with the hot water bottles on game drives.

19 Aug 2024

The best experience I had so far. Difficult to replicate. The lodge is amazing, the staff is incredible and the games are unbelievable. Thanks to our guides for everything. It’s been a dream.

29 Jul 2024

We stayed in the Earth suite which has the bath outside and inside. The suite is beautiful, spacious and comfortable. The quality of the food is very good. The place is run very strategically so there is no space for consumption outside their food an drink system. E.g. You come back from the afternoon/evening game drive no earlier than 7.15pm. Dinner is served on the dot at 8pm, so after you rush to freshen up, that leaves you maybe 10 minutes at the bar - which controls/limits alcohol consumption to maybe 1-2 drinks per day. It is not all inclusive. At the bar, there are more than 5 different types of whiskey on the shelf, but only the the cheapest whiskey is included, the rest at an extra cost. This applies to other types of acohol also.

26 Jul 2024

I liked everything, the game drives , the resort , the food. It is luxurious and down to earth at same time . We saw the big five several times and much more (including a pack of baby wild dogs). We were very sad to leave

01 Jun 2024

A truly fantastic experience. Chalets were very spacious, comfortable, well stocked, surrounded by wildlife and offered great views onto the Olifant river below. The main lounge/ dining area and bar was very well furnished and inviting. The staff were amazing, always smiling, attentive and ready to go the extra mile for superlative service. Food menus were delicious and different everyday. Game drives were always a unique experience, and due to the healthy populations of so many animals, offered great pictures. The highlights had to be the giraffe greeting us as we walked out onto our chalet veranda after check-in, the 14 rhino we saw over 4 days (including a female black rhino with calf), the 3 young male lions with their off-shoot new pride, the wild dogs trying to retrieve an impala carcass from a water hole, the male inyala that confronted us as we exited our room one day, the hippo stretching it’s jaws as it fed on the bank of the river, the spotted eagle owl perched at the top of a tree at sunset, the very young elephant attempting a false charge and finally the female leopard stalking a steenbuck at night. The game driver and tracker were extremely knowledgeable about the animals, the birds and the fauna and always surprised us with different drinks and snacks during our breaks. Pondoro definitely has a winning formula! The location itself on the river is a safari experience; we saw elephant, giraffe, hippos, crocodiles, waterbuck, nyala, baboons, kudu, impala and many birds just from the relaxing environment of our veranda. The staff’s attention to detail is what stands out most, including helping me celebrate my 60th birthday with sparkling wine, song, dance and cake to make it a really memorable occasion and an incredible 5 nights at the lodge. Special mention also to the Black Mambas all-women anti-poaching unit which we visited, and with whom Pondoro has an active participation with. All-in-all 5 ++ stars.