Zulu Nyala Safari Game Lodge

This was an indescribable experience! Better that we ever imagined ! The safari guide David was very knowledgeable and you could tell he loved the culture and the wildlife. We took 3 additional excursions and loved every one of them. We were grouped with some great people and spent dinner, Safari and excursions with them.

All of the staff is very friendly and accommodating Chris our guide was by far the best thank you Zulu Nyala for an outstanding experience. If possible we will definitely come back. The restaurant staff and bartender were great. And the accommodation were first class. We stayed in the tents great experience.

Spectacular treated like royalty. The chef, waitresses, gardeners, cleaning people, front desk so so welcoming. Sanguine GM fantastic. Food was plentiful and delicious. Lots varieties. The landscaping beautiful. Pool, tennis courts, laundry service, the drives with guide great. Knowledgeable about animals, trees, birds, flowers and our guy TK tracker.

We had an unforgettable stay at Zulu Nyala - the daily drives were fantastic and our ranger David was amazing - friendly and so knowledgeable about the animals (of which we saw many) - we learnt a lot. Whilst there aren’t lions at Zulu Nyala we did a half day trip to another reserve where we saw lionesses and cubs which was so special. We also took the opportunity to do the elephant interaction - incredible to be so close to them - highly recommend. You are put with a group for the drives / your meals but we didn’t mind that - we got to know people well and make friends which is always part of a holiday for us. The only reason to not give 5 stars is that we had 3 nights in the tented accommodation - which was very atmospheric - apart from the train (goods train I think it is) that is very loud about 4am and also if it’s windy the sides of the tent do flap quite a lot. But other than that the accommodation was fine and our final 3 nights were in the lodges behind reception which were lovely. The meals were good - buffet style but good quality and the wines were lovely too. A great first taste of a safari holiday.

We had an unfortunate encounter at Zulu Nyala. On arrival we had the need of the laundry services and sent some closes out. I had inadvertently placed my travel pants in the laundry with over $1,000 US cash in the pocket. I informed the staff the next day and was told there was nothing in the pockets. Clearly someone in the laundry hit the jackpot on that day at my expense. The hotels response was nothing. I simply asked for a credit of some kind and got nothing. Taking no responsibility for your employees criminal acts is not ok and that is why I am writing this review. As far as the lodge the tents were nice and clean but if you are over 6’2 you will not fit in the bed as it has a footboard. As I am 6’3 I was very uncomfortable. As for the preserve there just are not many animals on it. You drive for much of the time and don’t see much. We were in the Chobe National preserve in Botswana before this trip and it was spectacular. Zulu Nya has 3 elephants, 3 rhinos and No lions. If you want to see lions you have to pay to go to another reserve. The elephant interaction was definitely worth it but was at an extra cost. In regards to the food it is buffet style for every meal. The food is about a 6 on a scale of 10. It is also very similar every day so gets quite boring. Drinks are very reasonable. As far as other things to do there are not a lot. Frequently we were asking each other what do we can do next. We ended up leaving our stay 2 days earlier as I was tired of this place.