Emhosheni River Lodge

My three nights in a luxury tent at Emhosheni River Lodge were very comfortable and just what I wanted. Sarah and the staff did everything they could to help me in my mission to see wildlife (particularly birds). The three game drives and a game walk I did yielded some wonderful wildlife moments and they also booked a day long birding trip through Kruger for me. I saw 56 lifers (new birds for me) during my stay. The food was great and vegetarian friendly. The gardens and surroundings are beautiful and I could see plenty of wildlife inside and outside the fence.

We are a family of 4 (kids 13 and 11) and stayed at Emhosheni for 4 nights. We had the most amazing time, staying in the family tent… It’s hard to describe but it was absolutely incredible… the accommodation fantastic and nothing missing at all… the food lovely, the service second to none. The most lovely staff - we could go on and on …. and that’s not even mentioning the game drives yet. William, our guide, is so fantastically knowledgeable and insightful, it was such a pleasure to be out and about with him. We were so spoilt in every single aspect, it was an honor and such a pleasure to stay at Emhosheni, and we would love to return one day.

We absolutely loved our time at Emhosheni. We spent 5 nights and it was enough time to see/feel/get absorbed in the culture of the lodge. It is no wonder I cried when it was time to say goodbye. The aesthetic and decor of the main lodge and our Chalet (#2), the landscaping, and the design of the entire place was thoughtfully and beautifully done. Much to be admired because of all the intentional design touches. We loved that while we got the safari package with game drives twice a day, we could still choose to be still, be at peace and soak in the environment and the view. We came for relaxation and wonder and we got both. We experienced so much wildlife just at the lodge (a family of 5 giraffes, a family of 10 elephants - including babies, hippos, herds of impala, Nyala, baboons, monkeys, and in our last day there was a huge warthog (Pumba!!) Not enough of a fuss is made about the cuisine at Emhosheni - we had three meals for 6 days and breakfast was good, but the lunch and dinner meals were divine. We weren’t expecting this level of sophistication and we looked forward to our meals every day. Just delicious. I would highlight this aspect of the experience some more. The care and attention our family received was second to none - we were warmly welcomed and the level of care never waned. Every time we were away from our chalet, Paulina slipped in like a ninja to tidy our space. Very thorough but also very unobtrusive. The beds, linen, pillows were so comfortable - we slept well - and the water pressure and hot water in the shower were excellent. Sonia and Eric took exceptional care of us throughout the day and Leandra and Dave’s oversight about guest comfort was evident. Karlich’s communication leading up to the trip was excellent and the transportation from and to Hoedspruit was reliable. Prince is a very knowledgeable game driver and we learned so much from him each time we went out about both the animals we saw and the birds we encountered. Really a great experience with him. My one suggestion would be to give the guests the option of heading back to the lodge after nightfall on the evening game drive. Once it gets dark, it is not as much of a sightseeing experience with the wildlife, especially if it is on the colder side. Leading up to sunset was magical, but once it was dark, it wasn’t as enjoyable an experience. Truly an incredible experience that was made so because of THE PEOPLE at Emhosheni. They treated us like we mattered. They were so affectionate with our 13 year-old son. I’ve never cried leaving my hosts - this was a first. Thank you for making this leg of our first visit to South Africa unforgettable. Love always, ~The Rivers Family