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Reviews of Motswari Private Game Reserve Resort by NEWMARK

4 out of 5
Motswari Private Game Reserve Resort by NEWMARK
Timbavati Nature Reserve, Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga

Reviews

9.8

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 149 out of 167 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 13 out of 167 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 167 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 167 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 167 reviews" "

9.8/10

Cleanliness

9.8/10

Staff & service

8.8/10

Amenities

9.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Stefanie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Incredible experience
A fantastic reserve and safari. Couldn’t recommend this place enough, the hotel is beautiful and the food exceptional. We had Eric and Difference as our guide and tracker and they made our trip. If you are looking for a safari experience then this is the place to book.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Raymond

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fantastic stay.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Motswari Game Lodge on 22 Aug 2023
Thank you Raymond. We are delighted to hear that you had a wonderful experience at Motswari.

10/10 Excellent

Samantha

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Rachel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2023
Response from Motswari Game Lodge on 23 Feb 2023
Hi Rachel,Thank you so much for your wonderful and positive rating for Motswari.We hope to see again somewhere in the near future.Kind regards,The Motswari Team

10/10 Excellent

Claire

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
As a returning guest, I like the friendliness and professionalism of the staff, the layout of the property and of course, the guides and trackers who make the drives.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Dana

Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2022

8/10 Good

Morris

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I will not be returning to Motswari and this was my third visit. The lack of internet access is a huge problem for me.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My wife and I visited motswari on our honeymoon and absolutely loved the whole experience! The property and rooms are nice and well decorated but the staff make the place so special. Our guide (byron) and tracker (hendry) did an amazing job on all of our drives, we saw the big 5 by our second day and were able to see all the animals we wanted to view. They were also very knowledgeable and provided a lot of information on the animals and area. In addition to the drives, the staff and service back at the lodge was incredible. All of the staff are very friendly and helpful and go out of their way to make sure that you have a wonderful stay. Lastly, the food at motswari was amazing and there is so much of it! Every meal we had there was delicious. Highly recommend staying at motswari for a safari!
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022

8/10 Good

Nathan, Bulawayo

Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

DARREN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A friendly, happy camp
Had a fantastic two night stay in mid March. Wished it had been longer, suggest a 3n minimum ideally. Food was very good and service even better. The guide and tracker were excellent. The bush was predictably quite thick at this time of year, but we still saw lots of lions and antelopes. Weather was good, shirt or light jumper was all that was needed for the evening.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2022

10/10 Excellent

William, Belfast

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Motswari provided a luxury accommodation and first class service while doing so in a way that was sensitive to the natural environment and its wildlife. The property did not have manicured lawns and ornate gardens but instead allowed the natural vegetation to flourish. The grounds were unfenced and lighting throughout was minimal to avoid light pollution. This made for a unique atmosphere which felt like you were actually staying in the bush. The huts were sympathetic to the local style of buildings with thatch roofing. They were air conditioned and had comfortable beds provided with mosquito nets. The food was excellent at every meal with a different dinner location for every night of our stay. The staff were really friendly at all times and the game guides and trackers were of the highest quality. All in all our stay was fabulous.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Elaine

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Claire

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff at Motswari were amazing. They knew evryones names and made you feel like a friend not just a guest. They all went above and beyond with the effort they put into the service. It was an amazing experience, I would go back in an instant and recommend it to everyone.
Stayed 5 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Narsay

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This lodge is AWESOME! My wife and I stayed here for three days and we had an amazing experience. The rooms are really comfortable and have everything you need and I was surprised by how nice the bathroom was given that we were in the middle of nowhere. The food was fantastic. Staff is super friendly and helpful, always got us what we wanted within minutes. Most importantly, our game drives were stellar with Patrick (our tracker) and Mbgooni (driver and guide). They’re super knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating. We got to see all the animals except for cheetah (which is hard to see obviously). Finally, the property arranged our transportation back and forth to Hoedspruit airport and the ride was in a huge 14 person van with just the two of us in it…I highly recommend this lodge, you won’t regret it!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021
Response from General Manager on 26 Oct 2021
Thank you for the amazing review. We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to review our property and hope that you get to return to us in the near future.

10/10 Excellent

Leone

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2021
Response from General Manager on 7 Apr 2021
Thank you Leone for taking the time to review us. We really appreciate your feedback and look forward to hopefully your return to us.

