Valley Lodge - Babanango Game Reserve

The location was stunning. Very clean and decorated beautifully.

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The scenery is amazing. Location is okay. Not too far from the main road.

Customer service was appalling from reservation to us having to wait for 20 mins at the main gate waiting for 3 people/ from different places to agree on whether we should be allowed in. All this happening at about 18h00 in the dark. i dont believe I got my monies worth and would like a discount

The staff were amazing and the experience was fantastic. They have done a great job to ensure the guests have a good time and are well looked after.

Everything!

Très belle maison avec vue magnifique sur la nature. Les jardin était aussi superbe, chaque détail dans la déco savamment choisi. Personnel aux petits soins mais pas trop présent, ambiance décontractée. Les repas préparés par la cheffe sont exceptionnels. Safaris très qualitatifs (nous avons vu des girafe, des rhinos, des éléphants, des zèbres, des guépards etc.

Plusieurs bêtes étaient munies d'un collier GPS, il parait que c'est pour pouvoir les retrouver s'ils s'échappent de la réserve.

The most friendly staff and amazing food

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Everything about the place

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Top of the range facilities

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I visited all of the Babanango Lodges & their Matatane Camp & they were all outstanding on every level. Staff, food, accommodation, activities & sightings. I have visited Hluhluwe, Kruger, Tembe Elephant Park & Sabi Sands & although they were amazing, Babanango is an exceptional overall experience. The reserve is rich in history & rewilding projects & the topography is fabulous. The pool with a view and dinner in the boma were exceptional.

This Lodge is in a completely different area of the reserve to the others. We chose to stay there for a few days to make it easy to see the entirety of Babanango. Super family Friendly with a Jungle Gym and Blow up Jumping Castle . Spa, Gym and Sauna all amazing ! And you get to have dinner under the stars in their outside Boma ! Would highly recomend !

The rooms are slightly smaller than the other lodges ... but are still very good !

The property is gorgeous.

Rooms could be a little bigger or spaced out but we personally didn’t feel in anyone else’s space.

Villa plutôt que lodge. Très bien entretenu. Personnel très aimable.

Nourriture passable. Très déçu. J'avais des attentes plus élevées vu les autres commentaires. Aucune ambiance dans les lieux communs. Ceci est du á la présence des propriétaires des 4 lodges du parc qui l'on rendu pire qu'un funérarium. Ceux ci séjournaient dans la villa et l'épouse s'est comportée en maitre des lieux, ce qui a rendu la situation très inconfortable. La propriétaire ne supportant pas la musique d'ambiance dans le salon a ordonné au staff de la couper en arguant qu'on était dans la nature pour écouter les oiseaux et que son salon n'était pas un bar. Nous avons décidé de quitter le Valley lodge anticipativement pour un des autre lodges. Fort heureusement, le zulu rock lodge correspondait totalement á nos attentes en terme d'ambiance, de nourriture et d'infrastructure. Nous avons été comblé et ceci a sauvé notre sejour de 6 jours au sein de la reserve babanango.

We had an exceptional stay, everything exceeded our expectations. The staff were incredibly friendly, the views and scenery were absolutely breathtaking, and our tour guide Sabelo Dladla made the experience even more memorable. It was definitely worth every cent we spent.

Disponibilité et gentillesse du personnel. Vue magnifique avec piscine à débordement en premier plan. Repas délicieux, généreux et variés. Chambre avec tous les équipements que l’on peut imaginer. Literie et oreillers parfaits, Wifi excellent, sèche-serviettes.... Très belle réserve comprenant de 4 lodges sur 20 000 hectares donc on ne croise que très peu de véhicule lors des games drive.

Nous avons quelques dizaines de lodges en Afrique du Sud et celui là surplombe un bon nombre d'autres. Rien à redire !

Beautiful, cozy and well situated

Road conditions can be improved

Expérience exceptionnelle au Valley Lodge de Babanango reserv. - Un accueil exceptionnel de bout en bout par l’ensemble du personnel une décoration chaleureuse et soignée. - Game drive qualitatif et à l’écoute du client je vous conseille le guide « Mister T » au top ! - Cuisine de très bonne qualité, petit déjeuner excellent et copieux, viandes tendres et parfaitement cuites. - Chambres confortables, décoration soignée, literie impeccable, et entretien tout le long du séjour par le staf ! - Équipements avec sauna, salle de Gym, piscine à débordement, des bains de soleil. Bref vous l’aurez compris c’est carton plein, j’ai rarement vécu une si belle expérience. Et encore merci à l’ensemble de l’équipe qui a fait de cette expérience un moment inoubliable !

