Umkumbe Bush Lodge

The Umkumbe Bush Lodge and safari game drives far exceeded our expectations. We were especially impressed by our guide, Pieter, who had the most incredible knowledge about the animals and the nature of South Africa. He helped us get super close to the most beautiful animals and no doubt, this will be one of our most memorable experiences.

In February 2025, I had planned a large family trip to Umkumbe. Sadly we had to cancel 9 working days in advance of our trip due to a sudden illness that has left a family member in critical condition. As per Umkumbe's cancellation policy, the late notice forfeited our rights to refund. We did reach out to the owners to see if there could be a concession on compassionate grounds and whether they would consider a postponement. We shared a medical note that had helped us to secure refunds and postponements with our other trip bookings. Unfortunately, this was met with a bitter response from Umkumbe Management. We understand the demands of being in business and that compassion is not always the main driving force. I simply write this review to bring attention to other patrons that it is always worth reviewing the cancellation policies and having insurance. Life can come at us fast, and it's not always forgiving. EDIT: The refunded fees that were mentioned in the lodge's response were only afforded to us only after pushing for this - and the amount refunded totalled: ~13K rand - giving us close to 10% compensation. We had originally reserved a few rooms, each with a 2-3 person occupancy. Upon further consideration, we felt it doesn’t feel quite right that the lodge would profit from the late cancellation of multi-occupancy rooms. Given the circumstances, we were hoping to discuss a fairer approach to the refund, such as adjusting the charges to reflect a single-occupancy rate per room. I understand a late cancellation incurs costs for the lodge, but also would have resulted in various savings, such as staff, food, cleaning, and other logistical services. With this in mind, I believe a more equitable solution could be reached. The Management again responded negatively and not in the tone you expect from a 'luxury' brand.

WOW! This was my 4th (and most favorite!) safari. Game - So many excellent sightings. Frikke and Lucky are quite the team. We saw the Big 5 on our very first drive and 4 or 5 different leopards (I lost count). Accommodation - The tents are lovely and spacious. Loved the outdoor shower, the veranda and the pool area overlooking the waterhole. Perfect place to spend the hot afternoons between game drives. Food - Insanely tasty and with options to satisfy many palettes. 10/10 recommend.

We enjoyed an utterly delightful three day stay with the marvellous team at Umkumbe. The lodge is serene, relaxing and fenced. The tents are spacious, comfortable and well appointed with hot water and air conditioning. The food is varied and plentiful. Our guide, Elzaan, was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, showing us all the exciting wildlife. Situated in the Sabi Sands private game reserve we heard from other guests that the wildlife sightings were better here than the adjacent main Kruger park, and being privately owned they have more control over how they run things as well as better anti poaching security.

Beautiful lodge with a very intimate feel to it. I go to drop off guests there regularly. Saw plenty game just on the way in and then saw a leopard from the restaurant area. Apparently not an unusual occurrence. Apart from the Nyala that sneaks into the parking area to nibble on the plants there. Excellent staff with very personalized attention to guests. Top class and highly recommended.

Our stay at Umkumbe was great. You never know what you will get on game drives but patience is key. Our guide Frikkie was absolutely amazing, very knowledgeable and friendly and truly made our experience. Delicious food and nice tented rooms. The only issues we encountered were with the office with the transfers and bookings, seemed unorganized - thankful to the guides and staff which helped to mitigate those issues.

What an amazing experience! Were here in early September and the camp and rooms were amazing, food was wonderful and the game drives and our guide (Ananja) were GREAT. Overall, I highly recommend and would absolutely return! Thank you to the whole staff for making our first safari experience so memorable.

My wife and I stayed at Umkumbe Bush Lodge for four nights during our tour of South Africa. Umkumbe was an outstanding lodge in a beautiful area. Before even arriving to the lodge we were greeted by a pride of nine Lions right next to the dirt road. Then when we arrived at the lodge on the way to our room for the very first time there was a Leopard walking past the pool. The rooms and facility were excellent, the food was very good, and the entire staff did an amazing job with every aspect of our stay with attention spent on every little detail of room cleaning and services provided. As perfect as our stay and the services were, I must say the shining star of our trip was our guide Pieter. Pieter is undoubtedly the best guide in the industry and was our favorite part of the entire trip. While on game drives Pieter would hear a slight bark of an Impala, Monkey, or specific chirp of a bird and just like that would tell us there's a Leopard or Lion over there and every single time, no matter how hard we had to search, Pieter would put us within feet of the predator for an amazing viewing. Pieter was extremely professional, intelligent, funny, and patient with every single game drive and bush hike and made it such a great experience. I cannot brag enough on the lodge as a whole, but I can also say that my next trip to the African Safari will start with seeing where Pieter is and planning accordingly.