Kariega Game Reserve River Lodge

Fantastic game reserve. 1.5 road transfer from Port Elizabeth and this is one of a handful of lodges in this private (fenced) reserve. Saw lots of animals - lions, cheetahs, elephants, black and white rhinos, buffalo, hippo and countless giraffes and antelopes. Our guide Lee was excellent - lot of knowledge of the bush and the wildlife and made all our trips into a great experience. Food was excellent - 3 meals a day, drinks on the drives and stocked bar in the rooms. Suggest a 2-3 night stay - any more would be too long. For keen photographers, you get very close to the wildlife - a lens upto 400mm is likely be OK for most shots. If you have a longer lens you are likely to need a second camera base with a wider angle.

The river lodge was part of our 30th Wedding anniversary celebration tour of South Africa. Wow, what a wonderful place. Had to wait a little while for our suite to be ready, as the transfer was early but we were served with a cold beer and enjoyed the views while we waited.The wait was worth it as we approached suite 6, we could see giraffes near our room. Room was huge, kept very clean with air conditioning and a fully stocked mini bar, coffee machine. Our guide was Aussie, who was very knowledgeable and informative with eyes like a hawk spotting the different animals. He truly loved his job and we could not believe just how close we got to the animals. The food was very good and the service was great. We were even given a bottle of fizz to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We would not hesitate to recommend this game reserve, with staff going the extra mile to ensure that your stay is prefect. We look forward to staying with you again

Safari top notch - saw big 5 in 2 days including a lion with her four cubs. Ranger was superb - a local trained by the Kariega Foundation. Accommodation was good with fridge, drinking water, comfortable bed and aircon. Food fantastic - large buffet choice, good quality, tasty & plentiful. Enjoyed shared table with ranger and fellow guests. Great vibe in main lodge. Staff exude helpfulness, smiles and passion. Refreshment stop on drives at breathtaking locations with a choice of drinks & snacks. The whole experience was outstanding.

Unbelievable first experience of a safari, and we got lucky as could be one of the best in South Africa. One company means they work together to find the best experiences for their guests (unlike other locations where multiple companies compete). But it’s really down to the range of animals to see, which was excellent and the guide who was better than excellent - we were very fortunate to be guided by Ozzy (Ossi), surely one of the best. I think he took it as a challenge to find animals we hadn’t yet seen, some of the care for the animals and the way they carefully approach them was superb, we experienced animals in their natural habitat as if we weren’t there, it’s an experience we will never forget

What a superb place. Staff so welcoming in every way. Suites fantastic. Waterhole game stunning and then the drives led by Dumi and Ozzie which were incredible. We saw so much. Alisha and her team fed us so well and we had a great time. 100% recommend this lodge and the location. So many giraffe and elephants plus rhino, buffalo, cheetah and every kind of bok. Bird life fantastic too. Boat trip down to Kenton. Bush walk. All amazing plus a nice chill out in the pool and a meal by the fire watched over by zebra. Hippos discovered near main lodge. Lion majestic. Even a Leopard tortoise and nightjar. Simply the best.

This surpassed my expectations in every way. We had 4 days of safaris with our own ranger Leigh. His knowledge of the animals and the reserve was amazing. We had two safaris each day - each one lasting three hours although the time went very quickly as it was so enjoyable. I never imagined that we would get so close to the animals but always felt safe in Leigh’s capable hands. He was very considerate of all his guests, had a great sense of humour and even seemed to have a ‘sixth sense’ with the animals. We felt very lucky to have him as our ranger. The safari was obviously the highlight but the accommodation was great, meals were fabulous and the service we received was the very best. I would thoroughly recommend this experience.

Wow, what can I say! This was a bucket list holiday & certainly didn’t disappoint. The staff were friendly & attentive, the food was delicious, the room was spacious & very comfortable but most of all the game drives with our Ranger Aussie were fantastic. We got up very close to the animals & Aussie was so knowledgeable answering every question asked of him. Such a wonderful experience we did not want it to end. Thank you Kariega Lodge for such a fantastic safari holiday & a very big thank you to the wonderful Aussie!

From the moment you enter the reserve you are treated to a fantastic experience. The staff are so friendly and helpful with nothing too much trouble. Our guide was Leigh and such a knowledgable friendly guy who made this safari even better. He treated us like royalty. He took us on the drives and found us most of the animals we wanted to see. It was such fun to go on the drives, and find the lions, baby rhinos, elephants, cheetahs. Unfortunately we never saw the leopard or the black rhino. The room was fantastic great bed and shower within the lodge. And the food was amazing, I felt like I was always eating. But it was all to good. Only downside was we had to leave and return home.

Just returned and still buzzing thinking about it. Partner has been to Galapagos and thinks Kariega Game Reserve River Lodge has just beaten it. Seeing the big animals in their natural wild setting might make you cry, but in a good way. Beautiful. 2 sessions/day which encompass dawn and dusk viewing in wild, with lovely hot drink breaks each to stretch legs and wee in the bush, complementary alcohol offered. Was incredibly close to the elephants, giraffes, rhinos. Rangers are knowledgable. Rangers are considerate to the animals which explains how they can get so close; staff friendly; food very good. The open jeeps are very bumpy because of rough roads and do go off-road to get close to a sighting; need normal agility to get in/out of jeep like it's a climbing frame. We are parents in late 50s with teenage son.