Name: Vuyani Safari Lodge
Address: Moditlo Private Game Reserve, Timbavati, Timbavati, Timbavati, 1890, South Africa
Rating: 10

Air conditioning

Smoke-free property

Heating

Ticket assistance

Garden

Terrace

Private check-in/check-out

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Rooms

Ironing

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Concierge services

Dry-cleaning

Luggage storage

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Diet menu (on request)

Breakfast

Breakfast in the room

Restaurant

Snack bar

Packed Lunches

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Airport transportation

Car rental

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Transfer

English

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Free parking

Parking

Swimming pool

Outdoor pool

Pool and beach

Conference Hall

Business

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Temperature control for staff

Personal protection equipment for staff

Extra decontamination measures

Contactless check-in and/or check-out

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

At the cottage

Hoedspruit Airport

Vuyani Safari Lodge

Timbavati

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garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

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park-view

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pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

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annex

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not-guaranteed

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smoking

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safe

mini-bar

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The rating when I booked this holiday had dropped by the time we got there and the holiday did not live up to my expectations.  One bed side light was dodgy with its connection so we didn’t use it and the other one didn’t have a lead long enough to reach the socket!  Asked on arrival for this to be fixed, 4 nights later no difference.  Drink service whilst friendly was slow.  Cold drinks are collected by the staff from a fridge not in the bar area.  The coffee machine is very slow, especially for that much needed boost before the 5.30 am Safari, we didn’t bother in the end.  Asking for simple information re pick up and when we had to be out of our room was like a closely guarded secret.  Only on my 3rd request was I informed.  Loved the game drives but it was luck of the draw if your driver was more communicative or not.  Tripped on my way back from dinner as at the top of the stairs the decking had been cut away, with no light in this area, I fell on all fours and have badly grazed knees and shin.  Staff very kindly cleaned and dressed my wound.  Another guest also fell on the same spot and hurt her hand.  Perhaps this could be addressed quickly before a broken limb occurs.  No mention was made of a trip to their sister hotel re a gift shop.  I would have loved to have been offered this.

The most incredible safari experience! We travelled to Vuyani Safari Lodge over the New Years period, and had the most magical time. The whole team pulled together an incredible family holiday for me, my sisters and my parents. The morning game drives were an absolute highlight, ticking off 4 of the Big 5 in our first 2 days (thanks to our superstar guides, Stephen and Phillip) and all the staff in the lodge are so attentive and helpful (shout out to Divine, Chris, and the team). The rooms are beautiful, and the food is delicious. Thank you so much to the team at Vuyani, we're so keen to come back soon and do it all again ✌🏽

The Most Magical Safari Experience

This was one of the best experiences we (as a family) have experienced whilst travelling.

From being picked up from the airport (by Johan - arranged by Vuyani) to arriving at the accommodation, checking in, and through to check out on our last day was effortless.

The staff are all friendly, welcoming and very professional; all just wanting to make your experience the best it could be. 

The rooms are fantastic. very spacious and have all you need during your stay. Ours even had a hot tub on the deck outside to enjoy through the day.

The cleaning ladies, the chefs, the kitchen and bar staff, the night porters, the drivers, the pool cleaners, the gardeners and the admin staff all make this trip what it is. 

This said, from our perspective the game driver and guide were the best part and made our trip unforgettable. 

We were assigned Philip and Stephen, both of which not only had so much knowledge about the animals, and the area, but were also just good people with great personalities, that made our overall experience exceptional. 

We had so many laughs, met so many different people that this holiday was very hard to leave behind.

We are already looking at our next trip to Vuyani Safari lodge, but this time taking others with us so we can share our experience.
 
Thank you Vuyani, we will be back very soon. You really bring the experience alive!

Damian, Jen and Poppy

Best Holiday, Driver and Guide ever! We are booking our return right now!!

Have I been here before? Yes
Will I come here again? It’s a given 
Will you love this place? Absolutely

There is so much of the world to see that I honestly have never been one to keep going back to the same place. Until I found the Vuyani Lodges. And now I can’t not go back. 

The wildlife is incredible. Honestly you will not believe quite how they manage to get you so close to the animals, and yet the animals are not stressed by it, and by how safe you feel, even being so close.  The guides and trackers are so brilliant at what they do you just have absolute faith in them. And the reserve itself is such a beautiful place to be driving around. 

Jannie and Aggy. Guide and tracker. Team extraordinaire. Full of dad jokes, bad jokes and so much amazing information that you can’t help but enjoy every single second of your time with them. They are just brilliant. You will leave knowing they have given everything they have to make sure you have had a brilliant time. I love them both. 

