everything was excellent

nothing

We had the best time of our lives during the three days at Makumu. The property is stunning, with endless good taste. The concept is very true to the location, so one really experiences being in a natural reserve. It’s smart luxury. The staff is unbelievably pleasant and kind. The food is delicious and plenty (so are the drinks). The Safaris were exciting and adventurous. We were lucky to have experienced a lot and feel that we made the best choice ever.

No remarks whatsoever.

Our stay at Makumu was incredible! My family and I spent 4 nights / 5 days at the lodge, and we all had an incredible time thanks to the Makumu team. They handled everything to make our vacation fun and relaxing. We can't thank Cherie, Shelley, Ruan, and AD enough for making our stay so enjoyable! Facilities The whole lodge is beautiful. The rooms were spacious, clean, and functional with incredible views. I was in the Zulu king suite, and just from our room we were able to see giraffes, elephants, baboons, water buck, and impalas. The main lodge communal areas were also well taken care of and beautifully decorated. It is very apparent the Makumu team puts a lot of thought and care into making the place feel comfortable for their guests. This is one of the few places I've stayed where the pictures on the website are accurate and are exactly what you get when you arrive. Activities The twice a day game drives were of course the highlights and exceeded our expectations. Seeing so many animals was exciting (big 5 and then some!) but the absolute treat and bonus was our ranger, Ruan, who taught us SO much on each drive. My whole family was amazed with his keen eye to spot wildlife (he spotted a baby chameleon in the dark while driving!!) and the breadth of knowledge he shared with us. Food All the meals were delicious, and the team was accommodating to my dietary restrictions (no meat). We were given breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack breaks during each game drive, and a snack before the evening game drive. I foolishly had brought snacks thinking I might need them, but I never touched them.

So many things! 1. The views! I saw a herd of elephants walk by my room while I was in the bathtub. Our suite (Zulu King Suite) looked right at the watering hole, so we saw many animals right from our room. 2. The food was incredible. Every single meal was delicious, and the hospitality was so warm and welcoming. Be prepared for dinner to take at least an hour, though. It's a three course meal every single night. So also, expect to gain a little weight =) 3. The game drives were full of adventure. Even when things were a little quiet, we enjoyed watching Ruan and Sibu working together to find tracks and lead to some game sightings. They make a great team their efforts pay off! I personally also enjoy the little things like seeing the birds and the smaller mammals and just enjoying being out in nature. But, we definitely saw big game and that was of course rewarding and thrilling. 4. Service was top tier. I'm not used to being waited on, or having my bags brought to my room for me or anything like that, it usually makes me a bit uncomfortable. But the staff made it feel okay and like it wasn't a burden for them and they were happy to fetch me a glass of wine or whatever. The owners were in town at the same time as us and they also extended the same hospitality to us, so it felt more intimate and like family rather than "I'm on a luxury vacation".

This is literally my only complaint and the only thing that bothered me at all about the entire lodge and my stay there. All of the doors in our suite were pocket doors, which normally wouldn't be a problem, but none of them opened fully. This was clearly a design choice, as the doors had carvings on them that are still displayed with the doors opened (it also had a small benefit of being easier to open a pocket door with some excess available to grab). The doorway to our closet was wide enough that this was fine, but going to the toilet was actually a big hassle. The doorway to the toilet was so narrow, that with the pocket door unable to open fully, there was only a 17" opening. My shoulders are 19" inches, so this meant I had to turn sideways and shimmy my way into the toilet. However, I am large chested, so even when I turned sideways and shimmied through, my breasts were being scratched on the door frame, or else my but was getting caught on the door. Not ideal when you really have to pee after a long game drive and you have to do yoga to get to the toilet. My husband, a very tall and thin man, also had to turn sideways and shimmy his way through that doorway because of his broad shoulders. If that pocket door could open all the way to the other side of the door frame, like most pocket doors do, no problem. Or even making it a barn door on the other side or anything else would be an improvement.

Thank you, Stefan, Karin, Ruan, Shelly, Richard, Cherie, AD, and the lovely ladies of the Makumu hospitality team. This was one of the best stays of our lives. Hugh and Kasia Poland

I hated leaving.

