A gem of a Lodge We decided on this South African trip to visit the Timbavati area of Kruger and we were so pleased that we picked Makanyi.This small lodge is beautifully kept and very well run. All members of staff are friendly and happy to chat and the plentiful food is so so well presented and delicious.Our ranger Carl and tracker Rondi made our game drives with information not just on the animals but on the vegetation too. We thoroughly enjoyed our 5 night stay and highly recommend the lodge.

Perfect from start to finish-exceeded every expectation! I did a LOT of research before choosing Makanyi Lodge for our first safari experience and we could not have been happier. I wanted a more intimate lodge with excellent accommodations and great game viewing, and it could not have been better. The lodge is arranged with 7 separate units all facing the waterhole in close proximity to the property. This hole attracts a variety of animals all day long. Monkeys, baboons, baby warthogs, elephants, hyenas, impalas, and kudu were seen every day. The time spent in the bush was life altering. Our guide and the spotter had decades of experience working in the area and were able to show us everything on our list. Several times! We even saw African wild dogs...a rarity. I hd expected before the trip that I would be using binoculars to view the animals. Well, we literally were within 50-100 feet of every possible species. The videos my group of 7 were able to get look like something you would see on Animal Planet- especially when we watched a leopard take the baby impala he had recently killed to a new feeding location. The accommodations were world class. All staff were kind, patient, knowledgable, and engaged. A big surprise was the food- how is it that in th middle of the bush they can get better produce than we can in a major metropolitan city? The variety, freshness, and preparation were excellent. On the last day of our trip, our son turned 30 and the lodge had arranged for a pancake breakfast in the bush, with mimosas and a variety of toppings! We took advantage of spa services and had nice massages, spent our afternoons in the plunge pools, and did not want to leave at the end of the 4 day trip. Everyone in my travel party agreed it was the best trip we have ever taken, and we are pretty avid travelers. It is worth every penny to stay at this unique, memorable property!

Amazing experience of a lifetime! We chose Makanyi as our honeymoon destination and it was an absolutely magical experience! We were welcomed by Lillian and then well taken care of by our guide Warren, our tracker Robert, Peter, and Anja. We had high expectations after seeing photos of the lodge and all the positive reviews, and they were exceeded - The lodge and our room was amazing and extremely comfortable, the food was fantastic, and the entire staff made us feel like family and made sure our honeymoon was special. Warren was personable and made the extra effort to find all the animals on our list and was incredibly informative about the bush, animals, birds, bugs, plants and anything else we had questions on. We hired Anja to take professional photos for us and she was amazing to work with. Thank you to everyone at Makanyi, we can't wait to return!

Great expérience I have been to the Kruger a few times, it's always good. This summer we were at Makanyi .....there the expérience went from good to great. We saw plenty of wildlife, Lions and Cheetas and all the big five. Makanyi lodge has that special atmosphère, great professionals with great attitude . The team ensures that you are well cared for .... put simply, things just flow seamlessly from dawn to dusk .....Thank you to the G.Managers Rico n Carmen and their team.R

Majestic - Bush Experience of a Life-time We spent an exceptional four days at Makanyi, which has by far been my best African bush experience to date. From the time we arrived at the reception, we were warmly welcomed by the general managers, Rico and Carmen and the lovely lodge manager, Lilian. The five-star accommodation provides excellent views of the bush with frequent visits from the curious wild-life. The meals were expertly prepared and beyond delicious. Our guides extraordinary knowledge of the flora and fauna kept us riveted as we made our way through the beautiful African bush, sighting all of the Big 5 within the first two days. If you are looking for the ultimate African bush experience with a team of highly professional, dedicated, warm, friendly and knowledgeable staff, luxury accommodation and five-star meals, look no further as Makanyi provides all of this plus more. I shall certainly be back!

A fantastic stay, rare sightings and super private accommodation. The place to experience nature, the big five and rare sightings in the wild. Our guide was super knowledgeable with all bush questions, my birding knowledge is solid, his was in another class altogether with a host of new ticks . The passion for the bush and guests starts at management and filters all the way through the staff. Not a single grumpy moment can I remember. Sharing the experience with great friends was special. I recommend try stay 4 nights. You will get a lot done and have some wonderful down time. Gym, spar service etc. We went in October, super time to go.

Great luxury safari adventure! This is a beautiful lodge that is run like a family operation with the highest level of service. The guides and trackers (we had Solomon and Saki) are very knowledgeable and pleasant. The food was top notch and included some local treats. Room was beautiful and we had views of the wildlife from our private patio and were serenaded by birds while we used the clean outdoor shower (with nice hot water and great water pressure).

Incredible lodge! We had the most magical visit! HIGHLY recommend staying at Makanyi! We stayed here two nights as part of our first trip to South Africa and it was perfection. The rooms are incredibly spacious, beautifully designed, and incredibly clean with both indoor and outdoor sitting areas with views of the watering holes. Service was not only top notch, but everyone truly made you feel like family. Rico and Carmen were so friendly and incredibly helpful. Our Ranger and Tracker team, Alfred and Themba, were so knowledgeable and kind. Peter made sure all of our dining experiences were A+ and that we always had a beverage in hand, and he succeeded. Food was amazing in both quality and variety - breakfast (done after the pre-drive snack of muffins and juice, the morning drive snack of coffee/cocoa and biscuits/dried fruit) alone consists of a fruit plate, cheese plate, pastry basket, basket of toast, yogurt/granola, and then a choice of 10 different hot dishes of eggs/pancakes. Lunch, served around 1:00, had both heavy and light options and Tea, done before afternoon drive of 3:30, had delicious treats. The team made sure our afternoon game drive was stocked with each of our favorite alcoholic beverages, served overlooking beautiful scenery. Dinner served around 7:30 right after drive was always delicious and more food than one could ever eat! The main lodge is so large and spacious, everyone staying on property could be using it at once with plenty of space to share both inside and out. There is a beautiful pool area with many places to relax to watch animals roam by. In summary, we highly recommend this lodge for the impeccable service, wonderful food, and amazing game drives (Lions! Leopards! Etc!). We will forever treasure the memories and photographs we have from our stay.

Beautiful bush veld accommodation We enjoyed a lovely 3 night stay here with our friends at the villa . It’s a two bedroom unit with a lovely lounge, dining room and kitchen plus a large outside deck with your own pool , outside eating area , boma and lounge . You also start your game drive with a pick up in front of the villa . It’s a super area for safaris and was still very green despite it being the dry season . This area is blessed with many water sources which means vegetation stays plentiful . We saw everything from leopard to jackals and the big 5 . Plus we had bats nesting in the outside eaves and owls at the pool. Our lunches and dinners were good but breakfasts fell short . They were very basic cereal , yoghurt and fruit salad with a fry up . The bread was the store bought sliced variety . This would be adequate but we were at an upmarket lodge which in our experience sees homemade bread and rolls and pastries . Likewise there was no afternoon tea which is pretty standard in all better-end lodges . Plus we had to bring our own drinks on our night drive for sundowners. This is also something I have never experienced. Generally your ranger/tracker have a selection of drinks to choose from and if you are paying extra for drinks you are charged at the end on your final bill . Otherwise we had a good trip .