the game reserve drives

The hotel aspect of the stay was excellent. Comfort, food, staff, service and ranger knowledge were all really good.

The game watching was underwhelming. It felt like we were completing a tick list. All the animals you would hope to see were there but in what felt like token numbers. On the drive we had lovely vistas over the reserve with vast areas of grassland where you would hope to see herds of grazing antelope but there was not an animal in sight. We had more enjoyable game drives, driving our own car, in the national parks at very little cost. We were however unable to find the more exotic animals such as lion that you are guaranteed to find in the private reserves.

very close the watering hole. we saw loads of animals and the lodge was modern and clean. the staff were incredibly friendly! I also loved how knowledgeable our game ranger was, we learnt so much.

Beautiful lodge with oustanding game drives which made our stay an unforgettable experience. We felt really pampered =)

Fantastic location. Great Staff.

N/A

The game drives were incredible. Simphiwe was a knowledgeable and fun guide. Our tent was beautiful, overlooking the watering hole so we could see animals in our spare time too!

Everything to do with food was a massive let down. I have no idea how Bukela got it's 5 star rating because the food/restaurant is 3 stars at best. The food was bland, lacked options and the kitchen could not cope with any adaptions for dietary requirements. I would avoid going back to Bukela purely due to the food. Having worked and stayed in 5 star establishments I expected way more from Bukela. The staff did not forward plan or think how they could provide a good experience for the guests. There were drinks arriving back from the drives, on about half the drives. They ran out of bottled water several times so we went on 3 hour game drives only being offered one coffee. There was a limited drinks selection. I could go on but my main recommendation would be to go to one of the other lodges in Amakhala as you'll spend a fraction of the price and hopefully get what you paid for. I just feel sorry for all the lovely couples who were celebrating their honeymoons who we shared a safari vehicle with that had their honeymoon tainted by poor food.

great location and nicely designed and laid out. Safari guide “Ruaan” was excellent

food was poor with repetitive choices and the overall maintenance needs work.

I had an amazing time at Bukela.My expectations were high but were exceeded by this fantastic place. The tents were extremely luxurious and very well appointed .Huge comfy beds, a lovely bath and a shower with views onto the reserve. The staff were all extremely attentive without being overbearing and they all went out of their way to ensure everything was perfect. Phil, the Duty Manager was very helpful. Wonga , our ranger was incredible, fun, knowledgeable and very professional, Michel in the bar was lovely.... l cannot remember all of their names but all the staff were charming. We saw all of the Big 5 on our drives, thanks to the tenacity of Wonga who asked what we wanted to see and then went out looking for it. The food was amazing and beautifully presented - compliments to the chefs! I was sad to leave but will certainly be back. A great 5 star experience.

Nothing.

The staff is incredible; right from the management team with Ausi Khungeka and ausi Olwethu they made sure our stay was amazing. The staff is a breath of fresh air, uTata Mike is simply outstanding in so many ways that words cannot capture, he made our time memorable and is a great asset to Bukela. It’s hard to fault any of the staff, they are friendly and so welcoming, thank you Thobela, Stella, Nomakhaya and the rest of the staff, you are an amazing service team. Their room service, be it breakfast lunch or dinner…… Exceptional service..!!! The chefs really understand their assignment 😁

The property was amazing, we just unfortunately did not get to see any leopards during any of our game drives.

Game viewing was good, facilities were nice saw some amazing cheetah sighting game ranger was very knowledgeable.

It was not up to scratch for a 5 star lodge, corporate hotel feel, you don't feel like you getting enough for your money. Room was dark, Food was average. Just lacking that personal touch to make it really great.

the property was beautiful, game drives were excellent and the food was tasty. our ranger Edison was so knowledgeable on the species of animals and made sure we all saw what we wanted to which really made the stay- the animals are allowed to roam freely meaning we saw lions on our drive in, and elephants come up to the pool one day!

there are some very small changes that could make this resort fantastic, mainly centred around the lodge staff. whilst the food was great, waiting for it often took longer than expected, especially for a 5 star resort, and asking for a water or ketchup with your meal should not take 10 minutes to arrive, as the meal is finished at that point or cold if you’ve waited for the sauce. you were also escorted to your rooms by rangers at night incase there were animals nearby, however when you needed to leave your room for your morning game drive in the dark, staff were completely uncontactable meaning you had to walk alone, which felt unsafe after being told you shouldn’t walk in the dark without a ranger. the final thing is that spiders in our room were a big problem. I appreciate we’re in the wild and this may happen as a one off, but we consistently had large spiders getting in everyday, which meant I was unable to sleep. One day it took 3 hours to be removed as the person we flagged this to was scared of them… luckily it was still in the same place when we got back from our drive! I feel there must be some gaps in the tent structure where they were able to get in and that more could be done to prevent this, as we left all doors shut all the time.

Superb service, friendly and accommodating staff, fantastic food, great lodgings. Our Game Driver, Sim, was superb personable and knowledgable and a great driver. We cannot find fault in our stay at Bukela at all. As for the Safari element we saw: Lions, Cheetahs, Elephants, Giraffes, Rhinos, Zebra, Buffalo, Wildebeest and all manner of deer!

Nothing. It was perfect in every respect!

our ranger was „Lucky“. he was great and told us so much about the animals and the nature. he is fantastic. the luxury tent was very nice and clean (exept the spiders in the outdoor-shower). food was good. pool was great. game reserve is super. waterhole in front of the pool.

spider in the outdoor-shower and bugs in the tent (I know it‘s nature)

Great location, the game drives were fantastic our driver Mondai was very knowledgeable.

Bukela lodge was a great experience. The food was excellent, plenty of choice. Wonga our ranger was brilliant, we saw all the animals and learnt lots in the process. Even had an elephant right outside our tent one afternoon, magical!! The luxury tent was an experience, and the staff came and removed a spider for us!! The last morning was a mess due to flights being cancelled, we ended up needing to come back from game drive sooner, no problem they send another pickup for us! Nothing was too much trouble!

the only downside when we were there was how hot it was, we mainly stayed in our tent during the day!

the rooms were excellent

nothing

It is a beautiful setting

The staff are not equipped or trained as five star staff and no management or control over quality