Malewane Lodge at Royal Malewane

Our recent safari at Royal Malewane was nothing short of extraordinary – truly the pinnacle of our entire multi-country trip. From the moment we arrived, we were met with warmth, professionalism, and an incredible depth of knowledge from our guide and tracker team, Andi and Jeff. Their passion for wildlife and deep respect for nature made every game drive both exhilarating and meaningful. We’ve traveled to many places around the world, but nothing compares to this. Every detail was thoughtfully curated, from the breathtaking sightings to the beautiful photo and video gallery we received after our stay. It was not just a vacation – it was a soul-stirring, life-changing experience, especially for our kids who haven’t stopped talking about it since we left. If you're looking for an authentic, luxury safari with expert guides who truly care, look no further. Royal Malewane and this team will give you memories that last a lifetime. We’re already planning our return. 🌿 Thank you for making magic happen. Highly, highly recommended! 🌍🦁📸

If I could have given the Royal Malewane a 6, I would have done so without hesitation. Whilst we have travelled extensively we looked at going on a Safari as a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience for my wife and I and our 5 and 10 year old children. Royal Malewane Riverside made what was going to be a special trip beyond what we could imagine a trip like this could be. We stayed 4 nights which on reflection was the perfect amount of time to explore and experience the area and wildlife. |What made the Royal Malewane so special was the attention to every detail required to make the stay perfect . The list could go on for pages but a few examples; the staff greeting us on arrival and ensuring they truly understood what would make our stay special, washing our clothes everyday (pack less then you think you need), endless food choices, an understanding of our children’s favourite dishes, the extensive personal bar or customised wine tastings the sommelier/bartender put together to sample S.African wines, our own vehicle, guide and tracker (Andre,Chris) who were amazing and with us for the entirety of our trip. And when I got a minor eye infection Jon the manager bringing someone to the camp and retrieve the appropriate prescriptions and when I asked what I owed he responded with “it is all part of the service”. Even the beautiful short video of the highlights that they sent us a couple of days after we left was a detail that made a difference.|Of course the star of the show are the drives. Having our own vehicle meant that we could adapt drives to look for animals we hadn’t yet seen and that with children ( last day started later because the kids were exhausted from the night before) we could adjust the start time to make the drives more enjoyable for the whole family. This made a massive difference. In the ads they claim to have some of the best guides. Don’t have a comparison but we saw the big 5 and much more. We had lions walking within a meter of our vehicle, countless giraffes, and elephants as well as a wide array of other animals including leopards in trees and at night. Going into the last day the only animals we had not seen were Zebras and Hyenas and of course Andre and Chris tracked them down to finish off our last drive. |The ‘icing on the cake’ are the evening stops for cocktails at sunset and a Braai. I don’t want to give away their surprises but suffice to say they will take your breath away. |So yes, the Royal Malewane is expensive but it is an amazing value for money and truly made the trip a once in a lifetime experience!

I thoroughly enjoyed my stays at La Residence and Birkenhead House (hotels under the same ownership as Royal Malewane) so when the manager at La Res heard I was going to Singita in Kruger, I was open to his suggestion that I stop for a short stay at their Waterside lodge en route.||My alarm bells should have started ringing however, when I discovered, after several hours of WhatsApping their reservations department, that the manager's claim that they "price slightly under Singita" was simply not true - in fact, it wasn't even close to true. The property is far more expensive than Singita (which itself is a super premium bracket). The price seemed so ridiculous to me that I cut my intended 2 night stay to a 1 night stay - which was directionally correct, only what I really should have done was given it a miss altogether. But at that point I had invested so much time in back and forth with Waterside and Singita that I stupidly went ahead with the booking. I somehow duped myself into thinking that in order to justify by far the highest price I've paid at any lodge in the last several months of travelling in Africa, it must be exceptional.||It isn't. It's far less nice than the other properties in the Royal Portfolio (not to mention the vast majority of other places I stayed too) - the location is really quite unremarkable (especially now that I'm at my next stop, Singita Lebombo, which by contrast has an absolutely stunning vantage point and surrounding views of Kruger), and the design style that works really well in La Residence, just doesn't have the same effect at Waterside, with much cheaper materials used throughout the property (especially the very canteen-like floors, compared to lovely natural thick wood planks I've seen at countless other camps on my trip). My room (4) was very spacious, but otherwise so uninviting that I really didn't want to spend any time there, and it had a very dull view. It also had a really awful smell to it, that I assume was meant to be some sort of incense or fragrance, that was totally overpowering and for me pretty nauseating. ||The one good thing that Waterside has which is a rarity, is a properly heated pool. But even that turned into a disaster, when one of the side jets had such a bizarrely strong suction mechanism that it caught my finger in a really painful way as I walked past it, and tore some of the skin off. I've never had an experience like that in a pool - there's a much worse accident waiting to happen than what I got away with, the force felt strong enough that it could possibly break someone's finger if caught at an awkward angle. ||In short, I am utterly baffled how Waterside is getting away with pricing the way it does (although maybe it isn't entirely, since it was nearly empty when I was there, while my next stop in Singita is at max capacity). The amazing thing is, I paid a so-called "discounted" rate to their regular price (according to them at least), but even that rate (which was roughly $3,870 for a ONE NIGHT stay during off-season, with transit from Joburg) was by a mile the highest I've paid anywhere, and the camp is not close to the atmosphere of places I've paid less than 1/3rd of the price to stay at. Even more incredible for the price point - it doesn't even come with a private vehicle! It really just left me wondering where on earth all that money went. The only reason I am not rating it 1 star is because my guide, Nik, was excellent and made the game drives enjoyable. Maybe the other properties in Royal Malewane are better - I don't know, but after this experience, I'm not planning to find out. If you are in the area, go to Singita Lebombo instead without a second thought. It is far, far better for a lower price.

