AFRICAN SAFARI EXPERIENCE

  This place was amazing. Every detail was purposely though through and executed so well. I didn’t know what to expect but this far exceeded what I had in mind. The... read more staff we all so personal, yet professional. A fabulous place to stay! I would highly recommend This lodge!

  Our stay at Savanna was everything we hoped it would be and more.

The property is absolutely gorgeous, with views over a watering hole that is frequently visited... read more by elephants, warthogs, bushbuck, and other animals.

The rooms are also beautiful and spacious - the heated plunge pools are incredible, and the rooms are well-stocked with filtered water and all the drinks, snacks, coffees, and teas your heart desires. The highlight for me was the gorgeous standing bathtub, which was drawn for us every night after we returned from our evening game drive. The housekeeping staff keeps everything spotless and comes through twice a day so that you return from both of your game drives to a clean room.

We did not go to Savanna expecting the food to be anything to write home about. I could not have been more wrong. We had some of our best meals in South Africa at Savanna! Some of my favorites included ostrich kebabs, Asian-glazed salmon, and a rooibos pannacotta that I'm attempting to recreate myself tonight. Literally our only complaint about Savanna was that they were TOO generous with the food, and my husband and I frequently couldn't finish everything. We hate wasting food, but the staff was extremely accommodating and provided us with half portions on several occasions.

The two places where Savanna really shines are the staff and the game drives. I have never stayed anywhere with such impeccable service. The staff go out of their way to make you feel welcome and meet your every need, from greeting us with fresh homemade lemonade when we arrived to remembering every guest's dietary restrictions and preferences. Our server throughout our stay, Life, was so much fun and we loved chatting with him during our meals.

The game drives were a dream come true. Our guide, Jamie, and tracker, Julius, were so impressive, from their encyclopedic knowledge of all the plants and animals in the bush, to their ability to follow tracks and understand animal behavior. I swear Julius has superhuman eyesight - he was able to find a chameleon at night that several of us couldn't find for 30 seconds even with the flashlight shining on it. In our four days at Savanna, we saw the Big Five several times over (including one drive where we saw all of the Big Five in the span of a few hours), as well as giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, hippos, warthogs, jackal pups, hyenas, ostriches, a cheetah, a civet, and so much more. The viewings were incredible – we were frequently the only vehicle, and many of the animals walked right up past us. We also got to taste wild marula fruit (elephants' favorite), and Jamie showed us how to make "bush soap" with a plant that suds up when you rub it with water. We had so much fun getting to know Jamie, Julius, and the other couples on our drives during morning coffee breaks and evening sundowners in the bush.

I legitimately cried when we had to leave. It was intended to be our once-in-a-lifetime trip, but we are already talking about finding a way to come back! Thank you so much to all of the staff at Savanna for the best four days we could have asked for.

  I would rate Savanna higher than 5 stars if I could. I can't begin to explain how special our honeymoon was here. This was sooo much more than a holiday.... read more Upon arriving we were greeted from our transfer by Jade with welcome drinks and a sit down introduction going through the schedule there and a full tour of the facilities and then to our room. We wanted to see the ‘big 5’ and saw 4 of the 5 on our first drive!! By the end of the trip we saw the ‘big 7’ and more. Our tour guide Aiden and tracker Eddie were soo knowledgeable and passionate about the animals and made a big effort to find out what we all wanted to see most to make sure we left every drive speechless! I have never been to a place like Savanna before, it is a small lodge which made it so intimate and special. We were introduced to Maggie on our first day and she said she would be our waitress for our trip and she was there for every meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner finding out what we liked and disliked to make every meal special. I am vegetarian and I mentioned it the first day and didn’t need to again, they catered everything for me and I felt I was taken extra care of. The vegetarian food was the best I had ever tasted, I have never eaten so good in my life! Everything was plentiful from meals to the minibar in the room. They hosted different experiences for meals each evening and even most of the staff attended so it was so nice to talk to our Guide that had been with us on the drives about his life and experiences and even the directors of the lodge which was really humbling. The small gestures in Savanna really made the trip. Each evening during our drive they would run the bath for me and my husband returning. They left small cards on our bed each night with quotes and the forecast for the next day so we could dress appropriately for the next morning (we went in their winter so hot through the day but chilly on the morning drives!) They also had ponchos/blankets and hot water bottles on the jeeps. Our room was amazing with outdoor shower at the back and heated pool at the front overlooking a watering hole that elephants came to drink each night. It was incredible. My trip to Savanna was the best 4 days of my life and I would absolutely love to come back one day. If not, I will remember it forever. If you are thinking of booking this, don’t think twice! Their hospitality is second to none. The staff there felt like instant family. Savanna really is a home from home.

