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5.0
#11 of 22 lodges in Madikwe Game Reserve
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Etali Safari Lodge has earned a reputation for offering our guests a unique and personalized luxury African safari experience, wherein nature, relaxation and comfort combine to form an unforgettable memory. Whether out on safari, enjoying a massage in our spa, dining on our gourmet cuisine or simply relaxing next to our waterhole while local wildlife comes to you allow us to make your next vacation truly unforgettable. We cater to all dietary requirements including strictly Kosher. Families are welcome at Etali Safari Lodge.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TGCSA - Tourism Grading Council of South Africa.
We stayed her at the end of June this year and we cannot say enough good things about the place. The staff are exceptional. Big thank you to Rose, Oti (driver) and Inos (spotter) who were instrumental in making our stay the best it could be. The location next to the water hole is fantastic as animals are coming all the time so you see loads even when you are not on a drive. We saw four of the big five as well as loads of other animals including wild dogs, Hyenas and porcupines. The hotel surprised us with a fantastic private dinner on our terrace facing the watering hole as it was our honeymoon. The log fire in the room and all the amenities were amazing. The food was outstanding, You certainly won't go hungry and everything tasted great. The early morning game drives have a stop for a hot drink and breakfast snack and the evening drives have a drink and snack stop too. The guides are extremely knowledgeable and enhance the experience. They really look after you, we were there during winter so it is a bit cold in the morning but the lodge provides fleece lined ponchos and hot water bottles so we were always warm. Would not have wanted to choose any other lodge!
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Date of stay: June 2022
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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.
I will start by saying that Madikwe Game Reserve is a magnificent malaria-free private reserve, where you can enjoy wonderful landscapes and observe the most important African fauna in the wild. The South African tour operator who organized the trip for us advised us for our visit to book a 4-day stay at the Etali Safari Lodge. I can affirm that, without a doubt, it was the right advice, even exceeding our expectations.
Etali Safari Lodge, which has 9 suites, is in the center of the Madikwe Game Reserve. The reserve has an area of 750 square kilometers and can only be visited by clients of the lodges located in the reserve. It is the fifth largest nature reserve in South Africa.
From the first moment we felt at Etali Safari Lodge at home. The lodge facilities are top notch. The suites are very spacious, well decorated and perfectly equipped. They have a very large terrace, with a small pool, which, although it was heated, we couldn't use it since in winter the temperatures are very cold, and we didn't feel like it. In our case, we were lucky to have a suite with views of the waterhole in front of the lodge, so from the suite we saw many animals that came to drink.
Special mention to all the staff without exception, very competent, attentive, friendly, and helpful. To highlight Tshepi, as the person in charge of the lodge, always attentive to our needs and requests. Joseph, a great chef, running the kitchen and offering exceptional, varied, quality and well-presented menus. Jan and Darius, our ranger and tracker respectively, always striving to teach us the fauna of the reserve. What else can I say... All of them and the rest of the staff did their best to make our stay fully satisfactory, and they certainly did. Thank you so much!
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Date of stay: July 2023
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Suites number 6 and 7 have a nive view of the waterhole in front of the lodge
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 6th visit to Etali and as always it didn't disappoint. The drive in was - as always stunning with us viewing over 40 elephants, 8 Rhinos, zebras, giraffes etc. We were greeted by eager staff, who gave us hand towels, a welcome drink and whisked our luggage off to our rooms so efficiently. Sepi (apologies if I've miss spelt this) and her team were so attentive throughout our 3 night stay, nothing was too much trouble. I love the touches they keep adding, like the gin bar (when out on Safari) Bush breakfast and Boma Dinner. Madiwke is an amazing park, with great Game, however with it's fantastic staff, amazing waterhole, a spa on the deck and really good food, I won't stay anywhere else but Etali!
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Date of stay: September 2023
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â Ask for room 6 or 7
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.
ETALI….. WOW! It certainly passed our expectations for an amazing place. We thoroughly enjoyed it, it was like being part of The Lion King movie. We couldn’t recommend this place more. We went with a group of friends, and we all had a fabulous time. The Staff at Etali were next level, they were so attentive and nothing was too much trouble. They whisked our bags off to our rooms on arrival, while handing us a cool towel to wash our face and then a welcome drink, then on to a beautiful lunch overlooking the amazing waterhole. The food was absolutely amazing from cooked breakfast in the wild, to sit down meals and a Boma on our last night. Every safari we did was incredible, we saw different things each time, the special touch of a breakfast in the wild on one of our safaris and the gin and drinks at sunset on other safaris was fantastic. The driver was very informative and so knowledgeable, we learnt so much from him. Our rooms were amazing with our own pool on our deck and outdoor shower, who could imagine watching animals walk past to the water hole while having a shower, or splashing in the pool? What a special trip with great friends, one of those friends has been many times now and wanted to show us the magic. Well, it certainly is magical !
