Elandela Private Game Reserve & Luxury Lodge

“Heaven on earth.”

From the minute we touched down at Hoedspruit airport we felt very welcome in this very beautiful part of South Africa. We were met by Sandy who quickly took care of our luggage and whisked us off to the Elandela Lodges and Reserves. We arrived and received a warm and friendly welcome from Francis… more

From the minute we touched down at Hoedspruit airport we felt very welcome in this very beautiful part of South Africa. We were met by Sandy who quickly took care of our luggage and whisked us off to the Elandela Lodges and Reserves. We arrived and received a warm and friendly welcome from Francisco and Sindy. Our first impression was what an impressive place this was with its perfectly manicured gardens and friendly faces wanting to ensure we would have a holiday to remember. Fransisco took us to our lodge which was immediately facing the lake where two hippos were basking in the warm sun . Our lodge was beautiful and spotlessly clean, large bedroom with well stocked fridge , tea and coffee making facilities, large comfortable bed. Extremely large bathroom with double sinks , dressing area , large whirlpool bath and indoor and outdoor showers . Sun terrace at the back of the lodge with sun loungers and terraced patio at the front of lodge furnished with tables and chairs . Perfect for that glass of wine in the afternoon, chilling out looking at the lake with its two hippos, turtles and crocodile, while watching Zebra and giraffes walk by often directly on the path in front of you. Yes we had arrived ! We quickly unpacked and went on the first of our many drives. As Elandela is set in the bush you are surrounded by wildlife. Simon, Shepherd, Sandy and Rudolph were our expert guides . They have astounding knowledge of the wildlife , floral and fauna and the amazing ability to find the impossible possible . Often plucking chameleons from the trees in the pitch black of the night, spotting bush babies, jackals, tortoises, genets, civet cats, honey badgers and even an aardvark on our amazing nocturnal night drives. Yes we were definitely hooked. Three game drives a day was fantastic. The beautiful pride of white lions with their cheeky eight month old cubs who liked to provoke the rhinos having a mud bath, the leopards who would rest in the sun and hunt at night. We tracked one leopard who we found having dinner, an impala he had dragged up a tree which was quickly surrounded by hyenas at the bottom waiting for scraps. Zebras and Giraffes in abundance and numerous beautiful birds. The elephants were kept in a separate part of the reserve and our guides quickly explained why. The elephants are destroying the trees. We had never given this a thought before but they were absolutely correct. Not only do they eat the foliage , they strip the tree of its bark , trample them to the ground and completely destroy the tree. Very few regrow. Then they move onto another tree at an alarming rate leaving little for the remaining wildlife. Yes they are beautiful strong animals and their young look so cute trying to keep up with the herd but this was an aspect we had never considered before. Now we truly appreciate the necessity of a separate reserve for them. Breakfast, lunch and dinner in the fine restaurant served by Comfort and Christopher , cooked by expert chefs Gift and Sibusiso. You always had a choice of food and it was so good that more often than not you had no room for dessert. Chef Gift made such cute hippo and porcupine bread rolls they looked too good to eat. The presentation of dinner was excellent and definitely worthy of five stars ! There is an elegant well stocked bar next to the restaurant with amazing animal shaped carved chairs. Very authentic. The pool is situated outside on the terrace overlooking the lake. Warthogs and Nyalas graze feet away and the baboons lie in wait if you leave your pastry too long while having coffee on the terrace . They have a preference to the croissants and honey cake ! Housekeepers, Pearl and Pretty ensured our lodge was spotless, towels etc replaced and they must have constantly popped in and out as there was never a towel out of place , beds turned back at night and even chocolates left on the pillow. The gardens were maintained continually . There was always a presence of the gardeners and the grounds were expertly kept. Elandela is like an oasis in the middle of the reserve. It’s so peaceful and relaxing. This truly is a place I would return to again and again. This is not our first visit to South Africa and definitely will not be the last. There are plenty of varieties of wildlife here and they are clearly at ease in their surroundings and do not appear to be threatened by humans unlike some reserves not far away, where sadly illegal trophy hunting takes place . This is what makes this place so special and a cut above the rest. I cannot recommend Elandela highly enough. The owners and their staff respect the environment , the animals and enjoy life and treat everyone as an individual, nothing is too much trouble and their friendly approach and love of Elandela is obvious. If I had to use one word to describe this place it would be “ heaven”.

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