This was an incredible and luxurious experience. The all inclusive price of meals and drinks meant that everything you could possibly expect was part of the package. Including minibar which is restocked twice a day while we were on our game drives. You definitely will not go home hungry. Three course meals, wines, sprits, soft drinks, snacks. The twice daily game drives were like being in a documentary. You don’t just see the wildlife, you learn their behaviours as well. You are assigned the same guide for the whole trip, our guide was Thomas, who kept track of what we’d seen and made sure we saw as much variety as possible. The information he shared was outstanding. The accomodation was exceptional. We stayed at the water lodge for two nights and extended our stay for a night. We had to move to the bush lodge for the extra night. It’s hard to say which was better. My partner liked the room in the bush lodge better, I preferred the room at the water lodge, but we both agreed that both rooms were outstanding. We also agreed that the water view at the water lodge was more spectacular. The water lodge staff and overall ambiance felt more intimate and personal. If we visited again we’d choose the water lodge. It was my first time on a safari and I was blown away. It was my partners 6th time visiting a game reserve, and hands down, this was the best experience they’d ever had.

Dear Pumba Team, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for an amazing and unforgettable stay at Pumba Private Game Reserve in March 2024. The staff was extremly friendly and accommodating and provided us with the most pleasant stay possible. We often reminisce about the safari tours with Clio. His experience and respect for the animals impressed us deeply and let us experience the animals in the most special way. He explained a lot about the behavior of the animals. He grew up in this region and has a very deep understanding of the animals and nature in general. Our highlight was the lion family with their small cubs who bravely played around our car. A big thank you to the best Ranger Clio for making it possible to experience such special moments! We will never forget you. It definitely wasn’t our last stay at Pumba Private Game Reserve. See you soon! Greetings from Germany Family Jeutter

We stayed in a Mesenger Room ( B). Good size room, very clean, comfortable , great decor, bath , shower , outside shower, plunge pool with balcony overlooking the waterhole. Completely private. The Pumba Lodge team are friendly and helpful. Pumbs our safari guide was amazing, has worked there for 20 years and is very knowledgeable and we saw lots of animals on our safari drives.

There’s not much not to like . There are a few cheeky monkeys about but nothing that bothered us. Food was good but would have liked more options for dinner.The red Thai veggie curry was delicious but only on the menu once whilst there.

Absolutely amazing stunningly beatiful place. Not a thing I can fault from the food, drink, staff, rooms, views or the location. And the game drives ...wow! Pooms or game ranger was amazing...such sights we experienced due to him. The little touches like having the fire lit in our room, the hot water bottles, the blankets on the game drives for the cold mornings...cannot speak highly enough

I'd have to be really picky to find a fault... It's not the hotel's fault, but some guests leave a lot to be desired with poor manners. Can I suggest turning the wifi off in the restaurant & bar areas to encourage conversation. Also, a souvenir or 2 of Pumba in the shop..like a fridge magnet...

Everything. From the moment we arrived every member of staff was friendly and accomodating. Our chalet was superb overlooking the watering hole. The pool overlooking the watering hole had a constant stream of wildlife passing all day. The spa experience was great. The menu has good variety and changed daily. The food is well prepared and portion sizes are large. Nothing is a problem for the staff Our game drives were amazing. Our jeep has 6 passengers and our ranger made sure to make us all feel like it was a personal tour. The selection of wildlife here is incredible. Every corner had something new of a different size and species. The number of each animal was huge. These are literally wild free roaming animals maintaining a life as they would in the wild. Numbers are not over curated. The night drive brings out a whole new selection of game viewings. The game drive drinks break were fantastic. We'd pull in and out ranger would have a nice selection of drinks and homemade trears to snack on but mostly had a really good interaction with the guests about the game we had just seen, what we wanted from the rest of the drive/future drives and even exploring each others lives outside of the safari. A real personal touch.

Zero. I wished we had booked to stay longer.

Our best stay in South Africa. This is an amazing lodge with wonderful rooms and great staff. Our room was huge and private and the cleaning staff kept the rooms beautiful. Nightly turndown service, great food and restaurant service, wonderful guides. Mzi was our game drive guide and he was cheerful, funny, entertaining, and extremely knowledgeable about the animals and the reserve. He definitely made our stay memorable, I can't recommend him more highly. We stayed in the water lodge and got views of the hippos in the lake below us. We were there only two nights due to our travel schedule, but regretted not booking a third night.

We had such an amazing time at Pumba. The staff were so lovely and friendly. The room was perfect, so big and spotless. The little touches the staff did were so great such as lighting the fire in our room and leaving hot water bottles in the bed at night. The food was really good with lots of options at each meal. Our ranger Mabhuti was just the best. He was so knowledgeable and made our drives so enjoyable. He went the extra mile on each drive doing his best to make sure we saw as many animals as possible. I would highly recommend Pumba.

Where do I start? This game reserve has the wow factor and as we stayed it just kept on giving! Our room was entirely glass so it felt like we were living in the outdoors, but with thick gorgeous blinds on all the floor to ceiling windows for privacy. We had our own spa pool on our private deck terrace and inside the room was a classy, African vibe going on (think 'Out of Africa' with a modern take). Mosquito net on the bed, antique desk (complete with decanter of complimentary port!), binoculars, fridge with complimentary drinks, wood burning stove, hot water bottles in our bed at night provided by housekeeping etc. There was even a private outdoor shower, discreetly hidden behind a wooden panelled fence, with hot water! I ve never showered in the great outdoors in such a way. Every small comfort had been thought through and provided. The staff were exceptional, so friendly and willing to please and give us that memorable life experience in a game reserve. Philip one of the rangers deserves a mention. He drove us on all our safaris and his knowledge and respect for the wild animals were outstanding. He was so friendly, thoughtful and nothing was too much trouble for him. He provided coffee, tea and pastries at the end of the sunrise safari on the bonnet of the jeep and then drinks and canapes at every sunset safari - super cool! He interpreted the animal tracks on the dirt roads (all very authentic) so that we saw cheetahs, lions, elephants, hippos, rhinos, giraffes etc - the full range of animals. It was a fantastic stay at the reserve and I can't recommend it highly enough. All the staff were friendly, accommodating and welcoming, without fail. The communal areas were also amazing, from the open pit fire with old style chairs around it to enjoy an evening drink to the lovely restaurant and also terrace area (for eating or drinking) which overlooked a watering hole. We could watch the grazing impalas or giraffes etc as we relaxed on the terrace.

The food needs to be improved. We did speak with the Manager that the fish and meat were often overcooked and the chefs need to improve the vege selection /salads (boring & un inspiring) and perhaps a more comprehensive SA wine list to reflect this awesome wine region. But, honestly, this was a small issue - we intend to return to the reserve in the future, despite this gripe about food and wine

We had the most amazing time at Pumba. The staff is incredibly friendly and the two game drives per day are such an adventure. The food is good (not a given at game reserves) and the rooms are big and bright. There are so many great activities included, but it’s worth to invest in excluded activities such as the bush walk. This is a whole nother experience and Philipp, our guide, was the best. We tried to extend for one night because we didn’t want to leave. Unfortunately Pumba was fully booked so make sure to be quick.

Our Impala chalet didn’t have the expected views because the bushes were too high so we could only see small parts of the waterhole.

The location was stunning and the game we saw was amazing!

The cost of pumba is advertised as all inclusive and but you are also expected to subsidise the wages of the rangers through gratuities which they rely on to lift their basic salary. To remove the pressure and obligation from the clients many other places we have visited have a central box where all tips are gathered and distributed to staff equally. This seems a much more equitable arrangement all round.