Last Word Madikwe

“Magical Madikwe”

My second visit to Last Word Madikwe and it always delivers. This place is a hidden gem in the Madikwe private game reserve. From the moment you arrive, the welcome feels like you’re home. All staff are always welcoming, friendly and happy to help with anything you need. The food is absolutely… more

My second visit to Last Word Madikwe and it always delivers. This place is a hidden gem in the Madikwe private game reserve. From the moment you arrive, the welcome feels like you’re home. All staff are always welcoming, friendly and happy to help with anything you need. The food is absolutely delicious here, you will certainly not go hungry with all the delightful treats the chefs have in store. This time I stayed in the family villa. I travelled with friend from work and her family. Plenty of room, 3 en suite bedrooms, all beautifully furnished with everything you’d need during your stay. Our guide Sam (Phemelo) was awesome. We had excellent sightings with him during our stay. Both northern and southern prides of lion, wild dogs, black and white rhino, African wild cat, hyena (brown and spotted) porcupine, lots of elephant, zebra, antelope, Giraffe, we saw 9 of the 10 cheetah in the reserve, which is incredible!! Including the 5 Ashia boys who I saw last year before their mother was sadly killed by hyena. The whole team here make you feel at home, it’s a beautiful lodge, with beautiful people, and a place I will continue to visit. Thank you again for looking after us, you are all amazing!!! See you next time! Xx

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“A Gem in Madikwe”

My wife and I spent a 3 night weekend celebrating our anniversary at Last Word Madikwe. We've stayed at several lodges in Sabie Sands and Madikwe and Last Word was a wonderful experience. From the moment you arrive and are greeted by hostesses Les and Jodi and the ranger St John, you are made to f… more

My wife and I spent a 3 night weekend celebrating our anniversary at Last Word Madikwe. We've stayed at several lodges in Sabie Sands and Madikwe and Last Word was a wonderful experience. From the moment you arrive and are greeted by hostesses Les and Jodi and the ranger St John, you are made to feel special. Nothing is too much trouble for them or any of the super-friendly and obliging staff who take real pride in the level of service they offer. The lodge has recently undergone a beautiful renovation and it's a great success. Carefully considered decor, facilities and amenities enhance the experience further. Attention to detail like a handwritten, personal welcome note on arrival, or traditional African story waiting on the bed after the evening game drive together with a sweet treat like Creme Brûlée, Baklava and a peach pastry, were typical of their desire for your stay to be as memorable as possible. The lodge has its own water hole, which has numerous animals visit throughout the day, and a unique way to experience it was sitting in their underground hide which you access through a tunnel and sit on chairs with your eyes at ground level. This extraordinary feature was another highlight of the trip and we sat within 2 meters of a herd of elephant drinking and playing at the water hole, so close you could see the individual hairs on their heads and listen to the sound of them drinking. The food was superb. Portions were generous and the chef has a clear understanding of flavours. They were gracious in accommodating dietary requirements and between breakfast, lunch and supper we didn't eat the same dish twice, and they were absolutely delicious. The game drives were spectacular! St John has a clear love of the bush and is as a good a ranger as we've had anywhere. He has a real breadth of knowledge well beyond just the Big 5 and can talk about anything from the Matabele ants to any of the birds to the different rock formations and its impact on the terrain and environment. He is very eloquent and happy to answer any questions. Having been to a number of lodges and reserves, it's not often that we learn new things, yet we did with St John. He also has great control of the game vehicle which not only adds to the comfort of the trip but allows off-roading in parts that you would think are unreachable. All in all, Last Word is a special place run by people who make it their personal mission for you to have a truly memorable trip. We will definitely be back!!

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“The ONLY place to stay in Madikwe!! PHENOMENAL!!”

If you are looking for a true safari experience characterised by fantastic food, high levels of service and a high level of accomodation this is the place. You instantly are made to feel like family. You are greeted on arrival and you instantly become part of a family. Jody,Liz,Maxwell, Roxane and … more

If you are looking for a true safari experience characterised by fantastic food, high levels of service and a high level of accomodation this is the place. You instantly are made to feel like family. You are greeted on arrival and you instantly become part of a family. Jody,Liz,Maxwell, Roxane and ALL the staff their make you feel special. The Last word concept is beautiful. Now the game drives....... WOW Sam our guide is one special human!! His knowledge was exceptional and our sightings were unreal. I cant put this place into words but what I do know is this experience will never leave me and has stolen my heart. Game drives you are always fed and watered on and just taken care of so well. The watering hole has a constant flow of animals coming over. You will be sat relaxing round the pool processing the morning or afternoon game drive and next you look up and their is a whole family of elephants their! You can be eating a meal and look up and see elephants drinking! The Last Word also give back to the local village which is beautiful. Honestly please dont look any further, book this place. You will not regret it. We also met Stephen the manager and this guy knows his stuff and had thought about every last detail in all his lodges. LAST WORD TEAM THANK YOU. You have changed me forever. Lisa, Lee, Tyler and Ella Xxxxxx

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“The Last Word - should be your first safari!”

We’d give The Last Word 10 stars if this was an option. Why 10 stars? Overall experience, service, guided game drives, food, roomy accommodations and best of all the Water Hole ! There is a discrete underground hide next to the water hole for up close viewing of the wildlife. They are walking pa… more

We’d give The Last Word 10 stars if this was an option. Why 10 stars? Overall experience, service, guided game drives, food, roomy accommodations and best of all the Water Hole ! There is a discrete underground hide next to the water hole for up close viewing of the wildlife. They are walking past you and drinking in front of you all while you’re undetected. Extraordinary viewing spot. The 5th largest preserve is full of animal sitings of every species: lions, elephants, wild dogs, hyenas, etc… Our guide, Sam, provided personalized twice daily game drives. The rest of the staff was always there to great you with a cool washcloth after every drive. During the drive there was always a stop for either coffee and biscuits in the morning or drink and appetizers in the afternoon. Highly recommend !

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