Marataba Safari Lodge

“Amazing - definitely not the last visit!”

I was lucky enough to be able to revisit this lodge after a weather challenging January. I was keen to see what is undoubtedly the most beautiful reserve I have visited at its best. As expected the lodge was once again superb, beautiful rooms (it seems a cheat to call them tents), amazing food, a… more

I was lucky enough to be able to revisit this lodge after a weather challenging January. I was keen to see what is undoubtedly the most beautiful reserve I have visited at its best. As expected the lodge was once again superb, beautiful rooms (it seems a cheat to call them tents), amazing food, and a superb team that work so hard to make the stay completely fabulous. You come to expect this at a high end lodge but they really do it so very well here. On the road trip to it, I was chatting to my driver and friend and said to her that I felt this would be my last visit - I’m a big fan of the greater Kruger, and Marataba is impossible to get to without “losing” a day in travel. In my head it was a tick box visit, one I was excited for of course, but not one for revisiting. However I was wrong. And the main reason for that was my guide Tim. I had requested him as a guide once more. And from the moment he greeted us on arrival holding a small snake (non venemous) that he had rescued (and the subsequent look of slight doubt when he couldn’t remember if I was a fan of snakes - I’m not) I knew it was going to be an epic stay. And indeed it was. The game viewing was exceptional that is true, including leopards, black rhino and even a pangolin, amongst many others things, but Tim really goes above and beyond - nothing is too much trouble, and he is so very kind, He is excellent company, does the best animal impressions, is so knowledgeable and is very much the reason why that box is not in fact ticked, and why I will definitely be coming back. I said in my last review that every lodge needs a Tim and I stand by that.

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“Just the most special place in South Africa…”

We stayed at the Marataba safari lodge for 4 nights from the 29th April. I can hardly put into words how incredible this place was. We arrived after a 11 hour flight and 4 hr transfer and we were greeted by staff with hot towels and a drink, which was exactly what we needed. We also met James, who… more

We stayed at the Marataba safari lodge for 4 nights from the 29th April. I can hardly put into words how incredible this place was. We arrived after a 11 hour flight and 4 hr transfer and we were greeted by staff with hot towels and a drink, which was exactly what we needed. We also met James, who told us he was going to be our safari guide for the duration of our stay. We were shown to our room/tent. We were absolutely blown away by the rooms. They are made part of stone and part canvas. They were immaculately clean with a large comfy bed, beautiful bathrooms with bath and shower and a double sink unit. There was a kettle for tea and coffee making but also a fully stocked mini bar with wines, spirits, beers, soft drinks.. all of which were included in the price. We didn’t pay for a single thing whilst we were there. There was laundry facilities, where you left your dirty clothes in a basket in the room, and they were returned to you a few hours later washed and ironed. So it was just like being in a 5 star hotel. The resort itself was just stunning.. the scenery was unbelievable. There were animals wondering freely around the lodge. We had monkeys playing on our tent roof, and impalas just wondering around the grounds. You could walk around freely in the daytime but someone escorted you back to your room in the evenings. The food was first class, always a choice and it was always presented beautifully. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and if there was something you didn’t like, they were more than happy to cook anything to please you. So onto the main part of our trip, which was the actual game drives. Our expectations as to what we might see were absolutely exceeded. We were just amazed at how many animals we actually saw, and so close up. On that first game drive after we arrived we were lucky to see a herd of elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalo. We couldn’t believe how close we could get to the animals in the jeep. My initial impression was that they might run away.. but no they just carried on grazing or whatever they were doing. Over the 4 days we saw a pride of lions on several occasions, cheetah, black & white rhino, elephants, giraffe, all of the main animals that you would expect. I cannot praise James our guide enough. What a guy. He was so friendly, kind, funny, professional and knowledgable. The things we learned about the animals, the tracks, the environment, the trees were so interesting. I’ve no idea how he managed to drive along and concentrate on driving yet he saw the smallest of things, noticed animals footprints etc It was incredible how much he listened to the noises of the birds or other animals to track the animals we were looking for. Even checking the animal poo to see how long ago rhino’s had walked by. He absolutely made this trip for us. He took us out on 2 game drives each day. During each drive you stop off in a beautiful location and have drinks and snacks. This was so unexpected yet a very special part of each drive. One morning we did a walking safari with James and another guide. This was really exciting and it was nice to see a few animals from a distance yet also mainly learn about the smaller animals and learn about the different animal tracks, trees, etc etc. Honestly James’s knowledge of everything was incredible. The highlight to us was staying in the treehouse. What an amazing and beautiful place. We were dropped off there around sunset and left with a torch and walkie talkie. We were provided with a 4 course beautiful meal and a trunk full of alcohol and soft drinks. The scenery was just mind blowing. We slept overnight and were collected early the next morning. We will never ever forget our time at marataba safari lodge. It really was the most incredible place and the memories of our few days there, will last a lifetime. Thank you to all of the staff who worked there. Everyone went out of their way to do things for you. Every single person was so friendly and professional. I can 100% recommend to anyone to stay in this just unbelievable and beautiful place. But I have to say the person who made this trip for us was James our guide. Thank you so much James.. you made this trip into such wonderful memories for us which we will never forget

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“fantastic experience”

We had a fabulous stay at Marataba thanks to the staff. From Surprise who made sure everything went smoothly, our incredible guide Tim, and our butlers Linda and Jen. The tents are fantastic, and kept spotless, the spa treatments were perfect, Prudence worked magic in the kitchen, and our 4 days fl… more

We had a fabulous stay at Marataba thanks to the staff. From Surprise who made sure everything went smoothly, our incredible guide Tim, and our butlers Linda and Jen. The tents are fantastic, and kept spotless, the spa treatments were perfect, Prudence worked magic in the kitchen, and our 4 days flew by! We had some really special animal encounters, and Tim's passion about the animals was infectious. Every staff member works so hard to make each day memorable, and we truly appreciated all of it. I already miss the noises of the bush at night, the impalas sleeping in front of our tent, Tim's Ranger coffees, and seeing shooting stars every night.

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“An unforgettable family safari experience – 100% recommended!”

Our family (4 adults and 2 children) stayed at Marataba Safari Lodge at the end of April, and it was truly a memorable experience from start to finish. Everything was superb. The lodge itself offers a breathtaking view that you have to see to believe. We were deeply impressed by the diversity of a… more

Our family (4 adults and 2 children) stayed at Marataba Safari Lodge at the end of April, and it was truly a memorable experience from start to finish. Everything was superb. The lodge itself offers a breathtaking view that you have to see to believe. We were deeply impressed by the diversity of activities; being able to combine traditional game drives with walking safaris and boat safaris made our stay unique. The density of wildlife is incredible, and the landscapes are simply stunning. A special mention goes to our guide, Malo. He was extremely professional and the fact that he is French-speaking was a huge plus for our family. He made our safaris educational and thrilling. The lodge is also incredibly kids-friendly. The kids' club is fantastic and kept the little ones engaged and happy throughout the stay. As for the food, the restaurant serves high-quality, delicious meals, and the service was consistently attentive and professional. It was an unforgettable stay. We recommend Marataba 100% to anyone looking for a top-tier safari experience!

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