umVangati House

The experience at Umvangati House exceeds beyond what might be expected from its website. We spent 3 nights here as a luxury break between 2 safari lodge stays. We stayed in one of the 3 villa style rooms a short stroll along a boardwalk from the main house. The room was beautiful with extensive views of the cliffs and outcrops that form the walls of the Blyde River Canyon. The overall facilities are excellent and the main house offers a variety of locations to lounge and take in the views. The infinity pool and surrounding deck offers spectacular views of the canyon. Service was of a high standard throughout and both breakfasts and dinners would grace high end restaurants in any country. A special mention to the baked Hake served on our second evening - it was an absolute delight! This property was a real gem. Wholeheartedly recommended by someone who rarely ever writes a review!

Probably one of the most beautiful spots in the Drakensburg area. This lodge is tucked away nearly 2km from the road and is certainly exclusive. We stayed in the double room inside the main house which was beautiful with all the usual facilities and should you like them an outdoor shower. The suite rooms situated outside in the grounds are similarly sumptuous. The food service was exceptional the breakfast served on the terrace a real treat. We’d recommend dinner at UmVangati. Sonia & Tolerance deserve special mention as we were looked after royally.

We spent two glorious nights at Umvangati House before going on a 4 night Safari in the Klaserie region. What a beautiful oasis in the middle of the Blyde River Canyon. Gorgeous sceneries that I will never forget. This is an ideal spot to stay for those who want to relax before embarking on a busy Safari, or maybe for honeymooners who have just had the exhausting wedding. My husband and I decided to stay here before we went on Safari and it was just wonderful. We were made so welcome by the family and as we were actually the only guest staying at the time…. We felt particularly spoilt. We stayed in a luxury Mountain View suite which was spotless and spacious with the most incredible views from The Room and the bathroom…. A huge big deck Veranda with complete privacy made you feel that you were the only people in the canyon. The main house has a beautiful infinity pool where you can relax and the family and team at Umvangati are there to offer you drinks and snacks. It was just a lovely couple of days and I felt so relaxed after staying there. A big thank you to Lidia, Sonia and the rest of the family and team at Umvangati. **Big tip, you definitely need half board if you stay here - and I can assure you it will be worth it. The food was wonderful. I absolutely love the breakfast. It was the best I’ve had and I’ve travelled all over. If you do have a special occasion, there is a beautiful underground cellar where you can have a romantic meal. We chose to eat outside as being British we never get to do this very often. That was wonderful as we were able to look at the a mass of stars and planets - we even have the luck of spotting a comet while we were there…. I could go on and on, but this beautiful little property is so special and I have been to so many special places, this was definitely one of the best. So much to do in the area as well….. we went on a river cruise on the canyon. Hot air Ballooning across thefarmlands. You can also do a helicopter ride from Umvangati around the canyon - they have their own helicopter pad !! Thank you so much to the Geldenhuys family!!

The umVangati House-team made us feel at home away from home the moment we arrived! Make sure you book a dinner for every night you stay there, the food is superb! And be aware the pictures online not even come close to reality especially the spectacular view.

This place is so amazing. If you doubt: please book: you will have a unmatched stay. First of all: the view is amazing and it has 7 great rooms of which 4 are inside the building and 3 seperate one for more privacy. But wat makes it really special are the food & wine of the home made cooking for only the guests, service and feeling of being home. Owner Lidia and especially Sonia together with a great time make this place. I can not find words to describe the beauty of this place in so many aspects while we are spoiled with great places in other parts of the world. We stayed for 5 days. On tree days we only want to enjoy this place. One day we did the boat tour on the Blyde River and 1 day we drive to Kruger to do a game drive day ourselves. We wish we could have stayed longer.

I am going to run out of adjectives saying just how AMAZING this place is! Umvangati has to have one of the most spectacular views and settings in all of South Africa - combined with truly delicious food (the first time I have ever photographed my food!) and some of the best, friendliest service I've ever experienced. Corny though it sounds, it feels like we arrived as guests and left as friends. A very special place indeed.