Pondoro Game Lodge

We were really impressed with our stay at Pondoro Lodge. We are well travelled and this was one of the nicest places we have ever been. We stayed in the buffalo suite where we had a private hot tub on the deck outside where the giraffes visited us every morning! Our guide Solly was excellent, all the staff were lovely as was the food and the general ambiance of the lodge. Would 100% recommend. (My only tiny worry was that I would see a spider...no issues at all, no spiders or bugs anywhere. Clearly a good time of year to visit)

What an amazing experience 5 days and 4 nights. The staff at Pondoro truly goes out of their way to make it easy and enjoyable vacation experience Our daily game drives with Rul and Eric were fun adventurous and memorable, morning coffees and biscuits on morning drive and grilled sausages with cocktail in the late afternoon drives. Big 5 sittings every day up close and personal with the animals. |Rooms were clean and spacious. Food was outstanding great selections every day and quality was 5 stars.

Pondoro game lodge is incredible! We went for our honeymoon and cannot say enough good things about our stay. Our guides were Andreas and Dewald. The game drives were so knowledgeable and we saw the big 5 in our first drive, followed by so many more animals. If you are considering staying here, don’t think twice, book now!

An outstanding stay at Pondorro for our honeymoon in July. The safari was fantastic, with plenty of off reading, searching for lions and leopards. We experienced a brilliant encounter with a pride of lions and a leopard. Lots of various different sightings, including all the big five. Dion and Shabrack were excellent in spotting the animals and were extremely knowledgeable.||||The food is outstanding and recieving and choosing the menu was one of the highlights of every day. We enjoyed every single meal and were so so impressed by the quality. Extremely kind and helpful staff, who always looked after us. ||||The suite was fantastic and very romantic, with plenty of privacy. The view overlooking the river was brilliant, as there was plenty of game to spot from the deck and the jacuzzi. A truly magical and unique experience. Thank you.

10/10 experience from start to finish. The staffs attention to detail made the experience so special. JD and Patricia in the front were always there with a smile, waiting for us after each drive with hand towels and a drink. It is an intimate hotel with stunning views and only a handful of guests at a time. All of the suites had decks with jacuzzi tubs and lounge chairs- from our room alone we saw hippos, bushbuck, giraffes, elephants, and an alligator! Our guides Rul and Eric gave us 5 amazing game drives where we saw the big 5 and many more! They were extremely knowledgable and able to answer any questions we had, they had great senses of humor and made every drive an adventure. We had an unforgettable experience and can’t wait to return!

Wow! What a fabulous safari experience the Pondoro team delivered. From the amazing food created and served by super-friendly staff, to incredible wildlife sightings every day made possible by the hard work, experience and dedication of our wonderful driver (Rul) and tracker (Eric) - not forgetting the beautifully appointed and comfortable room, with views over the river to (on first arrival at our room) elephants visiting the river on the opposite bank - this lodge has it all. Within the first 24 hours at Pondoro we had seen lions, leopards, elephants, rhino, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, hippos AND wild dogs, plus more. The game drive team went out of their way to make sure everyone in our vehicle had the opportunity to see the animals they had most wanted to see. Excellent lodge.

We had an unforgettable 3-night stay at Pondoro Game Lodge! From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by Patricia, whose kindness and attention to detail set the tone for our entire experience. The hospitality, professionalism, and friendliness of the entire team were truly exceptional. The food was consistently delicious, with every meal thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented. Our game drives with Rul and Eric were incredible – he was knowledgeable, engaging, and made every outing exciting and memorable. We saw so many animals up close, including giraffes, elephants, and more, often right near the lodge itself! The rooms were spotless, beautifully organized, and incredibly comfortable. Every detail was taken care of, making us feel relaxed and well looked after. Pondoro exceeded all our expectations. It’s a perfect blend of comfort, adventure, and top-notch service. We came as two couples and left with memories for a lifetime. Highly recommended!

Our stay at Pondoro was truly incredible. I left there a month ago, and I am still talking about how amazing it was. Our guide was Sully and our tracker was Eckson - they worked so hard and truly made our stay so special. Their knowledge was incredible and we were so amazed with all of the animals we saw. I truly loved our time with Sully and Eckson - Pondoro should be so happy to have such great employees who make sure you love your stay. To be honest, that was all of the staff - the service was spectacular. But we will forever remember our time with Sully and Eckson. During our time there, we saw a leopard, male lions, female lions, buffalo, elephants (lots of baby elephants!), giraffes, zebras, impalas, hippos, rhinos, and tons of different birds. We saw the Big 5 in our first 24 hours. I loved the schedule - 2 drives/day. The food was incredible - we were also huge fans of the homemade juices in the morning, The eating area was great - you were able to see elephants and giraffes while you ate your meals. In addition, there were lots of nice touches - warm wet towels when you arrived back from the safari, hot water bottles in the morning and fleece blankets, and ponchos when it drizzled on us. We stayed in the Maroela Chalet which I thought was great. The bathroom was huge, the bed was comfortable, and we were close to the main lodge which was very convenient for all meals. I am so glad I had the opportunity to do such an amazing bucket list item, and Pondoro was a great place to stay.