Ngala Safari Lodge

Ngala service was exceptional, we wanted for nothing and saw the big five and then some.

Ngala Safari Lodge was so lovely and luxurious. We got to experience a buffalo kill that had been made by four magnificent male lions who were lounging nearby in a buffalo-induced stupor, their bellies overstuffed.

Fantastic! Lodge, staff, food and service couldn’t have been better. The game drives – WOW! It was all so much more than we had expected.

The stay at Ngala lodge was magnificent. Everything was perfect!

Ngala was a first class operation! The lodging was very comfortable. Our guide, Jenni was a very knowledgeable zoologist and Elvis was an excellent tracker. We saw the Big Five and a large grouping of other game.

It was first rate. Good accomodations. Good food. Good service. The Ranger and Tracker were first rate and the animals showed up for their performances. A very good choice.

Incredible. The transfer mix up was my fault, I think, because the driver did ask me for my voucher, but I pulled out the paper without showing it to him. It was seriously no big deal for me. I just felt bad for making him drive more 😉 We saw zebra and giraffes on the way in so I was happy.

The staff at were wonderful. Everyone so accommodating and friendly. Jenny, our safari guide, was the best. I was lucky enough to fall into a group of friends from Colorado who adopted me (we were on the same vehicle together) so we ate together. I saw a pride of lions, a leopard and plenty of impala. I was…stunned. I kept thinking “who AM I?” I just never thought I’d have that experience. I’m stumped at coming up with the appropriate adjectives! On our last safari excursion, all the animals we saw were so close to the vehicle. Lots of elephants with babies, hyenas with their babies, all so close to us and the vehicle. I felt perfectly safe around the guides/trackers and just reveled in the experience.

I meant to either write you or attempt to stop by your offices while in Cape Town but I was so busy seeing everything I didn’t get a chance. However, I left a miniscule token of my thanks at the desk of More Quarters that I hope you got. I cannot express enough how incredible this trip was. Even when I thought it couldn’t get any more amazing, I’d hit the newest place and be speechless all over again. Hands down one of the best trips I’ve ever taken and it’s all because of your wonderful and expert planning. Thank you again for making my 40th birthday one I will never forget, on so many levels. I will be bragging about this trip forever and I’ve already dropped your name several times on Facebook so I hope it results in more business for you. Again, I can’t adequately express how grateful I am for all your help.

There is absolutely nothing I would criticize here. The service, the cleanliness of the rooms, the food, the competence of guides and treckers, the little extras – it was simply perfect. . I had never expected to get so close to the animals. And the people at the lodge really get out of their way to make the stay very comfortable and exciting at the same time. The game drives were absolutely fabulous, and we saw the big 5 within the first 24 hours (the first two game drives).

We had an amazing time in South Africa and a thoroughly enjoyed Ngala. The experience was everything we hoped it would be. From the moment we arrived and were greeted by Mamma Connie and the team we felt at home. Every meal was delectable, our only criticism would be that there was too much! We experienced all of the Big 5, including large herds of Water Buffalo and Elephant on several occasions, 3 separate pride of lions, countless zebra and giraffe, 2 sightings of rhino (though unfortunately not as close as we would have liked) and our highlight, a female leopard with her kill (last evening) and then again the following morning with the half eaten carcass as well as with her cub and several hyena beneath the tree waiting for scraps. Our guide Barry and his tracker Sandross were veritable fonts of knowledge and went to great lengths to educate us as we ventured out with them each day. We loved our thatched roof cottage and its slate bathroom. It was very comfortable and relaxing, even though we did have a family of warthog camped next to our room for 2 nights making a racket! I would have no hesitation in recommending Ngala as it definitely lived up to the recommendation we received from Kate.

Ngala was fantastic. Very beautiful lodge. The food looked more beautiful than it tasted. Lamb the first night was so grisly you couldn’t cut it. But the safaris were great. We saw everything including 5 cheetah which is very rare. Our tour guide Rhett, was only 23 and amazingly knowledgeable about all the animals, birds, plants, trees and everything. Met up with staff in the bush on the first morning for crepes with strawberries and mascarpone plus hot chocolate with amarula. Every morning we always stopped for coffee or hot chocolate. Every afternoon we always stopped for a cocktail at sunset. We Had a really fun braai one night with Rhett and all our safari mates who we totally enjoyed. I Really hated leaving there.

Ngala: excellent game viewing (big 5 seen on both days!). Main game viewing area a bit of a drive from lodge. High quality guide and tracker. Food was really good a with different dining venues on each night. It was cold and grey all the time with one drive rained off which was a little disappointing but that's nature!

