Pungwe Safari Camp

I've never written a bad review in my life but Pungwe has earned every bit of the 1-star. Stayed one night. My wife woke up literally covered with red ants. Clothes we'd left on the floor were covered with ants as well. We left the clothes behind and left as soon as we could, even without accommodation lined up -- just had to get out ASAP. Owner promised a refund and still hasn't sent it after 7 months. She also tried to tell me there were just a few ants which is normal and I'm not used to the bush. I've stayed in similar set-ups in Rwanda, Kenya, and Ghana, and was never covered with fire ants! But that's not all! Two game drives, saw basically nothing. It felt like a red flag when neither the driver nor the spotter were looking very hard. Made me think they weren't expecting to see anything to begin with. Staff mentioned they can go a month without seeing a lion, and leopards and cheetahs are spotted even more rarely. It seems there is very low animal activity in the Manyeleti. We ended up finding a room at Orpen Rest Camp in Kruger. I beg you, save your money and stay at a Kruger rest camp. There are SO many more animals (saw tons of lions, a beautiful leopard, and four cheetahs in three days). Also, it's more fun driving yourself, the accommodation is nicer, you get the same authentic bush experience (we were woken up by roaring lions right outside of camp!), and, oh yeah, it's about 1/10 of the price. Booking Pungwe was the biggest travel mistake of my life compared to saving loads of money and having a much, much better experience at Kruger without an ant infestation. I hope you don't make the same mistake.

Mixed feelings on our stay and Pungwe - we have been on many safaris and Pungwe delivered on some points (the camp set up) but failed on others (hosting and guiding). + the camp is great, very low key, no electricity/wifi as advertised and just what we wanted (kids not so impressed!) + tents simple but comfortable beds, plenty of hot water for showers also + breakfasts/brunches were really great + lovely chat with the host during the first brunch, engaged with our girls nicely + the kitchen ladies were super friendly, made a cake for our youngest even though we said it wasn't her actually birthday (trip was her 10th birthday trip, however!) + the Manyeleti is a good reserve, too many vehicles at some points yet the last 2 drives we barely saw anyone else and had some good animal encounters - the complete lack of welcome or warmth on arrival. We were a little behind schedule so I think the guide Never was stressed to get the afternoon drive going for the other 3 visitors, which is fair enough, but we barely got a hello, just a 'we need to get going quickly'. No welcome, no welcome drink, no introductions, not shown around - lack of hosting and genuine personal touch. Following on from the above, apart from the camp host joining for the one brunch there was no host present, a lack of warmth and personality within camp. Usually you have your guide and camp host - and that seems to be the case usually reading the reviews of Pungwe - but this time Never was both and didn't fulfil either role particularly well, he was not really very engaging nor enthusiastic - the guiding was lacking in enthusiasm and motivation, felt like he was going through the motions. Not impressed with his driving also, disturbing resting animals a couple of times by getting too close and driving aggressively at a slightly moody elephant that ran off in distress, definitely unnecessary and unsettling. We had very high hopes of Pungwe and some of them were met, but ultimately we were disappointed by the lack of warmth and missing personal touch.

Our stay at Pungwe was an unforgettable experience. I would like to complement all the staff who made our stay so special. Their welcome and attention to detail were exemplary. Everything seemed to run like clockwork, but that was because so much work went on behind the scenes, allowing us guests to enjoy the experience. Julian was a charming host, Isaac was a knowledgeable guide and Carol was an amazing cook, who produced delicious food. But the supporting crew ensured that our water was hot, the tents were clean and the camp was comfortable. The twice daily game drives provided us with lots of opportunities to view a range of animals at close quarters. I was glad that we had an open vehicle so that we could view the animals easily and it was great fun leaving the tracks to go overland to pursue a sighting at close quarters. Do not choose this camp if you want access to WiFi and electricity. It is a traditional bush experience of the highest order.