  A family trip of a lifetime! - From the moment we arrived at Savanna Lodge we were treated like family. All the staff are so friendly and always greet with smiles on their faces. The... read more lodge is located in the western part of the famous Sabi Sands, and did not disappoint when it came to incredible big five sightings and much more.

The main lodge is beautifully designed and stylishly decorated with double volume ceilings, its airy and cozy, leading out to the tropical manicured gardens and overlooking a swimming pool and waterhole, which is frequented by game. Also set in front of the main lodge is a boma area where bush dinners are sometimes served around a warm fireplace under the stars.

The staff at Savanna make this lodge stand out. We were allocated a personal butler nicknamed "Learny" and he was amazing. He has such a wonderful sense of humour and had our family in stitches everyday. His service was proactive and he always seemed to know exactly what you needed before you even realised it.

We stayed in the enormous luxurious Savanna Suite, with all the modern amenities, and two large beautifully furnished bedrooms lying on either side of an interconnecting lounge. Each with huge bathrooms with free-standing baths, double vanities, double shower, and toilet. The bathrooms opened onto spacious tropical paved outdoor showers. The bedrooms lead out onto covered patios, heated plunge pools and private waterholes in the bush. The boys loved having their own plunge pool and spent hours swimming while looking out for animals wandering past. The kids loved the warm and cozy lounge where they could watch TV and look through some incredible wildlife books. It was fantastic to be under the same roof as our boys but have the space to still feel like it was just us there as a couple at times.

The food was delicious and plentiful and there wasn't a moment that a family member experienced the feeling of hunger. The dinners were particularly special as each meal was completely different and at a new surprise location. On our first evening we arrived to beautifully set out lanterns, a bush bar and a refurbished train on a train track set in the bush. It was really unique to experience dinner on this air conditioned train with so much history, a truly unforgettable night.

As a family of four for game drives we had our own private fully kitted out comfortable vehicle. The vehicles were brand new and we felt like we had the "Rolls Royce" of vehicles even installed with USB charging points and heated seats, which the boys still wanted switched on, even on hot Summer mornings in the bush. Steering the ship were the guiding duo of ranger Dan and tracker Life who were incredible, always putting our needs first. We were spoilt with unbelievable sightings of the big five and much more and treated with memorable morning coffee stops and evening sundowners in the African bush. We were so fortunate to experience a once in a lifetime sighting of a mother leopard and cub affectionately loving each other on top of a boulder in a dry riverbed. Of all my experiences staying at overa hundred bush lodges I have visited in my life this was a stand out as my favorite sighting ever. Our boys were in awe at the special up close and personal big five sightings we had and the memories will be forever ingrained in their minds.

Overall I can highly recommend Savanna Private Lodge as a destination in the African Bush for families and couples. This lodge is very luxurious and offers a top end five star experience. Most importantly if you choose Savanna as your destination it is set in the maginficent Sabi Sands where you are guarenteed to have the most unforgetabble sightings in Africa.

  Want restaurant atmosphere? Go elsewhere. Want family atmosphere and GREAT game drives? This is the place. - Savanna is by far our favorite safari game lodge. Small (max 18 guests) & personalized, wonderful family atmosphere, the best game drives due to highly experienced Rangers &... read more Trackers who go out of their way to help ensure you see the very best of game. Meals at the lodge are at a big long table so you can share experiences with the other guests -- never a dull moment! The staff are always smiling, friendly, and helpful. Overall FAN-TAS-TIC.

