Ulusaba Safari Lodge

Reviews

"Sir Richard Branson's private reserve is in the class of its own. The staff, the facilities, and the cuisine are all exceptional. The guides and trackers who run the game drives are true professionals. Daily they have a morning game drive and an afternoon night game drive. Excellent knowledge of the animals and their habitat is thorough and very interesting. is very interesting. Their knowledge of the animals in the habitat is exceptional."

- Charles

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"Four of us stayed for four days. The time was perfect. 8 Safari drives with each one being different.The staff does not know how to say "NO" to their guests. The work hard to say yes and figure out how to make a request happen. There is NOTHING we would change.Our stay was AMAZING!"

- Art Freedman

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"Nothing prepared us for how magnificent our visit to Ulusaba would be. Without my pictures and shared memories, I'd thought it was a dream instead of reality. Sir Richard Branson outdid himself. Huge tree-house guest rooms which are interconnected to a main gathering area via rope bridges...safely above the wild animals below. The trackers, staff and Lonnie (spelling?) the General Manager were fun, spirited and adventurous. An unforgettable property and journey. I honestly consider it a privilege to have stayed at Ulusaba. They made us feel like Rock-Stars."

- Gene

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"From the moment we arrived, we knew this place was special. Our tracker and guide were waiting to welcome us to Safari Lodge. Spending four days with Ryan and Kaizer, was just the best. Every day got better and better as we learned about the animals. Kaizer has the eyes of an eagle as he was able to spot leopards and lions. Ryan shared with us fascinating details about the animals we were seeing. If you want to see wildlife, this is the place! When Ryan spotted painted dogs, he jumped in the air with joy ,with arms raised in his excitement! It was an incredible experience to share his love of the animals. As we left, and were walking to our plane, we had tears in our eyes. We will always remember our time at Ulusaba, and would love to return."

- Christine

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"This was a fantastic experience. I had friends from the UK who thoroughly enjoyed their stay. although expensive the lodge was beauitful, food and staff fantastic, game ranger was the best ever and I have been all over SA. So all in all a fabulous trip."

- Carol

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"Fabulous game viewing, excellent game rangers and incredibly good food and service. An all round great experience, we traveled with friends and it was perfect for groups as the dining and lounge areas are enormous. The only thing I can say is don't drive in as the roads are rough , its better to fly directly into the reserve unless you have a four wheel drive. You can spend a night or two first in Nelspruit to acclimatize."

- Pippa

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"We originally came for the game viewing, and that is great, big 5 in 2 days both trips. The rooms are great, but for us it's the people which make it really special. Everyone is really friendly, and the service is great. It's an early start for the drives, but it's well worth it. Michelle and Don our ranger and tracker were amazing, we saw so many different animals. The food is great, and there is plenty of it and the selection of drinks included is extensive and quality. We have split our time between Rock Lodge and Safari Lodge both times. Both Safari and Rock lodge are great in their own different ways, Rock lodge rooms maybe fractionally nicer, and it has amazing views, but Safari lodge you never quite know what animals you will see and for me that makes it marginally better. It's one of the few places I've been where I really didn't want to leave. I'll be back again, and the sooner the better."

- Chris

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"From the arrival at the private airstrip Ulusaba was very special. Being met by the ranger who will look after you for the whole of your stay, was one of the many thoughtful things that make Ulusaba the place it is. If you think you will be bored being in a jeep up to eight hours a say, don't worry, especially if your ranger is Brandon and your tracker, jack. Brandon's passion for the animals and energy he puts into tracking and chasing them makes for an exciting, exhilarating adventure. Every day. Warm ponchos and 'bush babies' (hot water bottles) in the cold mornings was a treat, hot chocolate with a dash of Amarula, for morning tea, then back for a full breakfast. In the evening drive, sundowners, then tumbling out of the jeep, straight into the lodge for a couple of drinks around the bar with other guest and rangers then a three course meal, alone, or altogether around a long table, which was great fun. All that and I haven't mentioned the animals yet! We saw the lot, including sitting in the middle of a herd of 1000 buffalo. We saw leopard cubs and most exciting was a leopard up a tree with it's kill while underneath skulked hyenas waiting for something to drop from the tree. We stayed in a suite with a private plunge pool. Unfortunately it was too cold to enjoy. Spacious and well appointed. We would recommend Ulusaba to anyone. First class but not stuffy. Like a staying with a family who looks after your every whim. Thank you everyone, especially Brandon."

- Sandra

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"I can't recommend Ulusaba enough to anyone. We went as a family to celebrate my Dad's 60th and had the most fantastic time from start to finish. From the champagne arrival, to the staff knowing your names as soon as you arrive, to the amazing food and lovely wines on offer and the best spa treatments there really isn't a thing you can fault! There were special added touches that made Ulusaba a class apart from anywhere else I've stayed before (which I won't detail as I don't want to ruin it for others visiting)! But the staff really do go above and beyond what is expected of them. They even had my Dad's favourite red wine which we had tried at the vineyards in Cape Town earlier that week. They saved the bottle and my dad had it on the night that we celebrated his birthday alone as a family. The drives were absolutely brilliant. We were lucky enough to have David and Phillip who were so knowledgeable and you could really tell that they loved their job. We saw the Magnificent 7 on numerous occasions and if we asked to see a specific animal then they wouldn't stop until they'd tracked it down! It should be noted that both of them were extremely professional and we didn't feel nervous around the animals at any point (even when we were surrounded by male lions eating an elephant)!! They were respectful and had the animals interests at the forefront at all times. I'm already counting down the days until I can go back to Ulusaba - we as a family really can't recommend it enough!!!"

- Georgia

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"We loved Ulusaba and didn't want to leave. We stayed at the Safari Lodge in the River rooms (with plunge pool) which were fantastic. The staff made you feel like you were part of their family, and the resort facilities were faultless. Our ranger and tracker (Ryan and Kaiser) were absolutely brilliant and found many incredible things for us to witness. We felt very privileged to have enjoyed some time at Ulusaba and we will definitely return!"

- Niki