Makanyi Private Game Lodge | Luxury Safari South Africa

We spent three incredible days at this very special property, and the service and facilities were excellent. Every employee was helpful, kind, and one step ahead of us for any need or request. Our safari ranger, Alfred and tracker Temba were incredibly knowledgeable and enabled us to see an incredible variety of animals during our time. They also shared stories of the animals, their backgrounds, and their living habitats, which made the experience incredibly enjoyable.||In addition, the food variety and quality were 5-star during our entire visit.

Makanyi Lodge is simply extraordinary—hands down the best experience we’ve ever had. From the moment we arrived, Lillian made us feel like family, ensuring we were always comfortable and had everything we needed. Her warmth and care truly set the tone for our stay. Our safari drives with Timber and Alfred were nothing short of magical. Their expertise and talent in tracking animals made every outing an adventure. Thanks to them, we had incredible sightings of elephants, lions, white and black rhinos, wild dogs, turtles, hippos, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, and so much more. Their knowledge and passion for the wildlife added so much depth to the experience. Chef Amos and the kitchen team deserve all the praise in the world. The food was phenomenal! I have challenging dietary requirements (dairy-free and gluten-free), but every single day, Chef went above and beyond, creating incredible gluten-free options like pancakes, scones, carrot cake, fruit tarts, chocolate cake, lemon bars, different cookies every day, and even bread. The gluten-free pancakes were the best I’ve ever had! The housekeeping staff was equally exceptional—our room was impeccably made up each day, and they went the extra mile to decorate our room beautifully for our honeymoon. The rooms are spacious, thoughtfully designed, and the bed is, without exaggeration, the most comfortable we’ve ever slept in. Makanyi Lodge gave us memories we’ll cherish for a lifetime. Thank you to the entire team for making our stay so special. We cannot recommend this place highly enough!

This lodge has it all - amazing people, food, rooms, scenery. This was my first safari and I was not disappointed. They think about the guest experience from the moment you arrive and the attention to detail is incredible. Thank you to Lillian for making us feel welcome and to Alfred and Thembu for their excellent tracking skills. All the staff are utterly amazing including the chefs who create the most fabulous meals. Excellent cocktails too :) This was a holiday of a lifetime for us and I can’t recommend highly enough

We cannot express in words the uniqueness of this lodge, its people, the breathtaking nature, the animals, and the exceptional service. Despite the beautiful pictures, the descriptions, and the recommendations, we were still positively surprised beyond measure. We are truly grateful to have been welcomed into the Makanyi family.||Every person there made sure our stay was perfect, touching, and lacked nothing. This place exudes tranquility and a genuine love for animals in the most natural way. Thanks to Alfred, we had the privilege of observing so many animals up close, learning so much about the land and wildlife, all without disturbing nature or its inhabitants.||The warmth of the people who live in harmony with nature and the animals, combined with the countless fascinating experiences and insights shared by those who have known and loved this land and its wildlife for decades, made our time at Makanyi truly unforgettable.||We wholeheartedly recommend this extraordinary place. We are not saying goodbye, but rather, "until we meet again."

Without a doubt one of the best experiences of our lives. Makanyi will forever hold a special place in our hearts - it is a truly spectacular and beautiful lodge made even more special by the wonderful staff.||My husband and I visited on our honeymoon and Makanyi exceeded every single expectation we had. The food is truly amazing (hats off to the Head Chef, Amos) and the rest of the staff are so attentive, friendly and warm. ||A massive thanks to our AMAZING guide and tracker, Sakkie and Robert. We had the best viewing experience, thanks to their incredible knowledge. They genuinely wanted to give us the best drives possible - and succeeded in every way. ||Makanyi is such an intimate lodge that we had such a personal experience and every need was catered to. We were so sad to say goodbye and will definitely be returning!

Makanyi Lodge – A Truly Exceptional Experience Having grown up in and traveled extensively across Southern Africa, we were initially skeptical about visiting the Kruger area due to reports of heavy tourism. However, we are so glad we found Makanyi Lodge—it exceeded all expectations! From the moment we arrived, we had a great feeling. The rooms are exceptionally well designed, private, and incredibly comfortable, featuring both indoor and outdoor showers as well as a bathtub. Housekeeping was outstanding, ensuring everything was immaculate throughout our stay. Makanyi is truly exclusive, accommodating no more than 20 guests at a time, which adds to the intimate and personalized experience. Chef Amos delivered exceptional and thoughtfully prepared meals, and the cocktails—courtesy of Lyborn and his team—were fantastic. Now, to the important part —the game drives. The vehicles are incredibly comfortable, an important factor given you spend six hours a day in them. They have excellent suspension, ample storage, blankets, snacks, biltong and most importantly Amarula and coffee. Sakkie (our guide) and Robert (our tracker) were phenomenal—knowledgeable, hilarious, and truly passionate about the land and its wildlife. Despite it being the green season, we saw the Big Five on our first day and had some truly special encounters. Normally, we split our trips between two lodges or national parks, but this was our first time staying in one place—and honestly, it was hard to leave. A huge thank you to Lilian and Carmen for sorting out our last-minute reservation over a public holiday. And finally, Rico (the GM)—what a legend! Down-to-earth, welcoming, and hands-down one of the best managers we’ve come across. Makanyi Lodge is a true gem—we can’t wait to return!

What can we say, we had the best time ever at Makanyi! The accommodation is amazing. It overlooks a water hole and we had elephants, giraffes etc all by our room. All your needs are accommodated for. The food cooked by chef Amos was divine. We loved all our food - maybe why my trousers felt tight when we left! Amanda at the bar was also fab. He’s such a fun loving guy and filled our evenings with much laughter. Also, the management- Lillian, Cecilia were all amazing. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left we were made to feel at home. Now onto the drives - there’s no words to explain the feeling you get being out in the bush. Our guide and driver (Saakhi and Sidney) were amazing. They made sure we got some great sightings and were very informative. We got to meet the owner Jessica who was very warm and inviting and came over to make sure we were having a nice time. We were definitely very sad to be leaving as it really felt like we were saying goodbye to family. If you are considering booking Makanyi then do not hesitate it will be one decisions you’ve ever made!

We had such a wonderful stay at Makanyi on our honeymoon. From the moment we arrived and were greeted we were made to feel welcome and at home and like nothing was too much trouble. We experienced thrilling game drives, delicious meals and a luxurious suite, I cannot find a single fault. I would whole-heartedly recommend a stay here and hope to return in future.