Shamwari Bayethe Lodge

Reviews

"We just returned home after 3 wonderful nights at Bayethe lodge. We are South African and have experienced game lodges before, but Bayethe blew us away and totally exceeded our expectations! From the moment we arrived we were treated like royalty - no request was too great and the friendly staff all made us feel welcome. We were initially a little concerned about staying in 'tented accommodation' in winter but soon discovered how wrong we were - the rooms have central heating and there are lovely electric blankets on the huge, comfortable beds! The morning game drives were very chilly but we were provided with hot water bottles and blankets, which was a lovely touch. The attention to detail is fantastic - from hot chocolate, sherry and hot towels when we returned from our drives to the sun-downers at sunset in the bush! Bliss! The food was amazing.. We loved the South African additions to the menu and the waiters and waitresses were wonderful. Special mention must go to our game ranger, Vuyo, who we can't recommend enough! He was so knowledgeable, friendly and made us feel very safe during our game viewing experiences (even when completely surrounded by elephants!) His natural ability for tracking the animals and predicting their behaviour (not to mention his spectacular eyesight!) meant we were able to spot all the animals we had hoped for and more. We stayed at Bayethe for three nights and on our second full day Vuyo took us out on a drive for the whole day, which was magical. He packed a picnic for us which we enjoyed for lunch overlooking the park. Quite honestly we can't praise him enough! Next year we hope to go back to Bayethe and will put in a special request for Vuyo to be our ranger!"

- Tara-Lyn

---

"No wonder, that Shamwari is "has been voted the World's Leading Safari and Game Reserve and Conservation Company for many consecutive years" (wikipedia). I agree. Real wild animals, no feeding, large area (25 000 hectares) Level of comfort is truly "the ultimate in luxury" as Shamwari itself says. Quite expensive anyway. But you can´t get the best at cheap price... Two days stay is absolutely minimum to experience all there is to see."

- Heikke

---

"Wonderful staff & great accommodations. Traveling alone was no problem. Arrived very late at night after traveling from NY and was greeted warmly and shown to a huge tent with incredible furnishings. Comfortable bed helped rising early next morning for great breakfast and off to first game drive. My ranger, Rynhardt, was wonderful and very knowledgeable and made me feel welcome. The drives were the best part and was able to see the big five and more as well as visiting the Born Free station. Ended up adopting Sinbad! Service staff was excellent. Loved the plunge pool and private deck. Only stayed 3 nights and wished it was longer. I have definite plans on returning one day. Totally recommend to anyone considering visiting."

- Bernice

---

"Will seek to review safari experience elsewhere, but safe to say Bayethe deserves all of the other very high ratings in this forum. Meticulous and generous staff and service, combined with fine meals and overall relaxed atmosphere earns my highest recommendation. Rooms well apportioned and unique - electric heating in beds for the winter, plenty of hot water and private dipping pools and deck with each "luxury tent". If you are not so adventurous for the private outdoor shower, there's always the bathtub indoors... Plenty of free wifi in and around main lodge, but not in rooms - but you're not on safari for the wifi, except to update the Facebook page with the awesome photos from the game drive, are you?"

- Greg

---

"What an amazing experience. Our guide Jacque was awesome. If you are looking for a "guaranteed siting" this may not be for you. The animals are roaming free and what you will see is as unpredictable as the wild animals. We looked for 3 days for the water buffalo before we saw them and never did get to see the black rhino. One of the favorite moments is when a one month old lion cub came out of the her den and watched us for about 30 minutes. we could hear her mom calling her from inside the den. After a while the mom came in and "scolded her" and tried to get her back in the den. Precious! If you have never been in an open vehicle surrounded by elephants, you should do it! Once in a life time trip!! PS...if this is camping in a tent....I'm all in! It was amazing! one day we were getting massages and looked out the window to see 3 giraffes eating outside of the hut!"

- Tracy

---

"We were looking forward to this as it was the end of our holiday in SA and were not disappointed. The accommodation was superb and the meals which was full board was great. The safaris were mind blowing! being so near to lions, elephants ,hippos etc. Our ranger Richard was so knowledgeable and a great guy. Would recommend."

- Dr Ted.

