Ant's Nest

Ant’s Nest was incredible from start to finish. After a long travel day, the private shuttle, game drive, and sundowners at sunset were the perfect welcome to South Africa. The horseback safaris were simply amazing. We had such great guides, unreal wildlife sightings, and perfect photo opportunities. Every ride felt special. We rode every morning and evening, and never wanted it to end. The food was outstanding. Breakfasts were made to order, and lunches and dinners were consistently creative and delicious. Housekeeping was exceptional, with such thoughtful attention to detail. Every single staff member was kind, warm, and genuinely personable. Ant’s Nest blends adventure, comfort, and amazing food into a truly special experience. I already can't wait to go back! Photos taken by me: Jeni Jo Photography

We enjoyed every minute of our phenomenal week at Ant’s. The staff, horses, animals, rooms, food, activities and scenery were all exceptional — I genuinely can’t think of a thing that could be improved. We originally chose Ant’s because they cater so well for non-riders, to make sure my partner and teenage son would also have plenty to do. In the end, they spent more time in the saddle than out, thanks to the encouragement of the fantastic guides and the beautiful horses suited to every rider. The atmosphere is incredibly friendly and relaxed, and the sundowners are a really special touch. We didn't want to leave and had our next visit booked within a day of returning home.

Very beautiful lodge located nearby the Waterberg. We celebrated New Years here with a lovey dinner and had our first Horse riding safari experience as well! The instructors and guides were very friendly and patient with us rookies 😅 The main lodge and pool area is beautiful and clean. Our room was very tiny on the other hand. Therefore a bit too expensive. Staff was friendly and dinner was great! Thank you! Julez

We booked Ant’s Nest as a bolt-on to our trip to Botswana. It was amazing! The staff and volunteers were just great, enthusiastic and always helpful. The horses were gorgeous (a special horse-shaped space in my heart for Xiaxia). The wildlife was extraordinary and the guides’ explanations and stories wonderful. Thank you OBK, JoJo, Marc and Tec - you are fab! The food: I’ve put on 2kg! Delicious and any special requests always met. Our room ‘Flycatcher’ was simply magic and I spent hours watching the weaver birds building their nests. We shared food and stories with the other guests and drank G&T while watching sunsets together, many new friendships. Above all the attention to detail such as a complementary water flask with my name on! The small shop sells useful gear as well as crafts and cards (Ant’s beautiful paintings). I will wear my Ant’s safari shirt with fond memories.

My Love Letter to Ant's: I am incredibly impressed with the guides and staff here. For example, one guide, Tek, is the type of person I wish I could clone and put him in the classroom because he has so much joy, knowledge, passion in sharing it and kindness for his guests. These guides are not just leading rides — they are storytellers, conservationists, and cultural ambassadors, opening a window into Africa in a way that’s profoundly personal. Each guide and staff member had a different story, passion and so much culture to bring to the table. I appreciate how comfortable Ant's is for a complete diversity of clientele. I don't think that anyone could come to Ant's and not feel comfortable and welcomed. I became part of a family as a solo traveler with the other guests during my time there. I have told so many people about their ability to handle all levels of riders, even while on the same trail ride. There are shortcuts the guides know that allow them to take riders at a walk to meet up after a short canter the longer way. Many riders worry that mixed-ability groups mean compromise, but they have found a perfect balance and handle it very well. Lord, how many people have I told about the 5 star dining and accommodations at Ant's!!!! One could stay at Ant's and be completely happy and satisfied and have the time of their lives just by enjoying the food and lodging. I could not believe Worldview. Stunning. I walked around mouth agape at the views and how well it was designed. Staying there was truly a gift, showing me the full magic of Ant’s and South Africa. I enjoyed my time just as much in the Nest as I did at the Hill lodges. One last thing I will mention is how much I benefited physically, spiritually, emotionally and as an equestrian because of my time there. I am a much better and stronger rider from having spent about 5 hours in the saddle a day. I believe that has much to do with the food quality and goodness as well. I am as strong and healthy as I have ever been. I only wish I had a show or event coming up! I know I will be well prepared for Cross Country in Ireland at the end of October. I suggest and prescribe Ant's at least once a year for physical health and strength! They offer excellent hospitality and the incredible memories. I’m so grateful for the blessings of my stay — and the ones that I have kept since returning home.

