Reflects recent average nightly prices reported by our partners, and may not include estimated taxes or fees. Price at checkout may differ.
Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
4.5
#7 of 14 lodges in Ladysmith
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Nambiti Game Reserve is a 20,000 acre Private Reserve near to Ladysmith in KZN and is home to the Big 5 as well as Cheetah, Hippo and over thirty species of free roaming plains game. Escape to this pristine MALARIA FREE wilderness; relax and celebrate nature, her beauty and the small moments with us. The Sundays River attracts several rare bird species and an enviable array of raptors and vultures. A birders delight! While the Big Five experience alone is enough to attract visitors, guests staying at Springbok Lodge leave with a different idea of "camping"... Accommodation in 21 elevated safari style en suite tents. Children welcome! Activities offered at Springbok Lodge include Game Drives and guided walks within our fenced area. Springbok Lodge is easily accessible from the N3 route Johannesburg and Durban bound. The Lodge is an ideal venue for family get togethers, conferences, getaways & soul rejuvenation. Springbok Lodge offers a 'value for money" stay.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Mountain View
Languages Spoken
English, Afrikaans, Zulu
Location
Nambiti Game Reserve Woodlands Gate, D46, Elandslaagte, KZN, Ladysmith 3370 South Africa
We visited this lodge for the second time and it was better than I remembered. They have expanded it a bit and added play facilities for children, including a jungle gym and beach volleyball. There are 2 swimming pools, not deep, but lovely for kids.
We were particularly impressed by the food, and we have pretty high standards. Breakfast (perfect poached eggs), lunch and dinner were all excellent.
The Lodge takes all the necessary Covid-19 precautions to keep you safe. The tables are very well spaced, so even when it was raining and we were all inside, we felt quite safe.
The drives are good, the rooms are very comfortable and well maintained. The food and beverages are excellent. It is quite a bit cheaper than some other Nambiti lodges, but they don’t cut corners.
Read more
Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Brett Gilder, General Manager at Springbok Lodge
Responded 04 Jan 2021
Thank you SusieG99. What a great review. We really do appreciate positive reviews like yours. It helps motivate staff in these trying times.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed at Springbok Lodge for three nights with our two young children (7 months and 2 years). The lodge is great for families, and we took advantage of the babysitting service for game drives in the reserve. Game drives are twice daily. We chose not to go on all of the ones offered, so that we could use other facilities with the children. The drives were great fun, lasting three hours. Our ranger Chad was very friendly and knowledgable and brought good snacks!
All of the staff were very friendly and great with the children (especially our male trainee server and Prisca, who provided babysitting for us). They were very flexible and accommodating when we had to leave new times early due to a baby or toddler needing to go to bed urgently!
Overall, this was a wonderful experience. The food was good and the two pools are creatively styled and refreshing. We had a great time with our family and would definitely come again.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Remember we are in the COVID pandemic, and life is not the same. It is not that simple to just get away, as it is for these establishments to cater for, deal with, accommodate and provide their top quality service. The team at Springbok Lodge blew us away, they went further that expectation and kept it all real. A very easy going atmosphere, wonderful people and nothing was too much. The rooms were just what we wanted, the food was scrumptious, activities were suited to our needs and out of the top draw. A super ranger in Nadine who pulled every trick out of the bush to find us birds, trees, different species and the BIG 5 for good measure, she took us fishing which was a great experience and looked after us throughout our stay. Brett, Wendy and Melissa went the proverbial extra mile as did all the staff just to make us welcome and feel extra special. Unfortunately only 3 days, however the memories will be with us forever. We will be back and for longer. Cheers to the Team at Springbok Lodge and may 2021 be a great year for you and the Tourism industry.
Read more
Date of stay: December 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip:Always ask for a room with a view when you are experiencing the South African bush
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Brett Gilder, General Manager at Springbok Lodge
Responded 04 Jan 2021
Wow! peter092014. Thank you so much for such an awesome review. We as the team of Springbok Lodge certainly do appreciate these types of comments. It has been a tremendously difficult year and we do try our best, maybe not always getting 100% but the staff have learned to adapt to these difficult times. Thank you once again and hope to see you in the not so distant future.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Having requested details on two lodges on the reserve, we went with Springbok and were very pleased with our 3 nights there. From helping with how to deal with forms whilst on the road for Covid measures, offering a second room free of charge, so as two friends we could have our own privacy, and brilliant guided drives, the experience went above and beyond what we may have reasonably expected.
