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  Incredible family holiday  - We had a wonderful weekend away with our little ones. We opted for fully catered meals, which were delicious. The team took incredibly good care of us. The private game... read more drives were a hit with the kids. We had wonderful sightings. It’s an easy drive from Joburg and a truly relaxing stay. Highly recommend for families. Only thing that could have made it better is if the splash / jacuzzi pool was heated.

  Vacation  - Tranquility and artistic at its best. Friendly staff, delicious food. We really enjoyed our stay. ❤️

  A family favourite  - Ngala Lodge has become a real family favourite. Such an easy and quick drive from JHB, one is instantly absorbed into the tranquility of the bush under the... read more care and attention of the Ngala family. This beautiful lodge becomes home for a few days. Nothing is too much trouble - the attentive team ensure happy memories are made and Lovemore's drives are the best!!

  Ngala Lodge Pride of Africa Dinokeng  - This is an objective guest review based on my / our experience on a first visit to Ngala. Although there is still room for improvement in relation to certain aspects... read more Ngala is highly recommended.

  The best of the best.  - A great atmosphere, friendly staff and unrivaled service. Truly a gem nestled in the South Africa bush, with wildlife coming within meters from you letting you feel part of their... read more world. We defiantly will be back later this year with friends to share our experience after being showed the new family unit.

  Lovely Escape not far from the City  - Ngala lodge has the modern escape down to a science! Love the clean rooms and ground where nature just hangs out. Staff, especially Meyanard is just delightful. Service is his... read more forté. Always happy to be there. I have gone for work and with my family. Timothy's food is just excellent and Precious keeps the rooms tip-top. They accommodate all my needs. ALL. Bug spray, air condition, pool, dietary restrictions, wifi, extra cots etc. Well done guys!!

  Very disappointed. Let down by the owners. Double booked and allocated unfinished unit replicating a building site.  - Extremely disappointed and saddened by the holiday myself and my family have just experienced at NGala Lodge, South Africa.

It is quite a read, but unfortunately with our own... read more personal experience, we have now arrived back home to the UK, I feel those considering NGala should be made aware.

On recommendation from colleagues, I booked our stay in July 2023, for the only Family Unit at the lodge as I have a 5year old child, and more spacious for three persons. At the time there was availability for the standard units too.

Communication had gone well with Annelize, one of the owners and we were looking forward to our stay in Feb 2024. The photos online looked fabulous.

Two days prior to travel I sent a message to Annelize regarding final payment method etc.
Her reply included notification that we would NOT be staying in the unit we booked but the new unit onsite. I asked for photos of this, as I was very happy with what we had originally requested.
When I saw the images of the new site, we were even more excited it looked great.

We were advised there was little work to be done but it’s nice and luxurious!! Could we also eat our meals in this unit as there was a group booking who were going to have use of the social spaces.

This aroused my suspicion as to why when we had booked our original unit we are now unable to use the facilities on site?

When we finally arrived at NGala. As per photos on my review this is what we were faced with. There is not a manager on site so all communication had to be through WhatsApp with Annelize and her husband Stephan.

We were so upset to arrive to what was a half finished unit replicating a in progress building site. With a 5year old child no consideration had been taken in to account to his safety.

Tried to contact the owner Annelize to express how upset we were, we just wanted our original booking. Her answer, she was at her birthday party and will call later! No emotive concern to our position. We were left standing not knowing what to do and very sad.

I asked the staff several questions regarding our next actions, each answer was a profound NO!
Can we walk around the site? no.
Can my son use the social pool? no.
Can we go on game drive that afternoon? no.
All because the group booking had precedence over us.

I was infuriated. We had paid to be there too, but had to stay in our unit. I have never experienced such a situation!

After much heated communication. We as a family could go on an hr game drive before the group booking. Use the pool when they were on their drive! And walk about when they were on their drive!

Stefan the other owner came to visit us the following morning. We had only a three night stay and the first night/day had been ruined.

The group party left and we were then able to go to our family unit as booked. Stefan did make this an easy process but admitted that basically the group booking encouraged more cash flow as they had each unit booked. I asked what would of happened if we had declined the new villa. No answer given.