10/10 Excellent

Faizal

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome experience
Awesome accommodation, food and game drives
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2021
Response from General Manager on 17 Mar 2021
Thank you for the fantastic review! We really appreciate the feedback and hope that you get to visit us again in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The safari camp (well more all inclusive resort, in the best way possible) was much better than I expected and unreservedly recommend Motswari. First and foremost, I’m guessing most people go to “see the animals,” and we really did. Often only 10/20 feet away, including seeing a leopard carry an adult male impala up a tree. Incredible. I don’t know if our good fortune in seeing so much wildlife is typical- and I do credit our tracker, Tiyani, and Driver, Stanely, with getting used access to so much and so close. They were both incredible. The room was very clean and beautiful. The mosquito netting was also beautiful and undoubtedly functional Food and food service were likewise very good. They do feed you often and well. Snacks, breakfast, high tea before the afternoon drive, dinner under the stars at night. Also includes wine and gin and tonic (towhee cocktails are available at a small charge- though perhaps not their forte). The other service staff we to a person great Special thanks to a woman named Patience who each day came from the office to greet guests over breakfast and handle any open administrative items (transport or the like). She’s a great find and someone we looked forward to seeing each day And at night the resort requires you to be escorted from your room to dinner and back (it is in the middle of the wilderness and , though safe, not impenetrable to animals. One of the gentlemen escorting is, Cliff (Ciffiord? was great THANKS!!!
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2020
Response from General Manager on 10 Mar 2020
Thank you for the fantastic review. We all really appreciate you taking the time to post your experience here and sincerely look forward to hopefully your return to visit us again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020
Response from General Manager on 10 Mar 2020
Thanks for the review.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
This webpage includes reviews for two different Motswari lodges (other is Geiger; they are not the same). Recently spent 3 nights at Motswari, disappointing experience overall, in part due to torrential rain and flooding, but more importantly the resort itself. Weather: Roof leaked at night, soaking the bed/clothes. Game drives poor d/t flooding. For 3/6 drives, couldn't access main reserve, and were limited to dangerous river crossings in the cold/rain seeing only impalas and the odd bird. Missed big 5 (must for anyone on safari). Credit to Sean and Hendry (driver/tracker) for trying to salvage the experience, not much they could do with the weather unfortunately. Resort: Billed as "luxury", more like "functional." Understand this is the bush, but for the cost and description, it didnt meet our expectations. Food was hit/miss, not the quality expected for the price. Staff: Also suprisingly mediocre (based on reviews). Genrally ignored in common areas (while other guests served drinks), nightly confusion about who was sitting where. No luxury feel. Tried to book couples massage at reception and was told "look for the lady in the red top at breakfast tomorrow" by a staff member with a mouthful of food. Needless to say she wasn't there. Bill: Added charity donation without our permission. It wasn't a large amount, and I would usually be happy to pay, but a) this should be disclosed, and b) not after this experience! Overall, a disappointing experience, wouldn't recommend.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020
Response from General Manager on 20 Feb 2020
We are always disappointed when guests leave Motswari without having experienced the best of us. Thank you for your feedback, we take all your comments on board and strive to improve our operations every day. An unprecedented amount of rain overnight interfered hugely not only with the game drive experience but operational delivery at the lodge as well. We always strive to make every guest feel important and valued however it seems on this occasion we have failed you and for that, we apologize. If there is a possibility of you giving us a second chance please contact us directly and we would be delighted to have the opportunity to rectify the situation.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020
Response from GM Motswari on 5 Feb 2020
Thank you for your review.

8/10 Good

Jen, NY

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Such a Beautiful experience, amazing staff, great vibes. Would truly recommend this property
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020
Response from GM Motswari on 5 Feb 2020
Thank you. We hope that you will return to visit us again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very friendly staff, great food and well organised safaris. We are vegan, so they made special dishes for us which were wonderful.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020
Response from GM Motswari on 5 Feb 2020
I'm really pleased we were able to meet your expectations. Please do return to visit us again.