Being in the midlands of KZN, the drive from JHB is easy to do from mid morning and still get to the lodge for lunch. There were always at least 2 options for meals and all were cooked very well. We stayed in two of the newly renovated rooms and with the air conditioner that doubles as a heater, were very comfortable day and night (-1 degree Celcius outside one night but not a problem inside)! The lodge staff are very friendly and we were well looked after at the lodge.
The reserve itself for driving around is something special. Probably my favorite reserve in KZN for game viewing after this second trip to it. It is not a huge reserve but there are an incredible number of roads. National reserves 5 times the size have less than half the road network for comparison. Combined with a large number of vehicles driving around at any one time from the other lodges as well, the chances of finding game on this reserve are very high! Our guide Brent was incredibly knowledgeable about the reserve, it's wildlife and it's history rich in Zulu, Boer, South African and British tales. The time we spent with a Black Rhino he found one afternoon was very special indeed. Special thanks to you and Chase for efforts and I look forward to being back again soon hopefully.
Read more
Date of stay: June 2022
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was my first experience staying in a lodge within a reserve and what a fantastic introduction. It was top notch all the way from reception, dining, accommodations and game viewing drives. All done professionally and in a timely manner. The private luxury tent was well appointed with comfortable bedding, dual sinks and a gloriously deep bathtub to soak in after a long day of riding.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Wendy Gilder, Marketing at Springbok Lodge
Responded 10 Aug 2022
Thank you so much for your review!
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed at Springbok for 3 nights and wish we had enough time to stay longer. I'll split the review into 2 parts, the lodge and the game drives:
The Lodge
From the moment we arrived until the moment we left we were spoiled rotten! The staff could not do enough for us, nothing was too much trouble. The food was absolutely fantastic and the room we had was perfect. Every year we try to find a new venue in SA to add to our list of favourites, and Springbok has now joined that list. Our only problem now is that we need a longer holiday to allow us to visit all of them.
Game Drives
Gabriel was our guide and his knowledge and passion were incredible. He would stop the cruiser, look at a broken branch and proceed to tell us which animal had broken it, where it had come from, where it was going and what it had for b****y breakfast!! His duties went way beyond taking us out in the reserve and we felt that he was actively looking after us from the moment we arrived until we had to leave 3 days later. He managed to track down almost every animal we wanted to see and the lion cub was the icing on our cake. He had some challenges to deal with and faced every one with a smile, nothing fazed him. When we go back we will definitely be asking for him again.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:We chose a brick built room with a canvas roof and had no complaints, but we didn't hear any...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SbokManager, Manager at Springbok Lodge
Responded 01 Feb 2020
Wow! What a wonderful review, we truly appreciate reading such positive comments. I am very happy to hear that our staff and service met your needs and expectations. We look forward to welcoming you back to the lodge in the near future and am grateful that we have made your list of favourites.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
From the fabulous welcome you get when you arrive the staff are amazing. You will never go hungry here with the amazing food including muffins at tea on your morning game viewing drive and snacks with your drink at sunset on your afternoon drive. All the guides are amazingly knowledgeable but I can say that Nadine our guide was out of this world. I even know how poisonous grasshoppers can be. Never knew that. Tents are great with an outdoor shower and we had sherry in our rooms, not sure if this was a special for us. Good i summer or winter. I'm going bck.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2022
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:No rooms just fantastic tents spread well apart.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Second year back to the lodge. Staff is super friendly and caring. Everything is spotless clean and the attention to detail in our room was amazing. We were super happy to have Gabriel back as our ranger as we really grow a bond with him the first time. Not only he is super knowledgeable about all the animals but he is really super dedicated to his job and try to get us close to as many animals in the safest way. We will come back next year and I hope he is still there cos I dont want any other ranger!