Impossible to tell, truly a once in a lifetime experience. Exceptional service by exceptional people.

Absolutely nothing

Rooms were large. Shower great. The main lodge was big perched high providing a great view of the reserve. Nice indoor and outdoor dining facilities. Access to all beer, wine, alcohol and coffee. Great staff. Very personalized and very knowledgeable ranger.

All good. The critical element for most guests is the quantity and types of animals seen. This is my first safari so I am unable to assess that issue on a relative basis against other lodges. in addition, one cannot predict what one will see as it is dependent on numerous factors. Having said that we saw all the so called Big 5 and much more including a leopard. The sighting exceeded my expectations.

Stunning location - deep in the Bush and unfenced so completely connected to nature; exceptional views; fabulous service to make you feel like part of a family; superb food and simply amazing game drives with close up encounters with lions, leopards, hyaena, wild dogs, elephants and rhinos.

Liked everything; perhaps one or two electric lights in the rooms at night would have been good but, on the other hand, the candles and low level solar lighting provided made you feel completely apart from the tech centric world in which we all now live. Good for the soul.

This was an amazing stay. Shelley and the staff had taken care of everything we needed and made sure our stay was just perfect. I can't recommend this place enough!

Everything was just perfect.

What didn't we like - Makumu was amazing from start to finish. The staff is superior, the rooms are clean, beautiful, and everything you could want in a safari lodge. The game drives were exceptional - Ruan is incredibly knowledgeable and went out of his way to make sure we saw all Big 5. We loved our stay so much, that we extended our visit another day.

The van that picked us up from the checkpoint.

we love the relaxing atmosphere of the property. we like that it’s in the middle of the reserve where we can see the wildlife from the balcony. every effort was made to make us feel comfortable

lack of electricity for early morning preparations. no way to really freely walk around

hospitality is the main key! the staff make you feel like you are home. The food is delicious. The rooms are big and comfortable. Loved the place!

there is no bulbs and electric light in the rooms, just wifi, and phone chargers.

From the moment we arrived to the moment we left, the team at Makumu were fantastic! Every detail was taken care of - they even accommodated our very fussy teenage eaters. Sherie and AD were our hosts during our stay and they have definitely become like family. As for the safari drives - words can’t describe how good they were. You go on a drive in mornings and again at dusk. Every time AD and our tracker, Richard, found something incredible to look at. During our stay we saw the BIG 5…as I said there really are no words to describe how good the safari was- it is just something you need to see for yourself. The rooms were immaculate and the views from the bathroom and bedrooms was so beautiful- animals come through the camp from time to time but we always get 100 percent safe. If I could rate Makumu 15 out of 10 I would. 10/10!!!!!

everything was super special - there was nothing we didn’t like

Sheree and AD were simply amazing. They took care of everything and were always the best hosts starting every morning and all throughout the day. The best part of the stay were of course the game drives, and AD was so dedicated to making sure we got to see as much wildlife as possible, and he is a wealth of knowledge about the smallest little detail about each animal and bird! Thanks guys!

This lodge has it all! The best staff (lobely, experienced and take care of everything) The best facilities The best location

None

Thanks so much to Cherie, AD, Shelley and Ruan for making our first safari a trip of a lifetime! The lodge was built by the owner for his family and has a really nice family vibe with brunch, afternoon tea and dinner eaten together with other guests, we got to meet other people from all over the world! As well as listening to lions, hyenas and monkeys in the bush whilst we were eating outside! Our Ranger, AD was fantastic and very knowledgable. We spotted the Big Five and so much more, and he made such a big effort to make sure we tracked down the animals we wanted to see. Since the Klaserie is shared with just a few other lodges, the safari was very tranquil and did not feel commercial at all. We were able to track down animals and would only see another 1-3 cars throughout the whole game drive. We were torn between a 3 and a 4 night stay. So glad we went with 4 nights and we could have stayed for so much longer! The whole team is very hospitable and we loved hearing their stories from the bush!

Very nice and friendly staff, good food, good drinks. Very nice location and because of the small lodge and nice people very homely feeling. Also the fire place was good.