exceeded our wildest expectations!! it would be impossible in this space to convey the level of complete satisfaction and outstanding experience with our ranger Conrad, our tracker Kevin and our server slash sommelier Allen.....except to say that they, and all the staff, are absolutely superb.

We took Africa House for our family of eleven and whilst this was our 5th visit over 15 years, the standard of comfort, service, food, ambience and safari experience was exceptional and 5 nights were nowhere near enough. Our rangers, Ryan and Conrad were at another level to the other 20 plus safari's we have experienced.|The Africa House team was incredible and ensured everything was a “pleasure” to deliver and the level of 6 star consistency never wavered.|Of course, we will return at some stage and experience one of the few properties that really delivers World Class Customer Care.|Any room to improve…..only some free weights in the fitness room ❤️.

Wow. This team knows exactly how to make you “homesick” from your time at their lodge. My husband and I are missing everything about our stay and experience as we make the long journey home. The team here makes you feel cared for and certainly well fed, and our guide and tracker did everything they could to deliver wild animals and animal experiences, stunning sunsets, and personal comfort. These 2, Conrad and Kevin, are the stars of the show. We are experiencing a bit of separation anxiety after leaving these two today. :)||Our suite (2) was well stocked with drinks and food, had a generous outdoor space and dipping pool, a nicely sized closet, bed and bathroom. We used the gym almost every day. It has a cable machine, free weights, a rower, treadmill and elliptical. There are also some kettlebells too. ||We enjoyed lazy days otherwise in between the game drives mostly being fed by the talented chefs and the excellent wait staff who remembered all of my food sensitivities. ||The gift shop was a great place to find some long sleeve shifts, light coats and gifts to take home. ||We had a small mishap while staying there and we have never seen an entire team work so quickly to make sure our stay was flawless. It is easy to understand while so many people make this a repeat stay. We are already planning our next trip with friends and family.

I booked this place with Safari.com with Leigh Ann she was the Best she planed a two week Trip to South Africa this place Royal Malewane was a Dreams come True I have never Experienced anything like it!

Ok, lets get straight down to brass tacks:||1. Malewane Safari Lodge is very, very expensive. If you’re an UHNW individual (congratulations!), let the guy reading this Review to you, continue. If you’re just a normal individual (like me), keep reading anyway.|2. Malewane Safari Lodge gives you an experience that (to dismiss the old adage), money can actually buy. Your Bank Loan (how else?), will absolutely return ‘Value for Money’. I really can’t put it more bluntly.||If you are considering ‘a Safari’ there are of course many ways you can achieve this. Go cheap, and maybe see a few gazelles; go independent and maybe die, or just really, really ‘do it’.||If I said that your Guide would be David Attenborough and your Tracker would be Tonto (old persons’ reference only – look it up if you’re under 60), you would absolutely suck up the financial pain. But that is exactly what you get on your Game Drives. We were accompanied by Ross & Herman, but I don’t think we struck lucky -I genuinely believe all safari tour ‘pairs’ are this good. The Royal Collection founders only ever recruit the best. However, R&H were very, very special people and absolutely ‘made’ our adventure (which without doubt was what it was!).||So, back to the UHNW’s – you will find that the Lodge and the staff within, are entirely acceptable. Us mere mortals were (and you will be) absolutely gob smacked (British euphemism - US equivalent would be WTF). Absolutely incredible focus on ‘the little things’. Handwritten welcome notes, fridge (and cocktail cabinet) full of complimentary drinks, 2x types of dressing gown (thick and thin) – honest!! And (mock) leopard-skin slippers to die for.||And the Lodge staff? OMG! Have spent an entire career ‘managing’ people – never, ever had then smile like these guys. You cannot pay people to like their job this much, it is completely genuine.||And the food? So this is where the UHNW’s might get a wriggly lip (another British euphemism). The menu has two choices for each course (its a menu not ‘War & Peace’). We did the standard ‘couple’ thing, and ordered differently for each course (and then of course ‘shared’). There really is no need for a menu, could have just stuck the food in front of us; it is all absolutely devine.||Hope you’re getting the idea that I seriously rate Malewane – take a deep breath, sell the children, and book a couple of nights.