Bukela Game Lodge

Meghan Roberts

Wow—this was truly one of the most magical stays and experiences of my life. From start to finish, everything exceeded expectations. This was my first Safari and I don’t know how I’ll top it. Our guide, Munde, was absolutely exceptional—knowledgeable, attentive, and always making sure we were in the heart of the action on every game drive. We saw incredible wildlife and had unforgettable experiences thanks to him. The rooms were beautiful, the food was next level, and every single staff member was warm, kind, and genuinely hospitable. I honestly felt like I was living in a dream for five nights. I can’t wait to return and would recommend this experience to anyone without hesitation.

Jon Lindsay

We had an amazing 2 nights here back in January. Food and service are fantastic, youre in nature but real luxury feel, and get properly looked after. Game drives were also fab - our driver was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. It isnt a huge reserve with only 3 lions so if youre a real nature lover then may prefer a true national park but its really well run and you get the impression its highly ehtical with an anti poaching program and the rangers look out for the animals. For a 2 or 3 night trip, id highly highly recommend.

Janina Caron

This is a wonderful place for a safari. The people are nice, the service is great, the food is good and the location is so much better than other similar areas. With tons of land to explore, but close enough to see every animal you dream of up close and personal without the huge crowds! Only a certain number of vehicles from the lodges are allowed, so it keeps the numbers down. The canvas rooms leave a bit to be desired, being very hard to get the temperature to stay consistent and with the hot water needing to be fixed often, but they are quick to fix it. The non-canvas rooms are better. Abi, the safari guide can not be beat! She is knowledgeable, friendly, and truly loves what she does! She made our trip a wonderful experience! Welcome drinks and introduction to the lodges, rooms, amenities, etc. Pre-drive snacks (coffee, breads, and yogurt), breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided. Fleece lined ponchos provided for warmth on the drives. Warm drinks on arrival back at the lodge after drives. Snacks and drinks on the safari drives. Heat blankets on the beds. Horseback riding, archery, special drives and walks, etc, are available for a fee. They handled my husband's gluten-free needs wonderfully, and we're very careful with it every meal! He never got sick once! I would highly recommend Bukela to anyone not expecting perfection and who wants to see the animals up close. My suggested amount of time there is 5-8 days to be able to see the animals and enjoy the amenities.

Lisa Randall

We loved everything about Bukela. The staff is incredible. Blessing and Zeus are kind and lovely! Wonga made each and every drive amazing. I recommend Bukela a thousand times over!

Josh Spencer

What an experience and what an amazing place to stay! The staff are amongst the best I've ever come across and I wish I could remember everyone's names to send my appreciation to them individually but all the staff we excellent. They bring amazing energy at all times which is amazing considering they always seem to be working and they really do brighten your day and nothing you can ask them is ever too much. The Game Drivers are amazing, they ask you what you have and haven't seen to make sure you get to see everything and the drives themselves are an experience of a lifetime, we saw everything we wanted to see and more! The rooms were lovely and the showers and bath were great. I've seen a couple of reviews complaining about shower pressure,we had the same issue and let them know and it was fixed within 5 minutes. Considering the lodge is in the middle of the bush I was really impressed by the facilities Food was excellent and there's a good selection for drinks We opted for an extra night game drive and a massage - I'd recommend both as they were fantastic I am telling all my friends and family to come here! Thank you for an amazing stay! We will be back soon