Mabula Game Lodge

The entrance was grand, but sadly it was just a thin veneer. We arrived early afternoon and were told to go to the restaurant for lunch. As soon as we arrived we were told the restaurant had closed. But after a few discussions we were “allowed” to have lunch. Many of the open buffet dishes had flies sitting on & buzzing around them, so we steered clear of those. The rooms looked ok at first glance, but after a while the poor maintenance and poor cleaning became apparent. We were in room 27. The entrance door rattled and would move 3-4cm even when locked, and the lock itself was faulty and the key had to be pushed very firmly in to activate the lock. The rattling was eventually repaired by maintenance. Water from the shower poured out of the gap between the wall and the shower screen/glass, making the bathroom floor very wet. Evidence of a continuing problem was apparent from the caulking applied to both sides of the glass. Hand towels and floor mats were never replaced by our cleaners. We had to request replacements regularly. No towels were supplied at the pool either - we were told to use our room towels! The floor in the room was never cleaned properly, so we couldn’t walk around in bare feet for fear of stepping on something sharp - which happened a few times. Back to the food in the restaurant. Although different dishes were prepared, they all seemed somewhat “samey”. Many of the “hot” dishes were cold. On our 2nd day I had something that gave me a very upset tummy. It could only have been something I ate in the restaurant as we didn’t eat anywhere else during our stay. Fortunately another person who as in our group of 4 had some Imodium that helped me out. We had to leave early for me to get more meds. Unfortunately all of these things led up to us leaving after 3 days of our 4 day trip which was paid for in advance. meaning that we lost 1/4 of what we paid for. When I mentioned this to the receptionist (Martha?), she just said “Oh” and disregarded my comments. Regarding the game drives, although we did see a few animals, we were very disappointed at hearing what other groups had seen after their return from their drives when we had seen next to nothing by comparison. The only 2 of the “big 5” that we saw were lions (in their own enclosure!) which my wife spotted, and 2 cheetahs. All other animals we saw were the more regular herbivores. We regularly got apologies from our driver Monayia for not finding more animals. Although most members of staff were polite, like Sam in the restaurant and Salamina on reception, we came away feeling very let down, and found Manila poor value for money. It was particularly “interesting” that when I paid my bill for our extra drinks/massage, the payment went to “Mabula Primary School”!!! This has since been amended on my card statement.

A lovely place to visit . The staff , accommodation and game drives are brilliant . We were lucky enough to see 4 of the big 5 plus lots of other animals . To see them in the wild is such a privilege and a memory that will last forever . Our accommodation was clean and comfortable and we often saw a variety of animals wandering around just outside our door . Our guide Frans was informative and with his help we saw Lions , cheetahs and elephants up really close but still felt safe . Food was of good quality and plenty of choice at every meal . Game drives start early in the morning and late afternoon and a jacket is useful as it does get chilly driving around in the jeep . In the summer there can be a fair bit of rain so a waterproof mac is also useful .

This game lodge was our 1st and we couldn't have been happier. A beautiful place so clean, the food was delicious and the people amazing. The game drives were 1st class and our ranger Frans was the absolute best he was so full of knowledge and made every drive so much fun.

Fantastic venue with hospitable staff and incredible food. Lovely holiday venue in the bush that's also a luxury experience. Just check on the weather; lots of rain this January.

Great time in Mabula Our stay in Mabula was fantastic, very large and comfortable room, exceptional food, fantastic game drives, bush walk, etc.