The lodge itself is beautiful and comfortable and the staff are there to cover anything you might need - from the housekeeping ninjas who keep your room sp beautifully but yet you never see them - to the waiters and chefs who keep you fed and watered so your waistlines are ever expanding - to the front of house team who greet you after every drive and everyone else who plays their part. 

You will leave with a heavy heart at having to say goodbye, already wanting to return, but at the same time a very happy heart at everything you have experienced in such a magical place. 

I can’t stop coming back. I love it 

Four of us stayed at the new Vuyani Marula Lodge at the end of October. The Vuyani Marula Lodge has three large bedrooms, a beautiful open plan reception, lounge and dining area and lovely rustic kitchen. The lodge also has its own pool and fenced deck area, which offers a stunning view of the mountains while you enjoy lunch on the patio or a dip in the pool. We arrived just in time for lunch prepared by Ephraim and while we were eating we were joined by an elephant at the fence that had passed by looking for a drink. This was a truly remarkable experience that started the holiday as it meant to go on. After settling in we were briefed by Russel our host about safety and met all the people that were going to look after us during our stay. We had a wonderful group of people looking after us, nothing was too much and they really made the experience of staying at the lodge something special.  
We had two game drives a day with Thomas guiding and Steve tracking. Early morning drives you can watch the sunrise, the animals start their day, and stop at the bush or a waterhole for coffee. On late afternoon drives catch the animals on the other half of their day relaxing in the sun or moving around the bush, and we would stop to have a sundowner (evening drink of your choice, with snacks) and enjoy the stunning views of sunset. 
As we were there at the same time as South Africa were in the rugby world cup final and so we chose to miss the sunrise drive so Thomas and Steve could watch the game and have a lie in the following morning. We went to Safari Lodge as they were streaming the game and watched with the guests and some guides from there. A really friendly atmosphere and a good game. 
We had a couple of rainy days but still managed to complete some game drives and saw many of the animals with some superb sightings with a large herd of elephants and two lioness that had caught a Nyala. We have made some wonderful memories with some beautiful sunsets at some waterholes and pangolin rocks which is the highest point on the reserve. On several days we found mating lions so hopefully there maybe some cubs at some point!
As for our accommodation, the lodge is beautiful. Each bedroom was large and had its own bathroom and the lounge area is great place to sit and chat. Breakfast is cereal, fruit, yogurt and pastry for you to choose and serve yourself and/or a full cooked breakfast where you can choose what you want from the list. Lunch was always a treat with choice after choice of fantastic food that Ephraim had prepared for us in the kitchen. Dinner was a choice from a set menu which was selected at lunchtime and was prepared during the afternoon and the wonderful smell of food cooking when you return from the game drive was the temptation of what was being prepared for us. The bedrooms were maintained by Scaners and were cleaned and tidied several times during the day and were always pristine when you get back from the game drives. 
The only downside, the ever evasive Leopard was the only thing we didn’t see, but we’ll just have to go back.
Overall, this was an amazing experience, and one we hope to return to again soon! If there is a group of friends or a family group it’s the perfect place to choose. We cannot recommend Vuyani Marula Lodge enough.

A once in a lifetime experience - that we will definitely do again!

Sadly, a trip of a lifetime turned out to be a very disappointing and stressful experience.  My friend, who has mobility issues, and I come from Ireland and are pensioners. Before booking our stay, I sent a number of emails to Vuyani Safari Lodge to make sure we are making the right choice. When I enquired whether the lodge could accommodate a guest with mobility issues, Robyn said that, although the lodge was not wheelchair friendly, the staff would help and do everything possible to ensure that we had an enjoyable stay.  Although the staff tried their best, all the walkways to the game viewing vehicles, the dining room and boma were on gravel paths. Even the staff could not push the wheelchair over the gravel so we could'nt join the rest of the group to socialise after any game drives, at breakfast or dinner. 
We were seated up near the lounge/reception area, far away from everyone else and felt very isolated.  Part of a holday experience is to socialise with other people and swop game sightings. Because our table was so far away from the dining room and kitchen, we didn't get the same selection from the buffet, choice of food and other meal options. By the time our meals arrived, the  food was cold and had to be heated in a microwave. I did bring up these issues with front desk (Pumla and Vlak) and although they did try, the meals remained a problem..  
We didnt go on many game drives because my friend could not get onto the vehicle and I coulld leave her on her own. We spent most of our time sitting around the pool and since the view from the pool area doesn't overlook a dam or river, no game could be seen. As a result, there was nothing to look forward to - the days were long and boring.. There weren't even any bird or game identification books in the lounge to look at. This experience was so upsetting that we decided to change our flight bookings flights back to Ireland, and left the same day we arrived back to Johannesburg from Hoedspruit. 
I would have preferred more honesty and transparency from Robyn when I expressed my concerns about the suitablity of the lodge. Instead of recommending a more suitable lodge, I was persuaded and assured that our stay at Vuyani Safari Loadge would be a truly wonderful experience. This was not the case and now to add to the frustration and irratation, Johan from Head Office and management in the UAE are no longer responding to my emails. Not acceptable and certainly not a very good impression for Vuyani.