  Magical Safari Exprerience - Ok so buckle in... This is going to be a long review. I have had the privilege of visiting Savanna on 3 occasions. Guess that already explains how i love... read more this place.
Accommodation is just awesome. Last time we stayed in the Savanna suite which was perfect for the family. It had everything that you could need or want and the private heated pool was just too good. All the accommodations at Savanna is 1st class. If there is a specific requirement or request you get the feeling that the staff will move mountains for their guest.

Meals: Finally dined in the train There is a gym on premises but food was too good. There is enough food and the service was excellent. Every night there is a different location for meals which makes it a surprise and really something to look forward to.

Staff: Wow, Wow i cannot pin point any specific person as they were all excellent, warm and it almost feels like we have known each other forever. My 2 boys celebrated their birthdays on out last trip and from Natasha welcoming him with a b day greeting, ranger and tracker taking out little cakes baked on the game drive.. This was really really special and also a little gift. The staff really go above and beyond for their visitors.

Games drives: Ok so in my visits there, i have seen 2 lion kills, 1 wild dog kill plenty leopards and a 1st for me was seeing leopard cubs. The trackers and guides even though doing this for years are just as passionate as the guest and for me this shows they are just as involved as us. Imagine having a person sayong "here is a lion" or here is a leopard. The trackers and guides we had really went out of their way to make sure we saw everything and we saw everything and learnt alot.

  Exceptional game viewing experience - We have stayed here 3 times now and the service was the best yet. Food and drink are excellent and nothing is too much trouble for the team. Everyone goes... read more the extra mile to make sure you have the best experience. The game viewing is the best ever. Eg we saw leopard on each one of our first 6 game drives. Can't wait to go back

  Can’t rate the place highly enough - We have just returned from a 4 night stay at Savanna. It would be fair to say we did not arrive there in great shape, courtesy of BA losing all... read more my wife’s luggage but from that moment on Tash and her team did everything humanely possible to forget our problems. They were exceptional. Attention to detail knows no boundaries.
Back to the safari. Dan and Life gave us all a thrill and experience that was truly incredible. These are two guys that are at home in the bush as the animals that live there. They are expertise in their tracking ability. They gave us numerous leopards and lions and even a cheetah! To get as close to these cats and the rest of the big five was a memory that will live with me forever. But at no point did you feel worried or uneasy, these guys just made you feel relaxed in seeing these truly wonderful creatures in their natural environment.
Savannah is so well placed in the reserve that we would simply open the curtains in the morning and see elephants, buffalo, wart hogs, impala the list goes on.
Thank you Tash and Dan. We even got reunited with the luggage after it had gone to America and back

  It was our first time at Sabi and the lodge and safari delivered. Wow what awesome service at Savanna. We were spoiled with beautiful meal at different locations daily. Saw... read more the big 5 in everyday during our 3 nights stay. The room was excellent only con was the music from the nearby village. However even the villagers bad behaviour cannot takeaway from this beautiful well run lodge.

  5* - We’ve just returned from 3 nights at Savanna and can’t say enough good things about this lodge. From the moment we stepped on the property until we left the staff... read more went above and beyond to make a great trip for us. You’ll be almost guaranteed to see the big 5 in one or two drives. Our guides and trackers were amazing and worked very hard to find animals for us. Denzel & Killie and Dan & Life gave their all on game drives all
to show us as many animals as possible. Our butler Lenford was amazing as was Steve and EVERYONE else at Savanna. Our suite provided a great view of the water hole. We saw elephants, zebra, wart hogs, and even a herd of Cape buffalo from our pool deck! With some flight schedule changes, we had to fly out of the Ulasaba strip in the park on Federal Air. I highly recommend that if it fits your schedule. Life drove us over and it was like having our own private game drive! Thanks again to Savanna for a great 3 nights