Karongwe Portfolio - Kuname Lodge

My husband and I stayed here for 4 nights as part of our honeymoon :) We had a lovely stay! The highlight for us was the game drives. Mandela and Colin were fabulous. A huge thank you to both of them for making our experience so wonderful. The sundowner was just wonderful while watching the sunset and seeing animals. Our room was clean and well equipped. We had the premium (honey moon suite) and I think it was worth it for the extra space. We never used the outside bathroom but it looked lovely. We also never used the pool but again it looked lovely. A little too cold for us at that time of year! A wonderful way to end our amazing honeymoon trip in South Africa. Such an amazing country!

We are so happy that we chose Kuname Lodge as our location and accommodation for our first ever safari experience in South Africa. Everything was great, from arriving and being well informed on how the our stay works with the game drives and times of meals ect. To the experience, knowledge and friendliness of all staff and game guides and trackers. We were lucky enough to see all the big five during our 3 night stay and can't really fault anything during this time. The wildlife viewing was incredible and the food and intimacy of the small Lodge really made the experience top notch. We would highly recommend Kuname Lodge to anyone wanting a all round great safari experience. We would 100% return.

We stayed here on our honeymoon for 3 nights, and had 5 game drives. It is a gorgeous boutique style lodge, only sleeping a maximum of 16 guests at one time, so you're sure to get a very personalized and intimate experience. In fact, one of our game drives ended up being just my husband and I with our guide & tracker. The food exceeded my expectations, you will certainly not go hungry here. They go above and beyond - a warm towel upon your return from every game drive, and a celebratory shot after returning from the evening game drives. Glenn, the manager, was very accommodating to our needs. The lodge itself is beautiful, stylish and has wonderful views. We saw the big 5 within our first two game drives, among lots of other animals. Eddie (guide) and Lucky (tracker) were very knowledgeable about the animals, and I never once felt unsafe. The location is about 1 hour from Hoedspruit airport and 3 hours from Kruger airport, so do keep that in mind. The rooms were beautiful. We receive a romantic private dinner, bottle of sparkling wine and turndown each night for our honeymoon stay. Oh and heed their warning to keep your room doors locked, as the baboons will enter without permission LOL

We have been to many lodges over the years and this lodge stands out as one of the best. The staff are extremely friendly and efficient. The food is exceptional and more than enough! The setting of the lodge and the rooms are such that the combination thereof provides much necessary rest for the weary soul. Our guide, Adolff, was exceptional and more than willing to share his great knowledge of the finer details of the bush with us. His sense of humour was a bonus! It is with absolute conviction that I recommend this lodge and Karongwe private reserve. We really hope to be so privileged as to return soonest! Well done to all!

We can honestly say that Kuname lived up to our expectations. The service was 1st class, Glenn and his team were on hand to help and answer any questions swiftly and professionally. They left us a bottle of champagne and set out our bed beautifully with pedals etc as was on our honeymoon. We also enjoyed massages. We do not claim to be foodies but in our humble opinion, the food was Michelin star quality. The volume and variety of food was truly impressive, we couldn’t eat the three courses as was so much. The quality of the wine was fantastic also. Our Safari guide Adolph and tracker ezekiel were very knowledgeable and friendly and we seen the big 5 and nearly all animals we hoped to see with the elusive hyena’s being the only animal we didn’t see. The only tiny point of note I would recommend would be to make it crystal clear in advertisements that the safari is not within burger itself. We, in our inexperience made a false assumption that we were staying outside Kruger but safari was in Kruger. We recommend you pay extra for the airport pick up and drop off We highly recommend Kuname

The hotel is very comfortable, clean, and pleasant. The food was delicious, and the safaris were one of the most fantastic experiences we've ever had. We saw all of the Big Five. The guide, Adolf, was very friendly the entire time. The hotel manager, Glenn, was also very attentive. I highly recommend the hotel and would love to return someday

Having been to Kruger a lot, I was apprehensive about the size of Karongwe, but it turned out to be more than large enough, it never felt like we were inhibited by the size. The food was outstanding (and I would consider myself critical with food usually), our guide and tracker were both great guys and found us loads of wonderful sightings. The cheetah walking that they allow has to be a highlight and could be a major drawcard for Karongwe in general. The lodge is set in a stunning location over the river bed, which I gather is mostly dry, but that didn't bother us as we had that expectation. With only a few chalets, it is lovely and intimate. I would say the rooms leave a bit to be desired (having stayed in other lodges). They're not bad by any means, but they're not very big, and they're also quite close to one another that you don't really have a great sense of privacy in my opinion. However they are nicely set up. Overall I would recommend Kuname.

What can we say…from the moment we arrived, Kuname Private Lodge was simply AMAZING. THE STAFF. THE FOOD. THE ANIMALS. THE LODGE. Everything about it!! Truly an amazing trip. We will be back!