The food was out of this world compliments to the Chef. Me and my wife had an amazing stay

Place is exclusive, private, extremely beautiful, well kept. The staff is amazing. Yeses!! The Food! It’s fresh

Alcohol variety is very limited. But you allowed to bring your own and they provide ice, glasses and everything else you may need for your drinks

Staff were excellent. Food very good

Game drive showed not a lot of animals in the reserve. A lot if focus on the cats and rhinos not birds or non big 5 animals

Decor, location, staff, service, food, spa all exceptional.

The staff is all very friendly and accommodating. The place is stunning, all amenities are great.

The rooms could do with robes. The lodge could also do with more animals to increase chances of sightings on game drives.

The food was always great, the staff always went an extra mile to ensure a great stay. Babanango VL is the perfect getaway!

Nothing at all

The staff were very friendly and professional and paid attention to detail.

Beautiful lodge in a lovely setting, really good game drives as it’s a new reserve

The brai area has low stone seats with poor lighting. I fell over one & hurt my leg

Beautiful and cosy lodge! Clean and the view into the valley was amazing

We loved that it’s within nature. It’s beautiful

Everything about the was amazing. Excellent services from the staff, nice and enjoyable food and great activities.

The roads leading to the lodge

Everything about the place is amazing: clean, modern, peaceful, great food, excellent service, nice activities, you name it!

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Setting beautiful, warm reception. Friendly staff.

Guests walking infront of Honeymoon sweet- please put up a board, explaining to people its a private unit. Detail with the table setting bit frustrating: no serviets, need an extra glass, dont bring cutlery….need a spoon etc. Field guide a bit inexperienced.

The serenity and privacy of the place. The staff was absolutely amazing. I would lien to specifically mention the Chef. V was absolutely fantastic with her well though menus and first star food quality. I could stop eating.

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What can I say other than we had the most amazing time at Babanango game reserve. It's a fairly new reserve and our overseas guests were blown away by how much wildlife they saw. Babanango offers a top class product and we were very happy with the service from the staff, the food was exceptional and we'll definitely book again in the future.

There wasn't anything we didn't like but we were hoping to see elephant and rhino.

The rooms were super clean and smelling so nice aswell as their game drives and the tour guide guys

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The food is so delicious. The staff is amazing.

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From the moment we arrived, the warmth of the staff made us feel completely at home. Their hospitality was exceptional, always attentive and eager to ensure our stay was perfect. The food was another highlight , delicious, fresh, and beautifully prepared. Every meal was a treat, and it was evident that the chefs take pride in their work. The game drive was an absolute highlight of our stay, guided by the incredibly knowledgeable and friendly Sboniso Gina. He took us on a journey through the history of Babanango, providing fascinating insights into the area and its wildlife. Another thrill was the zip line — an exhilarating experience that gave us a new perspective of the valley. The adrenaline rush, combined with the stunning views, made it a must-do activity during our visit.

Nothing, we enjoyed each and every moment.

Rooms- modern, very comfortable, pool towels included. Pool - stunning waterfall pool, the loungers as round the pool are padded and recline, there's an outside table for lunch. Boma - where they have dinner aorund a huge fire pit, tables are set around the fire pit and the buffet is very extensive with lots of veggie options. Meats are cooked on the braii Inside - comfy chair areas to sit around and relax, bar area and inside dinning area where breakfast is served and other meals during the rain. Safari private tours - We had Siboniso, he was so lovely and worked so far to find us game. You get an early morning drive and a mid afternoon drive included everyday. You can go on 1 or both daily. You stop half way to have a drink and some snacks in the wild. Absolutely incredible. Staff- the staff are unbelievable. Attentive to your every need. All staff seem to be doing multiple roles making for a friendly environment. Animals - home to the big 5! We saw cheetah and cubs, lions, rhino rolling in the mud, zebra, giraffe and lots of buck.

Nothing. We even extended our stay!

Service was brilliant, and staff members were brilliant, especially the manager Lumka

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The cleanliness of Valley Lodge is impeccable. Lumka certainly went out of her way to ensure we were comfortable. Mr X on the Game Drive was great, he tried his best to help us spot as many animals as we could and took extra care especially since we had our 3 month old with us. The food was amazing. Over all Valley Lodge is peaceful and Tranquil. We will definitely be back.

Absolutely nothing.

Liked the breakfast, X2 game drives daily, stopping for hot drinks and biscuits in the beautiful reserve .Cleanliness, Friendly staff.The birthday gesture of cake and singing.