Before visiting Bushwillow and Ant's Nest I read every review I could find and all these raving reviews don't even do these places justice. Words just can't describe the time we had.||Off course the places are beautiful. Bushwillow was very tranquil and Nest a bit more lively. Both had there own charm but we fell in love with Bushwilow..|The rooms are very comfortable. the food amazing and the surroundings breathtaking. ||Riding was amazing with a great scenery and very nice horses. And most importantly the horses are looked after very well. ||But what made our trip so special where the people. From the first contact to make our reservation I felt like we would be taken care off. All my questions, and there were a lot, were answered in detail and promptly. |And after arriving we didn't have to think about anything because anything was taken care of for us. It's very hard to describe but I'm the kind of person that worry's a lot and needs to dubbelcheck everything. During our stay I completely let go of being a control freak and just went with the flow. ||Everyone we have met during our stay seemed to love their job. The guides were amazing with a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm. And all af them had great personalities. Being out with them made us feel like you went out for a ride with friends that just happen to know more about nature than you will ever will. We've learned so much about the wildlife and plants.||The chefs are great. The food was amazing with a lot of variety. It was a good thing we did a lot of riding because having a big breakfast, we couldn't say no to the daily breakfast special. Lunch is a full cooked meal, afternoon tea comes with a lovely snack. After some snacks during sundowners there is an amazing three course meal waiting for you.|Dinner was my favorite meal because of the great conversations we had during our dinners. ||Every member of staff was amazing but the lodge managers made our trip. They went above and beyond to make sure we had the best time, could do as much as possible and arranged everything for us. I can't thank them enough for all they did. ||This was supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip but we know we have to go back. If you have the chance just book the trip. You won't regret it.

Ant’s was without a doubt one of the best things we have ever done! Absolutely blown away by how amazing it was. To summarise all the wonderful things we can say about it, we’d say it was “effortlessly perfect”.||From the rhinos strolling across the drive as we arrived, we knew we were in for a great week.|The staff were all phenomenal, the best service we have ever received. It felt like a combination of staying in a 5* hotel whilst being looked after by your best mates. Everyone was just so lovely and down to earth. We loved the communal feel to it, we hadn’t quite realised that was the vibe there but it was just so great and we met some really lovely guests there as well as the staff.|There was nothing they couldn’t do for you. Everything was so well organised and thought through, the attention to detail was spot on.|The itinerary was expertly constructed with plenty of options and down time if needed.||The horses were absolutely amazing!!! So much so I shed a tear saying goodbye to my lovely horse, Caprivi. She was an absolute pleasure to ride, such a smart and well schooled horse I really enjoyed riding he and I’ve never felt so confident riding a new horse whilst cantering over rocky terrain dodging various wild animals!|Not only that but the horses my novice husband was given to ride were superb and looked after him so well. Considering he had only ridden properly a handful of times before we went to Ant’s, we were all absolutely amazed by how quickly he picked it up and he was cantering along in the more advanced group by day 2!|The horses certainly know and love their jobs.||The best part was the fact at the end of the ride you untacked the horses and they wandered off to graze with the wild animals and made their own way back to the lodge. It was evident how well looked after and loved they all are, their welfare certainly comes first which was really important to us. We loved that the staff all had particular horses that were “theirs” and they really knew them inside out. They were all in immaculate condition, receiving physio/farrier/dentist whilst we were there and the tack was all great and the saddles SO comfy!||The wildlife, well wow! I think we saw pretty much everything on day 1!! It was unbelievable. The guides were all so knowledgable and great at finding the animals whilst respecting their space. They were so interesting to listen to as they guided us on wonderful rides. We really could not believe how much we saw and how close you could get to them.||The accommodation was spectacular as well, what a beautiful location and stunning lodge. It felt so personal there only being about 10/12 guests at a time, that really made Ant’s stand out from anything else we’ve ever done - it felt unique and not touristy in the slightest.|And the food & drink - wow!! Absolutely incredible and there was never a chance to go hungry being fed every couple of hours or so haha!! The drinks being included was a great touch as well and the fact they ask you want drinks they want you to bring for sundowners as well was awesome.|Sundowners in a different spot each day is something we’ll never forget!!||What we loved the most about Ant’s is that it felt like we had been given the privilege to be invited to experience life with them. It didn’t feel touristy or commercialised, the small group of us made it feel really unique and special. The fact we got the chance to assist with a game capture when two of the buffalo needed relocating was just incredible and an experience we will forever cherish.|Everyone was just so lovely and such great fun - it was so obvious that everyone thoroughly loved their job and time there. Thank you for having us x

You've probably heard it all before looking at the other reviews, 'amazing experience' 'out of this world' 'once in a lifetime'. Honestly though, it is. ||My holiday to south Africa to safari at Ant's Nest was all that. The animals are spectacular and the novelty of getting to ride near them is incredible. The facilities are truly luxury and I have never before been to a place where the house staff come to clean/prep the rooms twice a day. ||The meals are incredible, especially if you like your meat, and drinks selection which is included has enough to please everyone. Ant's Nest does foster a community spirit, something of which I was wary of, but by the end I was good friends with all the other guests and it made meal times very homely. ||I couldn't find a fault with this place even if I tried.