Name: Matumi Game Lodge
Address: Guernsey Road, Klaserie, Guernsey Rd, Klaserie, 1380, South Africa, Timbavati, Timbavati, Timbavati, 1380, South Africa
Rating: 10

Air conditioning

Elevator/lift

Smoke-free property

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Rooms

Laundry

Services and amenities

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Airport transportation

Transfer

Library

Recreation

Offsite parking reservations required

Parking

Swimming pool

Outdoor pool

Pool and beach

Conference Hall

Business

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Hoedspruit Airport

Londolozi Airport

Hazyview Airport

Matumi Game Lodge

Timbavati

This was our first Safari and made so much more special by the service, professionalism and accommodation delivered by the Waterbuck Team. Safaris are not easy! 5:30 am starts to take full advantage of seeing the animals at day break and  repeating the 3 hour safari drive late afternoon as the sun goes down - but Waterbuck looks after every single aspect of your itinerary, your care and your rest. They turn the experience into a luxury stay. 
The 4 lodges are beautiful and provide the perfect haven for resting between drives (Even the resident hippos in the watering hole couldn't disturb our sleep - it's a full on day) The lodges are all fully equipped with every amenity and the most comfortable beds. From the early morning coffee before you depart on the drive, the stop mid drive for Amarula coffee and muffin. Back for wonderful fully cooked breakfast around 9:30. Then late lunch before the evening drive (off course the sun downer of gin/wine/beer and snacks during this drive) and back of fantastic evening meals provided by Antoneth/Patients and the rest of the team allowing us to relive the unforgettable drives guided by Marnus and our tracker Solly.

This is what you come to Kruger for - yes the big 5, (And yes we caught them all) but Marnus made us to look up and down from bird life to flora to insects whilst finding the big 5 for us - he was so informative and obviously so dedicated to preserving and promoting the ecosystem in which Waterbuck is set. His description of the stars above us was fascinating on a particularly clear night on the way back from a wonderful evening of watching a pride of lions interact.

I can't see any reason for not going to Waterbuck, it was wonderful and we will certainly be returning - the team provided us with one of the most memorable experiences in our many years of travelling. Thank you to all the team

An unforgettable visit to Kruger Thanks Waterbuck

Once in a lifetime experience! 

Everyone was very kind and made the experience as comfortable, educational and special as possible.

Accommodated a gluten sensitivity and only made us wish we could have stayed longer! 

Aubrey and Marnus were outstanding! If you’re thinking of going for safari, look no further!

Amazing experience!

What a wonderful break from reality, relaxing in nature surrounded by the big 5 and more! 

This bush adventure has definitely made it to the top of my list of best experiences to date.

The location, accommodation, service and attention to detail were all on point. 

I am also Vegan, which I  thought may pose some issues, however to my surprise I was specially catered for with some of the most tasty vegan dishes, allowing me to not feel excluded durning meal times. 

Overall a wonderful stay in a piece of tranquil paradise!

Luxury living amongst the big 5

If it’s a bush experience with the big 5, hosted and run with incredible staff who will do the utmost to make your experience as great as ever then there is no doubt in my mind Waterbuck is the place you’ll find exactly that.

My 7 night experience has been nothing short of exceptional, from the cleanliness of the rooms and the main lodge to the expertise of the rangers on game drives to the INCREDIBLE food preparation daily for me and my partner who is vegan, I can confidently say that should you choose to visit waterbuck reserve in thorny bush you will not have any regrets.

EXCELLENT game reserve experience! 10/10

This was our first safari, and truly one of the best travel experiences of our lives! We miss the lodge so much already.

We stayed for 3 nights at the end of November/beginning of December. 
To start, communication was superb which stood out when picking from many accommodations that were rated highly. They made the entire process very smooth and welcoming. We arranged our airport transfers through them from 2 different airports (hoedspruit and nelspruit), and we were able to pay online prior to our arrival. 

They were able to accommodate our dietary restrictions (we requested Halaal meat) and made amazing meals out of it. For 2 of the nights the meal was held in the boma with a beautiful table set up and delicious 3 course meal. Our last night was rainy, and we all ate together at the dining table at the lodge. It was very cozy and a wonderful experience. 
They serve coffee/tea and biscuits before the game drive. Then we’d stop for another coffee/hot drink break while on the drive. A full breakfast including your choice of eggs is served after arriving back to the lodge. We would usually nap during the day, and lunch would be served around 3:30. The afternoon game drive would begin shortly after that and then dinner would be served a short time after arriving back from the drive. We were very well fed and did not go hungry. 

The room was beautiful. The AC worked perfectly in the bed area which is where we needed it. Housekeeping would come twice a day while we were on our game drives. There were plenty of plugs, including one on each side of the bed.

The game drives were superb. We were able to do 5 game drives and saw elephants, lions, giraffes, Cape buffalo, white rhinos, monkeys, warthogs, wild painted dogs, hippos, a crocodile, zebras, impalas, and even 2 sightings of leopards!  Plenty of birds and smaller species as well. Theres a watering hole at the lodge and we had many interesting visitors including a herd of elephants there as well. 

We are beyond happy with our decision to choose Waterbuck as our first safari experience. The small lodge lends to wonderful conversation with fellow guests from all over the world, with plenty of privacy and space to spread out as well. Safaris are not a cheap experience, and Waterbuck delivered beyond expectations. 