WiFi was bad. It didn't work in the rooms and in the main house it was very slow. Unfortunately we didn't see many animals although we are going out for game drives twice a day, in total 6 hours a day for 3,5days. I don't know if we were just unlucky but there was also no communication about that this would be an uncommon state or any Idea to make it any better. I had totally different expectations - When we were picked up at the airport the guy told us that we won't stopp on the way for zebras or giraffe cause there are so many around...!? But then we didn't see much. We were just going around the same places and roads every day and didn't go further away from the lodge. I am not an expert but it's a Nature Reserve with fences and a lot of lodges inside- although it's like 60thousands hectares the animals have to be somewhere!?I don't know how the lodges communicate between one and another. It felt strange stopping at every bird and squirrel and animal poo in the end cause we couldn't find anything bigger and the people know that the guests come to see particular animals and spend a lot of money for it. Strange. What we saw in total: 2times a big pride of lions (15 to 20), 1 elephant, 5 giraffes, round about 70 impalas. 10 blue wilderbeasts, 4 wilddogs, 4 hyanea, 2 zebra.

Phenomenal setting, amazing lodge, engaging and knowledgeable staff, nothing is a hassle. At Makumu you rarely see another vehicle on game drives, and the rangers and trackers go beyond to find game and make the experience memorable. Thanks Ruan, Shelley, AD and Cherie. I'll be back guys, next time with the family.

It’s amazing. A beautiful slice of Africa in a perfect package. Shelley, Ruan, Cherie and Ad were incredible hosts and we felt very welcome at all times. Sightings on the game drives were some of the best we have ever had - Leopard, Lion, Elephant, Rhino and many others. Food was excellent. And all the little touches really make it so special. Expensive - but definitely worth it.

Nothing

A beautiful accommodation in a beautiful landscape- wonderful hosts who give you the feeling of coming home. The game drives with highly trained experts providing you detailed information about almost every aspect of the wildlife in the bush was not just fun but also a lasting impression of how ecosystems work and protection of it should be managed. we’ve learned a lot, thanks to Richard and Adrian, Ruan and the others. The topping of the cake was a delicious, delicious cuisine provided by a staff of fairies in the kitchen. Once introduced to it we’ve got to come back.

all was perfect, thanks to the management.

A once in a lifetime experience. Hard to find words for describing the beauty and magic of this place. Most beautiful lodge, amazing food, incredible game drives. Ruan taught us so much about all the beautiful animals we spotted and tracked. The hospitality is next level. The whole team does an amazing job in making your stay a very special one and in making you not want to leave ever again. One day, we will def come back!

All other lodges will look bad after visiting this one.

A wonderful place in complete nature! The whole team is great, like family! Our rides were with Adrian which was great! If we're ever in the area again, we'll definitely be back! Thank you for the nice days!! Natalia & Florian (Germany)

The name of the lodge truly describes the property’s location - amazing view across the Klaserie! The staff, food, location and of course the game drives make for a truly sensational and memorable stay! From the fantastic sightings and game drives to an unforgettable Bush dinner, we will certainly be back. The candle lit evenings in the lodge make for a super romantic setting! Big thanks to Stefan, Karin, Adrian, Cherie, Ruan, Richard, Joyce, Lisa and everyone else that we had the pleasure of engaging with at Makumu - thanks for going the extra mile, you made our stay!

It is a very nice lodge with a great view. We were lucky to be the only guests that time. The owner took us out for a fantastic “captains cruise” and was very entertaining. We had a great honeymoon time with lots of sightings.

The lodge setting is amazing. The views from the lodge were indeed "endless". The service and staff were great. Thanks to Ruan and Sibu we experienced so many fantastic animal interactions. Highly recommend this lodge.

Everything was perfect given warm winter temperatures. Think in summer it could be hot without aircon.

Amazing frie Fly staff took care of everything. Perfect views and the very best Safari experience. 10/10 for sure.

It was great and fantastic to be in the bush and totally away from the rat race. Staff super friendly and really went out of their way to make it a memorable experience. As for the Leopard kill... Need I say more?