Simbavati River Lodge

Service: The lodge is highly praised for its outstanding service, with staff described as friendly, accommodating, and knowledgeable about the local culture and wildlife.

We had 17 family members travel to Simbavati for 4 nights. We had an amazing time! The staff were exceptional and super accommodating - they made lovely allergy friendly and vegan meals for a few of our group members. The safari game rides were wonderful and exciting, we saw the big 5 and so many other beautiful animals, birds, reptiles and more! The rooms were spacious, the beds were comfortable and the views were breathtaking. I would recommend this lodge to anyone wanting to go on safari!

Simbavati River Lodge was the perfect safari experience for us. We stayed for 3 nights in May 2025 on our honeymoon after flying from Cape Town. Booking our stay and scheduling transfers was very easy and we were met at Hoedspruit Airport with a driver that helped with our luggage. We made the drive to the lodge in an air-conditioned sprinter van (some other lodges make you drive in an open-air vehicle for an hour). While at the lodge, we had the pleasure of working with Dennis and Musa, our guide and tracker. The lodge ensures you have the same tracker and guide for the entire stay, so they know which animals you have and have not seen to ensure you have the greatest chance of seeing the Big 5. Dennis and Musa were both friendly and knowledgeable about the animals we saw. We saw the Big 5 on our first day but they still worked hard to make the following two days exciting and fun! Our butler (waiter) at the lodge was Ralph. He was warm and friendly, telling us about local traditions and customs while he served us. The food and service were both great. We stayed in a Luxury Safari Tent with a plunge pool and it was the perfect setup for our 3 night stay. It was private yet easily accessible from the main lodge. We were visited twice on our walkway by elephants and giraffe! There is plenty of communal space in the lodge and pool to hang out with family and friends. We were unsure what to expect as it was our first time on safari, but we're already telling all of our friends and family to stay at Simbavati River Lodge when they travel to South Africa!