10/10 Excellent

Molly

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The best safari experience ever!
Amazing, all around! Service was impeccable and staff was so friendly and went above and beyond. Facilities and chalets were beautiful, so clean and spacious. Food was gourmet, so many options and beautiful display. Game drives were amazing. The best safari experience we could have asked for! Thank you Motswari.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
motswari was incredible. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left we were looked after and it was the best part of the trip. The food is fantastic and the staff are friendly. Incredible views- we had elephants come over to our room. The game drives are also great and the guides do their best to make sure you see everything you want to see. We saw the big 5 on day one and it just got better. Perfect holiday destination!
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019

6/10 Okay

Mommers, Bunde, the Netherlands

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Nice and friendly people. Special compliment for Khomotso, the lady at the reception. Beautiful property, breakfast and lunch where enough and varied. But dinner wasn’t in ratio at all ! Very disappointing. Quality and offer in ratio not good. Summarizing, the price for two persons for two days, included safari tours (4) ZAR 22.800,00 is much to much !!! Our advice would be: in Hoedspruit a lodge, for example African Rock logde, and Safari tours separate booking. At the final we had to pay in the Motswari park a fee for ZAR 100,00 and our friends more than ZAR 1000,00 !!! Very strange this difference for a donation Rhino Disharmony, and we where not informed About that before. We would not recommand this property.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Amazing, Incredible & Inspiring. We spent 3 nights in Motswari (MW). If you are deciding whether to go for 2 or 3 nights, always choose 3. We stayed in ‘Elephant’ which was the last room in the camp. The room was spacious, the bed comfortable & so was the bathroom. Every day the superb housekeeping team would tidy up our room twice & the heater would be turned on so we would come back to a warm room after dinner. Our days at MW consisted of early morning & late afternoon game drives led by our awesome Guide Sinhle & Tracker Patrick. We learnt a lot about the animals, the land and everything that made Kruger/Timbavati magical. There were breaks to have a morning coffee and an afternoon Gin & Tonic etc in the wild. We saw the big 5, numerous Antelopes, Zebra, Giraffe, Warthogs, Hyenas and many more amazing animals and birds. Thank you Sinhle & Patrick for making it unforgettable. The food at MW is amazing. Delicious breakfasts, lunches & dinner around the boma just made the experience even better. MW’s greatest asset is their staff. Friendly, always smiling, telling us jokes, singing songs & just spreading their positive energy. To the reader – Book MW! You won’t regret it. You will be sad to leave but you will be planning your next visit as soon as you depart. PS – We were in MW in July. There were ZERO mosquitoes. But we carried repellent anyways. I guess it all depends on when you visit. Also, carry warm clothes (hoodie & beanie) as it gets cold on the morning drives.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Unbelievable attention to every detail, food was gourmet, all fruits and vegetables grown locally . The staff attended to every detail, even changing our tire! Sean and Henry were our guide and tracker. They were so knowledgeable about every species and gave us ample time with each animal. The reserve strives for animal conservation and preservation . U will not be disappointed
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Had an absolute amazing time here. The food, the staff and the guides were super helpful and made sure that all our needs are taken care off.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great property and safari
The stay was absolutely amazing, primarily because of the staff who made the extra effort to make our stay special. The lodge itself is beautiful and has enough game around to keep safaris interesting. Our ranger, Weinand was especially dedicated and relentlessly pursued tracks to spot animals. Simply because of his patience, we were able to spot rhinos, lions etc. in the thick bushes simply by tracking footprints. I have been on 5-6 different safaris and Weinand is easily the most dedicated ranger I have been with. Food was incredible, with enough variety and a good view from the Veranda. Will happily come back again for a longer stay and request for Weinand as the ranger.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Daisy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
True safari experience!
An amazing overall experience where you get to experience a real safari. Friendly guides/trackers and amazing food for being so far from the city. Cozy lodges that are all themed by animal names.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wouldn't change anything at all. Great first safari.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I wish I stayed there for a couple more days. It's a life time experience..
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We had a fantastic experience in Motswari. Stayed for 2 nights and did 4 game drives. Our guide Gina and our tracker Difference were both fantastic and made sure we always had a great time. We managed to see all the big 5 and much more. The food is also a highlight. Plentiful breakfast, homemade lunch and candle lit dinner were all fantastic. Only problem is that the food is so good that you end up eating way too much! The lodge doesn't have a fence and animals can wander around freely, which is great! All the staff really care about the animals, which we found inspiring. A point worth noting is that there is no cell phone reception and WiFi is available only in the communal areas, but this is probably for the best as it gives you the opportunity to truly disconnect. All in all, I wouldn't think twice about booking with Motswari!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Chris

