Royal Madikwe Game Lodge

We had the most amazing time here, can’t recommend it enough. The whole team, set up and game reserve was absolutely incredible. The lodges are conveniently based around a well used watering hole so even inverted drives you’ll see plenty of animals a few meters away. Emotional just thinking about it :)

We had an indescribably beautiful and emotional time at the Royal Madikwe Lodge. The team is very attentive and made every moment special and unforgettable. We ate royally, slept royally, roamed the bush royally, the loft offers a royal home and we were pampered like kings and queens.

Amazing lodge and phantastic bungalows. Perfect food and drinks and very friendly staff. It was a great experience to have the safaris and we really saw the big five. Much fun with our ranger who made a very good job. The last evening we could enjoy a wonderful barbecue in the bush. Thank you so much.

A real 5 star camp with the nicest staff we ever had!!! The food and the service just fantastic the wines exellent and the game drive with Ernie who saw everything really unforgettable! We loved Royal Madikwe🐆🦒🐘🦓 and hope to come back soon

Amazing, at every level! From the warm arrival, the incredible food and service, fabulous team that looked after us, the game drives second to none with Ernie. This is a getaway bar any other, run by a dream team.

We had an absolutely incredible experience at the Royal Madikwe. Cherie and Adam are great hosts and anticipate all your needs. They surprised us at every meal setting us up at different locations within the lodge all with wonderful views. The food that chef Zoukie prepared was Michelin star quality with fabulous flavors and presentation. Joseph looked after us most meal times and was the happiest and smiliest person I’ve ever met. Special thanks also to Happiness and Gift . Of course the stars of the holiday were the animals. We had 2 game drives a day by our ranger Ernie who was simply the best . His love of the animals and the park made our experience very special and it was a privilege to go out on the drives with him. We saw elephants, buffalo, rhino, cheetahs, lions, kudu, hyenas, wild dogs, zebra, wildebeest, warthogs, impala, giraffe, vultures and more. We were lucky enough to see the elusive leopard one evening too. Everything about this holiday surpassed our expectations and we cannot thank everybody involved enough.

From the moment we arrived at The Royal Madikwe and were handed warm, lavender scented hand towels, all of our needs and wants were anticipated before we knew they existed! From the decor to the staff to the food, every detail was paid attention to. Every time we showed up for a meal it was a surprise where or how they had set us up. One night it was by the infinity pool. Another day we sat by the watering hole and watched the elephants come by. It was all so lovely! Our room was large and beautiful! Complete with outdoor shower! Every night at turn down there was another surprise here too. There were 2 gentlemen that helped us in the lodge. One is named Happy and the other is Gift. Need I say more? And then there was Ernie, our ranger. He’s been in the reserve for 17 years and know it, the animals and the other rangers incredibly well! He bought us to see 4 month old lion cubs and a pack of wild dogs on the prowl. And he customized our days as it was only us and another couple at the lodge. He was charming, smart and funny. He made each ride an incredible adventure. I would highly recommend The Royal Madikwe Lodge. I’ll be back!

My wife, myself, my 12 year old son and 7 year old daughter went to South Africa for 2 weeks. We went to Cape Town, Franschhoek (wine tasting), Grootbos (whale watching) and then onto Royal Madikwe for 3 days of safari. We should have stayed at least 5 days. We flew in on a private plane from Joburg and were met on the run way by Ernie, our private ranger for our stay. Ernie was amazing, very friendly and gave us a wonderful experience driving us around the reserve, working to our schedule and putting up with all our animal questions with a smile. We saw lions, rhinos, wild dogs, giraffes, elephants, hyenas, crocodiles, cheetah etc. The lodge is on a lake/watering hole so you have animals 50 metres from your villa and the main villa (all very safe though), where food and drink is served. We had elephants, rhinos and lots of other animals there almost continuously. Obviously the safari trips at 5.30am then at 4pm were amazing but Adam (co-owner, who lives there with his family) and all the team were amazing, treating us like royalty. We had our own private chef and unlimited food and drink on demand. In fact we were the only people staying at the time so had the whole team just for us!! We are a family with young kids and they did archery, bead making, painting t-shirts etc with the kids which was great. I know they have honeymooners and groups with no kids, including movie stars. The team there are like a big family and they made us very welcome, teaching us to play the drums, movie night with the kids etc. My kids LOVED IT, and are already asking when we can go back and find the elusive leopard (the only animal we couldn’t find!!). So I’d highly recommend Royal Madikwe for the highest level of luxury accommodation and customer service, food and drink and also for making the safari trips such a great experience (Ernie and Adam).

We visited the Royal as a Milestone Birthday weekend for my husband and it did not disappoint. We stayed in the Royal villa which beautifully catered for a family of 4 and gave us ample space and privacy to enjoy our family getaway. The villa is situated right in front of a watering hole so there was constant wildlife activity. Elephants, buffalo, and a range of buck are in abundance at the watering hole. Meals were served at the main lodge which is a short walk from the villa. The food was 6 * and I could not fault a single meal! I loved how at every meal time they would have set our table in a different space in the lodge depending on the weather or mood for the day. We had our 2 daughters with us age 3 and 9 and they absolutely loved the special attention given to their needs whether it was milkshakes or art nothing was too much for the staff at the Royal.