Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Reviews

"Umkumbe Safari Lodge is not a luxury lodge,but it is nice and with a very familiar atmosphere. Cottages and the lodge are in a very favourable position to see Wildlife, on the Riverside. Service and food are ok and we could taste some typical South African dishes, Our family had a very nice stay there and the guides really very good (our special thanks to our guide Angel) and always willing to provide information about Wildlife during game drives and be helpful on any issue at the lodge. It's a pity we could stay there only for two nights, it was hard to leave! Only remark is the open air shower. In August you can take a shower only late in the morning or in the afternoon, otherwise it is a little "too refreshing""

- LLlauraLaura

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"We took an extended family of 8 and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The views from the decking are amazing: elephants, giraffes, baboons and monkeys are frequently seen coming down to the water. The game drives were fantastic, and the guides were very knowledgeable."

- Jean

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"Everything about this place is fantastic, the staff, the location, the food and of course the animals. It is not 5* but you don't go on safari to be pampered, you go to see incredible animals in their natural surroundings and Umkumbe offers this in spades. I can't recommend this lodge enough, you really must go. We had seen the 'big 5' in less than 24 hours, but there is so much more to safari then just these, we learnt about the birds, the trees, the southern night sky and so much more.The WiFi is paid for in 15 minute slots, but apparently it can be temperamental, but we were so busy enjoying the animals and the catch up with the other guests we didn't use/want it. Even the kids said 'no' when I asked them."

- Louise

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"I was lucky enough to spend two days here during a business trip. The Lodge is amazing, the staff are fantastic, as is the food but the highlight is the off road game driving. Nikki who was my ranger and Moses my tracker, both went out of their way to find the best game viewings, once spotted they were able to get really close by driving into the bush for an incredible viewing. Some of the highlights were a herd of 800 Buffalo (where we drove into the herd and became one with them), baby hyenas, Lions (at night), Leopards, elephants, Rhino and even a Honey Badger. Not to mention the countless other animals that we saw. The infinity pool is also brilliant, watching animals getting on with their day to day lives from the pool is epic :) I am looking forward to coming back sometime in the future. Thank you for all of the team for making my stay so memorable."

- Ken

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"We spent 2 nights at Umkumbe and had an amazing time. The staff are great, brilliant guides, the rooms and setting of the camp are beautiful and the food amazing. We saw so much wildlife highlights were a baby rhino, leopards and wild dogs. the whole experience was great and would highly recommend."

- Sacha

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"The location is really nice at Umkumbe by the Sand River. When we arrived about fifteen elephants were lolling about on the other side of the river. A giraffe came to drink one day. A leopard spent the day on the bank on the other side. The rangers here are really very well educated and communicate really well. Ours spotted the tracks of a leopard dragging a kill across the road and then tracked it to the tree where we watched it devour a baboon over a few days. The camp is very comfortable and the food was nice. Our chef made great vegetarian food for our whole family. This is a good value way to see amazing wildlife in a private reserve. We spent two nights in this small concession quite happily."

- Adrian

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"This place is amazing! We had the best time. So informative. Our driver Bradley will blow your mind if you get a chance to ride with him. Saw the big five and saw baby leopards on their first hunting excursion. All in all highly recommended. Food was superb. Accommodation was superb."

- Billy

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"Umkumbe was cheap and nasty with both food and accommodation Their position is superb but the game viewing was only very average. The size of property is far to small limiting the possibilities"

- Norman

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"Incredible stay!! Umkumbe really has thought of everything, their attention to detail was very much appreciated. The room was great - spacious, clean and we had multiple visitors outside our door (warthogs, elephants and buffalo!) The food was fantastic - all of the meals were well thought out and I loved having a lot of very healthy options. Also Lebo, the chef, was so sweet and always had a great smile on her face! The safari was truly magical. The animals were stunning and we got to spend so much time just observing their lives and their beauty. The three separate leopard sightings (including some cubs!) was just unbelievable. Our guide, Cameron, really made the safari extra special. Cameron was the perfect mix of professional and tons of fun. His passion for the animals was so genuine which was refreshing and inspiring to me. We learned so much from him and had a truly ridiculous amount of fun while doing so! I'm convinced he knows literally everything there is to know about the animals :) Cam was especially skilled at knowing how to get the vehicle through the bush and trees to get it to the perfect spot, literally every time. He also led some great bushwalks, where we got to slow down and see the more subtle side of the bush. It was really cool that all the guides work as a team to help each other get the best sightings. Also, the stops for coffee and sundowners was such a fun touch on each drive. I still can't get over how amazing our entire stay at Umkumbe was, it is a difficult experience to describe in words, you really have to experience for yourself. Really wish we could have stayed longer. Thank you so so much to Umkumbe & Cam for our incredible stay and magical safari!"

- Stephanie

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"We finished our 2 weeks Safari Trip at the Umkumbe Safari Lodge and it was a magic end!!! In addition to a perfect accommodation, Marius and his Tracker allowed us to discover something other than standard safari. The possibility to see the Big 5 in 24 hours then the tracking down of a cheetah and two lions during their hunting permit us to finish a wonderful experience!"

- Cyril