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great stay with wonderful staff. The room we had (Buffalo) was large and plenty of space for 2. Our guide and tracker (Andries & Petro) were wonderful, so friendly and knowledgeable. We had so much fun with them and saw all the big five and more. The food was great and all items about this property was fantastic. Highly recommend and would definitely stay again.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We loved Motswari!! Amazing staff. Amazing service. Amazing safari experiences. Just an outstanding holiday.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Overpriced for what it is
Average. Overpriced for what it is. They messed up our transportation pick-up and left us waiting for hours at the airport.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It’s a lovely stay. Room was clean and comfy. Food really much better than I expected. Our guide was Danell and tracker was Lot. They are so professional and took really good care of us. Thank you for everything. Definitely will go back again.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

Gregory

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
African game park satisfied customers
The staff and tours provided could not have been any better. We were totally satisfied with this property and the people who looked after us. We will return.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Stefan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing safari, great food and friendly staff
This was our first safari, so we have nothing to compare it to... but we can't imagine being more satisfied elsewhere! We stayed 3 nights and did 6 game drives and one bush walk. Our guide, Wienand, and our tracker, Pedros, were both great! Wienand was very knowledgeable and full of fun facts and good stories. We saw the big five and plenty of other interesting wildlife. Parking the vehicle within 3 meters from a pack of lions was definitely one of the highlights! The lodge was overall very nice, although some spots would probably need to be up for refurbishment within the next couple of years in order to not look too worn down. You are not allowed to walk outside in the dark and there is no WiFi in the rooms, so make sure you get your internet fix during the day. All the food provided was fantastic – no risk of ever being hungry for more than a heartbeat!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

chad

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful way to explore Kruger
Amazing and luxurious lodge in the heart of Kruger National Park. Stayed for three action packed days in a private and breathe taking villa. Comfortable bed with with AC and a moxie net. Food was nice and we really enjoyed the open truck safaris. The highlight is the staff. Anything we needed, they made sure we had it. Everything was taylored specifically to us. Can’t wait to go back.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2018

10/10 Excellent

Katrina, Atlanta, GA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous 2 nights on our honeymoon!
We spent two nights here on our honeymoon and loved it! The staff kept us with the same guide/tracker & guests for our game drives which was perfect so that we all saw the same thing/could focus on what else we wanted to see for the day. Shaun and Tiyani were amazing and somehow saw all of the big 5 in just 4 drives! Wish we could have stayed longer! This safari camp is perfect at the price point! with comfortable & spacious accommodations, tasty food and kind staff. I would note that the meals are buffet style and not a la carte ordering. Not a problem for us but for some they may prefer more customized meals.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2018

10/10 Excellent

Dianne, New Jersey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing experience
Our family stayed there during the Christmas holidays. We are a party of 6 with children ranging from ages 8 - 13. We all had a fantastic time and wished we could stay longer!
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017

10/10 Excellent

Anne and Steve, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
An amazing experience
This is the most incredible holiday experience. The accommodation is excellent, the food outstanding and the staff could not be more helpful and welcoming. The game drives are awesome with knowledgeable trackers and guides.We have stayed here three times and will definitely come back!
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Martin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great first safari experience
Staff was super friendly and food was good, it was simple and well executed. We thought the whole setup was perfect for.a.safari, it's clean and comfortable but not luxurious and it's what you want when you are in the middle of.the bushes. The room was clean and you can drink the water they give you. 0 mosquitoes at this time of the year. Our guide Andris was fantastic, very knowledgeable and always in a great mood. We were able to see the big 5 although it seemed hard to see lions we got to see two. We even saw a pangolin, a very rare animal. Wi-Fi doesn't work they really need to work on that
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

hagai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Ben

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great safari and guide - limited mod cons
Good stay but the wifi was pretty much no existent and no TV - in fairness not the reason you go on safari but still disappointing.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great wildlife interaction
In general it was a great experience, but there were some minor points of frustration. We drove from Pretoria and had a difficult time finding directions. The resort did not respond to emails and Google ZA directions ended in a local town. Also, wireless was not available at the resort which would be fine if it was not advertised as being available. Other than those minor inconveniences, I would recommend this resort and hope to return some day.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017