Mongena Game Lodge

We loved our stay at Mongena. Our 4 year old daughter loved having zebras and impalas walking around the lodge. The game drives were amazing, the guides were knowledgeable and very friendly.

Just wow!

Just wow!

I initially booked the Barnhouse, but didn't realize the Barnhouse is about a 15 minute drive from the main lodge area. We were planning to eat our meals at the lodge's Kingfisher restaurant, but we had to rely on the rangers to take us from the Barnhouse to the main lodge area, as there is no self-driving permitted. The Barnhouse is really nice and it's perfect if you're looking for a secluded place and plan to cook or barbecue for most of your meals, but I was expecting it to be within walking distance of the restaurant, so it wasn't what I was expecting. We hadn't brought much food, so we were really hungry that first day. Once we got to the restaurant and had a meal, we were in a much better mood, and it helped that we were served by a wonderful waiter named Isaac. The next day was a Monday, and the front desk was aware that the Barnhouse wasn't ideal for us, so fortunately they had a vacancy at the main lodge and put us in a two-story cottage that was perfect for us. During our three-night stay, we did two morning tours and one evening tour with ranger Matt who was very knowledgeable and kept the conversation lively. Matt also took our two sons along to feed animals near the reception area. After posting pictures of the animals we saw during our tours on my Facebook page, my friends from other parts of the world mentioned they loved seeing animals that they typically only see in a zoo, and some are now motivated to come to Africa!