Disappointing stay and no response from Head office

It was our first visit to Africa and we had goals of seeing a few of the animals on our wish list but our expectations were exceeded 100 fold. From the moment Derek met us at the airport our Safari began. We were met at reception by Alyssa who took us through induction and we met Sengali the lodge cat. Every morning we waited for the Goooood Morninnnnng which signalled another start to an amazing day. We saw every animal on our list and Jannie and Aggy’s knowledge was priceless. The food was next level amazing. We asked for dinner in our room for Valentines Day and the Staff gave us a candle lit dinner on the main deck where Russell looked after our every need. You have to stay at Vuyani Safari Lodge. It is amazing! We will be back!

Amazing Vuyani

Our first trip to South Africa. Starting in Port Elizabeth, making our way down the garden route to Cape Town, via Nysna and Franshhock. All very enjoyable. Took a 2-1/2 hour flight to Hoedspruit to get to the reserve. From the minute our taxi driver waiting for us picked us up nothing was too much trouble for all the staff. We were greeted at the lodge by a very nice young man who told us the does and don’t for our safety then took us to our rooms. Very spacious clean and comfortable. Unfortunately due to heavy rain the night before our first game drive was cancelled due to safety concerns which was disappointing but understandable. Our first game drive started the following morning with a knock on the door at 5am ready for the off at half past. Our tracker Age and driver Yanny were very informative and did us all proud on all of the 5 drives. Brilliant!!!
All our food was freshly prepared and very nice and as much to drink as you wished. 
Our only disappointment was not seeing the full reserve as 70% was closed for safety due to excessive rain fall over the 7 days before we arrived. 
Non the less a fantastic experience seeing wild animals in their natural environment. Would recommend it to anyone. Thanks again to all who made our trip a memorable event in our life. Ian & Julie with friends Keith and Lyn. 

One wonderful experience in your life.

Fabulous experience, high quality location, great location, great staff and a wonderful wildlife experience.
We were picked up from the airport by car, welcomed to the lodge, as we arrived mid afternoon they had saved lunch for us which was very thoughtful. The standard of food for 3 meals a day was first class and a wide range of drinks were readily available. 2 drives were provided each day 05:30 and 16:30 and each time we saw a great selection of animals. The lodge is in the middle of the park, on our first drive we saw a cheetah within 15 minutes of leaving. There is a very sociable atmosphere created and we met some lovely other guests. The staff were cheerful, professional, attentive and couldn't do enough to help. Our guide Gerry was exceptional. A truly wonderful few days

Outstanding experience

This was actually our third time visiting this amazing place... this time with the family between the ages of 21-74. You can check out my previous 5* reviews - ultimately,  I don’t think you’ll find better value for money. 

The bush is always a very special place, from the sounds and the smells, to of course the sightings… and Safari lodges come in all shapes and sizes… AND costs - we’ve stayed at a few to know. But because such a huge amount of your time is spent in the lodge itself or out on game drives, the staff play an enormous role in shaping your time there, more so than any other type of hotel or holiday stay. They are absolutely critical to how much you enjoy yourself and what you get out of it.

Vuyani is a beautiful lodge, but it’s people are even more so. From the very efficient front of house, to the housekeeping and maintenance  fairies, to the talented chefs and hospitable waiters, to the adventurous and dedicated game drivers and trackers, each and every one of them adds unique dimension and personality. We have truly formed a special bond with this little piece of heaven and its people and simply can’t rate it highly enough. 

To those who may be in the research stages of their first safari experience, my advice would be to look no further because this is guaranteed a top experience. And for those that are regular safari lovers like us - you’ve gotta tick this box.

Thank you so much to all the staff that continue to make this place a jewel in the crown. And a special thank you to our driver Yani and tracker Aggy for those incredible game drives, stories and belly laughs! Your chemistry, dedication and passion for the bush, it’s inhabitants and your guests is inspiring and infectious. 

We’ll be back soon! xxx

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