We settled on the first night free of charge.

The lodges themselves are very attractive and the location is beautiful. The staff on site are attentive and kind but seems no one has any authority when the owners are not there.

Food was very tasty, however no menu’s, the lovely Chef Tim tells you what you will be having. You are encouraged to eat at the same time as the other residents staying too, which in a group booking I can understand but it would have been nice to have the flexibility to eat when it suited you,when travelling separately.

Our stay had improved for the short time we were there, but sad to say on our last morning again, another saga with Annelize the owner. The invoice comes via WhatsApp from her, as again not on site.

Instead of a night stay credit, the credit was accommodation minus food! I did contest this as my booking had been quoted for price per night. Not accommodation and food separately. In the end, she admitted a mistake and this was resolved.

We booked NGala Lodge in good will, looking forward to the luxury, care and service you expect from a highly rated business.

On our one good day, we contemplated coming back to NGala later this year, even after all the trouble. But, the communication with Annelize on our last day, has left us reluctant to visit again.

  Absolutely enjoyed my time at Ngala Lodge. The overall experience was top-notch, from the exceptional staff to the delicious food, comfortable accommodation, and thrilling game drives. I am definitely looking... read more forward to returning.

  Wonderful Stay - We had 2 glorious nights at Ngala lodge. The accommodation was luxurious, the staff were extremely hospitable, the food was delicous. , the game drives amazing. My family and I... read more had the best time. Thank you for everything

  What an experience  - Absolutely enjoyed my time at Ngala Lodge. The overall experience was top-notch, from the exceptional staff to the delicious food, comfortable accommodation, and thrilling game drives. I am definitely looking... read more forward to returning.

  Gem in the bush - Ngala Lodge is a gem in the bush, its only 1 and half from JHB (located just outside Pretoria). The Lodge is comfortable, service and food is amazing. The game... read more drive was enjoyable and we saw lion, zedra, giraffe, buffulo, hippo's and several species of buck.

  Book Ngala now! This is the Safari Lodge that you're looking for! - Ngala Review

If you don’t want to read the whole of this review - then I shall make this brief! Stop looking and book Ngala. Full stop. This place... read more and the people are just wonderful. You won’t regret it.

For those of you who want the whole reviewhere we go! If there were 6 stars to give to Ngala then I’d gladly give them. The whole visit was just wonderful.

To start; the booking process was very easy. Annelize communicates clearly and well via Email and WhatsApp. The process could not have been easier. She took the info I gave her and put together a package including transfers and accommodation. Deposit payment was then also very straightforward, easy and secure. From the moment we’d been in touch nothing was an issue and I was convinced we’d picked the right place.

Our driver was there to meet us at Johannesburg on arrival after good communications from the transport supplier. Our driver Vincent was a superstar. Friendly and kind and the vehicle was new and clean. Vincent kindly helped us by stopping at a supermarket en route to Ngala.

The drive to Ngala is easy and straightforward from Johannesburg. About 1hr45mins.

We arrived at Ngala and the staff were there to meet us. These folks are just the most wonderful hosts. They are: Menard, Precious, Timothy, Michael, and Elias. You’ll LOVE them! From the moment we arrived we were made to feel at home. Our bags were whisked to our rooms and we were served a welcome cocktail whilst we soaked up our new home for a few days.

Ngala has a central “living” lodge and then all of the bungalows are accessed via raised walkways. It needs to be mentioned that throughout the property there has been great attention to detail and good taste both in appointments and furnishings. Modern cast and polished concrete meets beautiful leather couches and rattan - it has been finished with great taste.

The main lodge has a lounge, a dining area, a kitchen and the most wonderful outdoor deck space with another dining table, a pool with loungers and lawns . These same lawns were where Zebra and other wildlife came to graze day and night. The space is light, double height with large windows and is also equipped with fireplaces - really it is quite wonderful. Wifi is reliable and available through the property (if you need to be connected!)

As for the accommodations..again; wonderful! The bungalows are nearly all the same design with the exception of one which has two bedrooms rather than one. The’y are really well desig