Only having air-conditioning for a few hours each day ,very hot days and nights. Sleeping at night was unbearable and sweaty. Meals did not have many options.

We were treated like Royalty, from the moment we arrived until we left! We really had a wonderful stay in Valley Lodge. The room was spotless, and we were impressed by the cleanliness throughout the lodge. The staff were incredibly kind, friendly, and helpful, making our experience even more enjoyable. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, perfect for unwinding. The food was delicious and well-prepared. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and we would highly recommend it. BigUps to Lizo, our tour guide, very passionate and knowledgeable which made our game drive experience fun fun fun..!

Nonr

The rooms were great and had everything we needed and the property in general was beautiful.

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It’s exactly as you see in pictures, it’s clean, neat and beautiful. The staff is exceptional, observant and attentive. They really go all out to make you feel at home.

Staff is super friendly and amazing

Few animals on the game drive

Beautiful setting, decor is stunning, and staff is helpful and friendly. They made our 30th anniversary very special.

There are not a lot of wildlife, saw the same animals.

Everything, food was very nice, stuff was so kind and helpful with evrything we needed, had beautiful stay for the weekend

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The reserve itself is very beautiful, staff is super friendly and skilled and the food was delicious and really a lot! Our family room was also very nice with a great bath and shower and the heated underfloor in the bathroom was very much appreciated. Game drives with our guide Andries were very special. He went above and beyond to show our family all the beautiful animals the reserve has to offer, although this was very difficult sometimes. We were extremely lucky Andries was able to find us cheetah's, lions and white rhino and a lot of other general wildlife. The way he interacted with our 2 kids, aged 5 and 8 was super fun, educational and an experience they will always remember. During our game drives we also popped into the other 2 lodges on the reserve and they are also amazing...

It is still a very young reserve so the amount of wildlife could be improved. Babanango advertises as a Big 5 reserve, but we were told that for example leopard have never been seen by guests or guides, only on camera traps. The same goes for hyena. We also didn't see any buffalo and elephants which I would at least expect to see in a Big 5 reserve. So don't expect to see the Big 5 as easy as in the even more expensive lodges in for example the Sabi Sands. I think it is crucial to come to Babanango with the right expectations, to enjoy the amazingly beautiful landscapes, the delicious food, the luxury rooms and the animals you do find are a big bonus! The reserve truly has huge potential so if more animals can be brought in and the animals that are already there are getting more habituated to cars and people it could be one of the best reserves in the country.

Clean and amazing staff members

Nil

everthing

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The staff were amazing. Thank you to Gugu and Bongi and team for their amazing hospitality and service. The food, especially the vegetarian was spectacular. Compliments to Vim. Very knowledgeable guides for the drives and walk, really interesting to hear about the rewilding and conservation activity

Black Rhino 🦏

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Excellent stay. Great game viewing and ranger. The room was beautiful, looking straight out into the bush and the food superb ! All staff amazing and very friendly .

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We have a great stay, we enjoyed everything from the warm welcome we received, our game drive Guide was also very good. Big Up to Mr. X!!! We'll surely return in summer. Ooooh! How can I forget the food OMG!!!

We arrived after the Southern Floods, so we couldn't sight most animals and also because it was cold. Surely in summer, it will be better

The cleanliness and service

The game drive had no animals at all - we drove until it was dawn looking for animals , the roads to get to lodge is pretty bad - and it only accommodate 4x4 drivers, meaning if you can’t afford 4x4 you can’t come with your Polo

Rooms, food, serenity of the place.

Route to the lodge.

I highly recommend Valley Lodge. Excellent value for money, for those looking for an all-inclusive package. The staff were amazing from the time we arrived until we left. The game ranger was very knowledgeable and gave us a great experience.

Breakfast options great and the made-to-order hot breakfast was perfectly made. The daily lunch and dinner was meticulously prepared and always delicious. The lodge made sure that all dietary preferences were catered for.

It’s so peaceful and beautiful

Would have love more activities

Loved professionalism, tranquility, cleanliness, food and our tour guide Sfiso Mdletshe. Loved everything. Good value for money!

Our first two showers weren’t great but after reporting it, it was immediately sorted. Loved the prompt response.

The staff are absolutely fantastic!

The breakfast could be improved.

Food at all meals was very good.

Small thing but maybe like a welcome drink when you arrive back from game drive in the afternoon.

The food was absolutely amazing

Beautiful views

The roads to the place and there had minimal activities