Makumu Private Game Lodge

The safari was great and could see almost all big 5 there and multiple times. Unforgettable experience. Brunch was served every day at 10 am. Was very diversified and included some typical food from South Africa. Dinner was really good as well. Really appreciated the hospitality of the team. Thank you so much Adrian, Richard, Maggie, Shelly, Ruon, Julia, Thomas and the entire Makumu team!

Wifi was a bit slow from the room but it was not a real issue for us

comfortable with fabulous service

everything was excellent

nothing

We had the best time of our lives during the three days at Makumu. The property is stunning, with endless good taste. The concept is very true to the location, so one really experiences being in a natural reserve. It’s smart luxury. The staff is unbelievably pleasant and kind. The food is delicious and plenty (so are the drinks). The Safaris were exciting and adventurous. We were lucky to have experienced a lot and feel that we made the best choice ever.

No remarks whatsoever.

Our stay at Makumu was incredible! My family and I spent 4 nights / 5 days at the lodge, and we all had an incredible time thanks to the Makumu team. They handled everything to make our vacation fun and relaxing. We can't thank Cherie, Shelley, Ruan, and AD enough for making our stay so enjoyable! Facilities The whole lodge is beautiful. The rooms were spacious, clean, and functional with incredible views. I was in the Zulu king suite, and just from our room we were able to see giraffes, elephants, baboons, water buck, and impalas. The main lodge communal areas were also well taken care of and beautifully decorated. It is very apparent the Makumu team puts a lot of thought and care into making the place feel comfortable for their guests. This is one of the few places I've stayed where the pictures on the website are accurate and are exactly what you get when you arrive. Activities The twice a day game drives were of course the highlights and exceeded our expectations. Seeing so many animals was exciting (big 5 and then some!) but the absolute treat and bonus was our ranger, Ruan, who taught us SO much on each drive. My whole family was amazed with his keen eye to spot wildlife (he spotted a baby chameleon in the dark while driving!!) and the breadth of knowledge he shared with us. Food All the meals were delicious, and the team was accommodating to my dietary restrictions (no meat). We were given breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack breaks during each game drive, and a snack before the evening game drive. I foolishly had brought snacks thinking I might need them, but I never touched them.

So many things! 1. The views! I saw a herd of elephants walk by my room while I was in the bathtub. Our suite (Zulu King Suite) looked right at the watering hole, so we saw many animals right from our room. 2. The food was incredible. Every single meal was delicious, and the hospitality was so warm and welcoming. Be prepared for dinner to take at least an hour, though. It's a three course meal every single night. So also, expect to gain a little weight =) 3. The game drives were full of adventure. Even when things were a little quiet, we enjoyed watching Ruan and Sibu working together to find tracks and lead to some game sightings. They make a great team their efforts pay off! I personally also enjoy the little things like seeing the birds and the smaller mammals and just enjoying being out in nature. But, we definitely saw big game and that was of course rewarding and thrilling. 4. Service was top tier. I'm not used to being waited on, or having my bags brought to my room for me or anything like that, it usually makes me a bit uncomfortable. But the staff made it feel okay and like it wasn't a burden for them and they were happy to fetch me a glass of wine or whatever. The owners were in town at the same time as us and they also extended the same hospitality to us, so it felt more intimate and like family rather than "I'm on a luxury vacation".

This is literally my only complaint and the only thing that bothered me at all about the entire lodge and my stay there. All of the doors in our suite were pocket doors, which normally wouldn't be a problem, but none of them opened fully. This was clearly a design choice, as the doors had carvings on them that are still displayed with the doors opened (it also had a small benefit of being easier to open a pocket door with some excess available to grab). The doorway to our closet was wide enough that this was fine, but going to the toilet was actually a big hassle. The doorway to the toilet was so narrow, that with the pocket door unable to open fully, there was only a 17" opening. My shoulders are 19" inches, so this meant I had to turn sideways and shimmy my way into the toilet. However, I am large chested, so even when I turned sideways and shimmied through, my breasts were being scratched on the door frame, or else my but was getting caught on the door. Not ideal when you really have to pee after a long game drive and you have to do yoga to get to the toilet. My husband, a very tall and thin man, also had to turn sideways and shimmy his way through that doorway because of his broad shoulders. If that pocket door could open all the way to the other side of the door frame, like most pocket doors do, no problem. Or even making it a barn door on the other side or anything else would be an improvement.

Thank you, Stefan, Karin, Ruan, Shelly, Richard, Cherie, AD, and the lovely ladies of the Makumu hospitality team. This was one of the best stays of our lives. Hugh and Kasia Poland

I hated leaving.

Impossible to tell, truly a once in a lifetime experience. Exceptional service by exceptional people.

Absolutely nothing