---

"My wife and I stayed at the Bayethe Lodge in early November for 4 nights. The lodge is located in Shamwari Game Reserve which is simply amazing. 25,000 hectares of beautiful scenery and amazing wild animals to see. The animals were the star of the show - we saw the big 5 plus many more. We were lucky enough to see a bull Rhino charging, male elephants fighting, a leopard with its kill, and followed a pride of lions for hours on end. It was a fantastic experience in a wonderful setting. The lodge itself is modern but also very sympathetic to its environment, with wooden structures and thatched roofs. The "tents" themselves are very spacious and far more like a wooden hut than a canvassed tent, but they do somehow make the experience seem more authentic as opposed to staying in a contemporary hotel. The food and service is excellent too and there is plenty of it. A special mention goes to our ranger Jacques who is so passionate about the animals and gives his guests the best experience possible. He made it fun too, even getting up at 5.00 am every day! All in all a wonderful stay and I would highly recommend this lodge and Shamwari."

- Robert

---

"Our family of 4 adults and 3 children stayed for 3 nights. The safari sightings surpassed anything we have experienced in 6 trips to Africa including Kenya,Tanzania,Botswana and Zimbabwe. The tents and common room are relatively lavish compared with some other bush camps and to an extent we were disappointed because of that. All was quickly forgiven, however , because of the animal experience. We were disappointed with the quality of the food. Free wi fi is available in the lounge area. Highly recommended."

- Winston

---

"We stayed 3 nights at the the Bayethe lodge. On arrival we were told we would be treated like royalty. Now I am not sure how royalty is treated. But we were certainly looked after. The service was excellent. The accommodation clean and comfortable. The food excellent and plentiful. As for the game drives (which is why you go on safari). Our ranger Hedmond got us closer to all the game than we ever thought possible without ever putting us in danger. This was definitely the trip of a lifetime."

- Phil

---

"As this short trip to South Africa was a special one – I didn’t take chances and of course chose Bayethe as a returning guest. – My employee and I actually travelled to ZA solely to visit Bayethe for three nights and return back to Germany. Our stay was absolutely delightful and I am glad that I chose to come back to Bayethe so soon. Due to a delay of South African Airways and the driver getting lost we arrived barely in time for the afternoon game drive – but Penny welcomed us in a very distinguished but just as affectionate manner - and showed us to our rooms. All the while assuring us that we’d be fine – without pressuring for time. So pretty much within the hour we were accommodated to take part in our first game drive of this visit – and loved it. As I had the opportunity to meet Ben on occasion of my previous stay at Bayethe – it was nice that we were assigned to him again. Due to a recent back injury I was a bit worried about not being able to take part in the game drives. Thankfully I was accommodated in the front seat and therefore was able to enjoy the game drives and take part in all of them - safe and sound. Ben again impressed us with his wit and humor and sheer endless and impressive knowledge of and dedication to his profession. As during my previous visit to Bayethe - he went out of his way to show us all of the different wildlife Shamwari has to offer. We always – as we did within the Lodge – felt well taken care off and trusted his judgement and decisions. The roads were slippery and sometimes a bit tricky to maneuver around on – but there was never a moment where we didn’t feel in good and capable hands. Throughout our 3nights stay and 2 game drives each day as well as joining us for dinner – Ben never tired of sharing his extensive knowledge in such an articulate English, never missing a beat - , all the while easily adjusting to the various parties in his group. What impressed me again also, was the attitude amongst the staff at the Lodge in general – which seemed to radiate primarily from Penny who’s unbelievable servicemindedness and distinguished dedication to her position and the idea Shamwari stands for was always present. Again – receiving “a service at eyelevel”. Not a submissive, cap in hand kinda deal – fake and only skin deep. No – quite the contrary – one gains the impression of actually being a welcomed and valued guest! Having been employed in the travel industry for 35 years (and counting) I’ve seen various levels of luxury accommodations – and more often than not were we met with indifference and noticeably-put-on-smiles. None of that was even in the slightest detectable at Bayethe. We felt that everyone was proud to be part of such an exquisite team at such a wonderful location – playing a considerable role in the Shamwari Motto “Conserving a vanishing way of life” – by making a visit and repeated visits to Bayethe so desirable."

- Tim