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SbokManager, Manager at Springbok Lodge
Responded 19 Feb 2020
Thank you for the return visit and for taking the time to review us. We most certainly look forward to welcoming you back next year. We are delighted to read that you enjoyed your time with Gabriel again and that the rest of our staff looked after your needs.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The lodge has become a family favourite. Just when we thought our trusted guide Gabriel could not top our last trip he took it to a whole new level again exceeding expectations for the 3rd time.
The staff at the lodge and our trusted guide Gabriel never fail at impressing us. Once you go to Springbok Lodge you seem to question why you would go any where else. It convenient at 3 hours outside of Durban and it has the Big 5 along with almost every other major iconic animal of Southern Africa.
The food as always was amazing and the service extraordinary. Insika always brings the restaurant to life at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I'd like to give a special mention to Gabriel Harmer. His expertise in the field are unmatched. The way he reads the animals and can put you in the correct spot for the sightings of a life time is priceless.
All I can say is bring on round 4 !!!!!
Read more
Date of stay: November 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Brett Gilder, General Manager at Springbok Lodge
Responded 04 Jan 2021
Thank you BrandzBarth for your great review. The staff love to hear when they have done so well. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Springbok Lodge is by far the best safari/wild game experience I have been on. Great food and friendly staff.
I must give special mention to one particular Ranger, Gabriel Harmer. Every trip I've done to Nambiti he has never disappointed and shown us game way closer than one could imagine. Every drive is a learning experience as he is an encyclopedia of knowledge never not knowing an answer in the bush. Gabriel along with Springbok Lodge have always gone the extra mile to make our stay special, from special birthday preparations to having lunch in the bush along side elephants just across the river every trip has been amazing.
I mean how many reserves can a person go fishing on, catch bass all while watching Kudu drink from the same dam 25 meters away.
There really are no negatives I think of regarding this destination and I've never had a lodge as accommodating as this one. It has definitely become a place I will visit over and over again, it really is that good of an experience !!!! Again a huge thank you to Gabriel Harmer, he is a patient man who went well beyond the call to duty !!!
I will be back soon for round 3
Brandon Barth
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SbokManager, Manager at Springbok Lodge
Responded 19 Feb 2020
Dear Brandon Thank you for taking the time to review us and for all your positive comments. Its truly satisfying to read that we are among the TOP in your books. We look forward to a return visit for round 3 in the not too distant future.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi Stuart M, we do have a children's menu - but the best is when you are at the lodge to communicate to us what your child's needs are, as some children can be more fussy than others, so we like to keep the options open. We do have a Bar fridge that can be put in the room on request, but only subject to availability, alternatively we are happy to store your goodies in one of the Kitchen fridges.
Hi Susankt20
Thank you for your question.
Yes, we offer all our guests an afternoon drive on the day of arrival if they plan to arrive before the afternoon drive departs and then a morning drive and an afternoon drive for the full day spent with us and then also on the morning of departure you are more than welcome to have a morning drive should you not wish to check out early.
Durban, South Africa1,024 contribution109 helpful votes
Hi your best bet is to fly Capetown to Durban as the price is quite a bit more to Pietermarizberg also its a small airport and small planes can be accommodated. With Durban you have more flights and more choices of airlines . There are also a lot more car hire options in Durban to accommodate the amount of people. Pietermaritzberg is only 3/4 of an hour outside Durban.
Good day to you in Illinois,
Yes our rates includes the following per person per night:
• Lunch,
• 3 Hour afternoon Game Drive
• Dinner
• Bed
• 3 hour Morning Game Drive
• Breakfast
• Tea’s, Coffee, homemade Biscuits and Rusks from the all day Tea Station (located in the Dining Room)
Springbok Lodge rate excludes:
• ALL Beverages from the bar and on game drive/s,
• The Nambiti Rhino Conversation Levy
• In house Massage and Spa Treatments
• Lodge Staff and Ranger Gratuities (guideline available on request).
I look forward to hearing from you again should you require any additional information about the Lodge.
Have a great day !
There are more places to choose from in the Ladysmith area.
PRICE RANGE
R 8,131 - R 9,193 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
South AfricaKwaZulu-NatalLadysmith
NUMBER OF ROOMS
21
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