Overall, cannot say enough good things about the lodge. Already dreaming of coming back! Thank you to the wonderful staff who made the place as magical as it was

Unforgettable safari paradise

Waterbuck Game Lodge is an intimate four room establishment situated in the south of Thornybush Game Reserve , part of the Greater Kruger area. After a relatively short journey from Eastgate Airport in Hoedspruit, we were met at the gate by Matt Holland who was to be our guide for the week. He very quickly made us feel welcome as we headed towards the lodge.  On arrival at Waterbuck we were shown to our home for the next ten days - a spacious and luxurious chalet overlooking the waterhole.

The room was well appointed. The bedroom area had a large comfortable bed, ample wardrobe space and a hot drinks station with tea, cafetière coffee and yummy homemade biscuits. There was a fridge that was kept supplied with both still and sparkling water, and with milk for the drinks. A laundry basket was also in situ (we didn’t take advantage of this service, but it appeared to be reasonably priced). There were a number of accessible plug points, including some by the amply sized bedside tables. If you are not from South Africa, don’t forget to take adapter plugs (the sockets in the room are ‘type M’, the three round pin plug, which are not usually included on UK ‘universal’ adaptors).

The bedroom had double doors leading out onto a small deck overlooking the waterhole. On the deck were a couple of comfy chairs, alongside a squashy ‘sofa chair’ (exceptional for a post-drive snooze!).

Further doors in the bedroom led to a well appointed bathroom area. Large mirrors sit behind double sinks, with an enormous soaking tub sitting underneath the panoramic view over the waterhole. There was an inside shower, which led through to another, outdoor shower - again with a view over the waterhole. The ‘silk and marula’ toiletries (soap, shampoo and conditioner) were in pump bottles, and smelled heavenly. There was even a choice of bath crystals and a ‘milk bath’ to indulge in. Bath towels, hand towels and facecloths were supplied, and there was a container of cotton make up removal pads if needed.

At this time of year days started with a wake up call at 5am (thanks, Solly), meeting in the main lodge for a tea or coffee at 5:15 and heading out on drive at 5:30. Drives lasted about 3 hours, with a stop in the bush for a morning beverage. Matt and Solly were a fantastic team. Matt is an engaging naturalist , an enthusiastic birder, and an expert photographer. This was an especial asset to us (avid photo enthusiasts) as he always positioned us in the  best place for the photographic opportunities. Solly’s tracking ability was extraordinary, and we were blessed with multiple leopard and lion sightings, along with elephant, buffalo, rhino and lots of general game. The afternoon drive is similar in length, leaving the lodge at about 4pm.

The food at Waterbuck is a triumph. Breakfast is served after the morning game drive and similar day to day,. It starts with yoghurt, cereal and fruit, moving on with bacon, sausage eggs tomatoes and mushrooms. High tea is served at 3:30 pm, and consisted of a savoury and a sweet snack each day, all of which were lovely. Dinner, served after the evening drive, is normally a three course affair served in the BOMA around a crackling fire. Again, Antonette and her team did an amazing job - you will not leave hungry!

Being a small lodge, there was not always someone manning the bar, but you are welcome to help yourself and make a note of what you had in the ‘honesty book’ . There was a wide range available, with some reasonably priced South African wines. To give an idea, two of us spent less than £100 at the bar in a ten day stay.

In conclusion, we had a fantastic stay at Waterbuck Game Lodge. Many thanks to Matt, Solly and the whole team for looking after us so well.

First Class Guiding and Tracking

This was our first safari experience and Waterbuck lodge did not disapoint! The staff at this lodge are amazing. So friendly and welcoming. The food was unreal.  Every meal was different and amazing and exceeded our expectations. Our room was beautiful and was clean and welcoming. We loved spending our days lying by the pool and watching different animals visit the watering hole. The actual safari drives were incredible. We saw so many different animals including the big five. Our first day we had the pleasure of doing two safari drives with Roux and Lemonghan. They were amazing and gave us our first Elephant, Lion and Rhino encounters. We were then introduced to our next team Solly and Matt. Our tracker Solly was an absolute boss and his tracking skills are incredible. At one point he spotted a small chameleon in a tree at night while driving which none of us could see until we were 2 feet away.  It was so impressive. Matts knowledge of the animals was amazing and we learned so much from him. Solly and Matt are such an unreal duo and you'd be lucky to have these two as you guides on safari. We enjoyed mid drive drinks and laughs. We would recomend this lodge to all of our friends. Thank you all for making the first half of our honeymoon one to remember!

Amazing experience

It’s difficult to put into words quite how incredible our time here was. 
With our excellent tracker and ranger we saw the ‘big 5’ on our first drive and from there things got even better. I can’t believe how many animals we saw and how (respectfully) close we got to them. It was such a privilege to see the incredible wildlife, including seriously endangered animals, in their natural surroundings; hunting, feeding etc. 
The lodge was beautiful with lovely big rooms right in the bush. The team there couldn’t do enough for us and spoiled us with amazing food and cakes. A real taste of luxury and a holiday we will never forget! 

Outstanding lodge and safari experience

A superb experience with wonderful game viewing. Very knowledgeable and experienced guides and trackers. The staff are very friendly and attentive. The chalets are beautiful and well appointed.  A really memorable experience.

Waterbuck Game lodge getaway.

The staff at Waterbuck Lodge makes a visit exceptional. They go out of their way to ensure you are cared for with innovative ideas is a relaxed and fun filled day. The game drives with experience an experience guide and great tracker ensured we saw the animals and birds. The guide showed great knowledge and respect for the animals and environment

Matumi Game Lodge

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