We had a great time in South Africa and really enjoyed the Ngala Game Lodge. It was quite exceptional and the staff were really friendly. We saw the Big 5 and so much more during our stay.

The &Beyond Safari Lodge was also my personal favorite.The experience, the animals (spotted all the big 5), the room was very nice and spacious, food good and spaces in general very niche indeed. I would recommend the lodge to family and friends. They also organized a private romantic dinner the last night to gather us.

Ngala was fantastic. We had Sandros and Kyle as our tracker/guide and was great fun. They tried hard to find us the big five but we couldn’t locate leopard and rhino. I think if we had stayed longer than 2 nights we would have found leopard. Rhino was not existent at Ngala. We were able to drive close to elephants and buffalos. Lots of lions. Food was great. No mosquitos at all. Friendly staff. Limited wi-fi. Free laundry service.

The safari lodge that had been recommended (Ngala Safari lodge by andBeyond) was excellent!

Nothing much to say about Ngala, except send me back! What an experience! We got to see all the Big Five plus the Cheetahs and that weird Pangolin!

Kyle and Sandoz (guide and tracker at Ngala) did a great job and deserve to be commended accordingly. If I have a single complaint for Ngala, it is that they put too much good food in front of us, which can be disastrous for those of us who were trained to be part of the “clean plate” generation. The team at “Ngala” rate “excellent” across the board.

Ngala with its guides and trackers allows us to see all the Big 5 (and a lot of other animals and trees) in a very beautiful manner. Dyke and Zup Zup gave us the possibility to live some memorable experiences tracking the wilds dog and the leopard hunts or chasing the lion in the dark of the African night following its roars. They also brought us inside a large herd of 7/800 buffalos that passed out few meters from our car (10 minutes of pure adrenalin!!!). The only concerns on Ngala, if you take in consideration the price per night, were the level of the food and the lack of the mini bar in the room.

Ngala Lodge was wonderful, the people, very special – we had no snags, all went smoothly, our plane reservations and vouchers – we saw some incredible animals and seemed to be eating the whole time – really wonderful – thank you

This is a really fantastic family lodge in the Timbavati. The staff and service received is just superb, and the food unbelievable. Very enjoyable experience!

Ngala Safari Lodge was unbelievable! Someone drove us out to meet our ranger and tracker the afternoon we arrived so we got to do all six game drives. The friendliness of the people, the presentation of the food, EVERYTHING was the best. All the extra touches – the hot towels and drinks when we arrived back from drives, the lantern lit dinners, the bush breakfast! We saw everything but the leopard and our ranger and tracker tried their hardest. On one of our drives we went to Ngala Tented Camp and it is going to be better than before we were told. Would love to stay there in future.

In particular, the service and accommodations at Ngala (&Beyond) were excellent. I would recommend others to stay with them in a heartbeat.

The Ngala Safari Lodge was amazing. The accommodations were very good and so was the food and ambiance. The safari’s were awesome and we got to see all the big five and some of them up close. A definite lifetime must see.

OK so when we left Ngala I cried my eyes out looking out the window at the mopane trees & blue sky. I cant tell you how much I loved it. I have since googled “how to be a game ranger in Kruger” and am contemplating some kind of big life change over to SA!! It was fantastic. From the moment we got there, we were so looked after. You were spot on again! Im so glad we chose here, so Dan being a pain in the bum about rooms was a blessing. We made the best friends with our ranger Le-Anne and her boyfriend Dillon who also is a ranger, I even managed to have a little holiday romance with one of their friends who was there! Go Kato! It was awesome – rooms were beautiful, beds so comfy and felt completely safe. I loved that we just cruised around all day with no need for room keys or wallets – sooo relaxing. The 5am starts were not even a bother at all as we all couldn't wait to get into the truck for the game drives. We were seriously addicted! Had so many good laughs. It was amazing. I will be back there for sure!

Ngala Safari Lodge was outstanding. The accommodation, service, food, staff were all brilliant. The safari was amazing and truly unforgettable. &Beyond Safaris and lodges have a strong ethic of caring for the animals, the bush and their staff. The ranger and tracker we had were experienced, knowledgeable, personable and made our safari experience amazing. Finally, thank you for all your help and advice. You have been a delightful, professional, understanding travel agent and all your recommendations have been spot on with what we wanted. Thanks were going above and beyond the call of duty.

The Ngala lodge really couldn’t do a better job. Every aspect of the experience there is organized with a precise focus on the customer experience. The rooms, food, game drives, overall comfort and personability of the staff is excellent. Ngala was really the highlight and couldn’t have been a better place – very impressive organization there

And Ngala – talk about luxury! Right down to arriving in my room after the evening game drive to find a bubble bath drawn and candles burning!