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Date of stay: October 2023
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
We spent 3 wonderful nights at Etali Lodge. It took us 4 hrs by car from Johannesburg to get to the main gate, and then an hour to get to the lodge. We had a large 4x4 which was good because the last stretch of road is mostly sandy, and we didn't mind because we saw plenty of game. We were met by happy smiling faces and warm wet cloths to freshen up.
We arrived in time for lunch and were welcomed by a huge herd of elephant at the watering hole in front of the lodge. The lodge is as it looks in the photos. The rooms are clean and spacious, huge comfy bed, warm fluffy gowns, and a fire for cold evenings. The deck is huge with a jacuzzi pool and an umbrella. The perfect place to relax and watch game as they flock to the watering hole. We were there during the dry months so the watering hole was very busy.
Food was plentiful and delicious. Some members of our party had kosher food, which was also plentiful and delicious.
The game drives were longer than we've had on other safaris, always something interesting to see. We did a safari walk which was fun...saw Rhino close up. We were scheduled to walk at 11am, but the lodge had to change it to 5pm which worked out well because it was much cooler.
Some of our party has massages which they loved!
All the staff were warm and friendly, they really took great care of our party.
Given the opportunity, will definitely be back at Etali!
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Date of stay: August 2023
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Trip 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.
Etali... WOW! I couldn't recommend this place more! We were lucky enough to get to experience this fantastic place with friends. The service of the staff is next to nothing I've ever experienced before. From the moment we arrived they were so attentive. Cool towel on arrival (it was a very hot day) and a welcome drink. Without hesitation our bags were delivered to our rooms and lunch was served overlooking the gorgeous waterhole where we would see herds of elephants and zebras, rhinos and zebras and many many more all coming to have a good drink and soak in the waterhole. What a view! And that's just the start.... the safari drives were magic! And our safari driver was so knowledgeable. The litte touches they add to the safari like the sunset gin drinks and reakfast in the wilderness... I especially loved the morning stop for bush coffee. Thank you Etali for making our stay so wonderful. We will definitely be back and look forward to doing it all again!
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
My wife and I met another couple, from our neighborhood in Colorado, in Johannesburg and flew together on Federal Air to Madikwe Game Reserve. We were met there by our spotter and guide and taken to Etali. The guides, the lodge, and the dinning at the lodge, exceeded all of our expectations.
While we were there, we had the opportunity to see all of the Top 5 animals plus Cheetah's and much more. The room was large and very comfortable with a private viewing deck over looking the waterhole. We would see Elephants, Giraffe, Zebra, Cape Buffalo and more, from our private deck on a daily basis.
The staff always greeted us with kindness and professionalism and if we needed anything, they were right there to assist. Bonus Local Drinks for the AM and PM run was a nice treat.
We had the opportunity to meet the owner, Koos Potgieter, during our stay. he provided us with some interesting background about the lodge and his decision to locate there.
Highly recommend and would return to Etali should we be fortunate enough to return to South Africa.
KB and Cindy Durango Colorado
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Date of stay: April 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
Quite simply the best week of our lives. Planned and waited to go on safari for over 20 years. Expectations were high but boy the staff and the product they delivered was truly exceptional and beyond words. From the joyous welcome to the tearful departure, this was a truly magical and perfect experience. Oti and Kea were the most knowledgeable Guide and Tracker giving us once in a lifetime sitings of Wild Dogs mating plus the Big 5. Our week was filled with sumptuous dining, Rose and the team could not have been more attentive, a luxury suite that was out of this world, and a housemaid that visited 3 times a day without us ever seeing her! I cannot rate this higher but if I could I would. By the way, Madikwe Game Reserve, with it's malaria-free status and superb topography surely make it the go-to location.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Book early to give yourself the best opportunity to secure one of the 3 suites with a balcony...
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.
What can we say. The overall experience exceeded our expectations and was the most wonderful holiday we’ve ever had.
Starting from the moment we arrived with a large team to great us, introducing our guides, back of house staff and taking our bags to the room. We were treated to an incredible lunch menu and then off our the first of many afternoon safari drives.
The whole experience included amazing food, the most amazing staff and hospitality you could hope for and then to top it off, two amazing guides Oteng and Darius who spent 7 hours a day with us, making the trip the most memorable and informative experience of our lives.
If you are considering Madikwe, Etali is the place to go. Don’t consider, do it.
Thank you Etali team and owners for making our stay amazing.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
Etali is an absolutely fantastic place. The lodge and suites are stunning, with great design and fantastic views. Hospitality of all the staff is outstanding, and you simply want to go back. It was the first time in Madikwe and the game drives really exceeded expectations. Etali's bush guides are highly experienced and share a wealth of knowledge. A destination to surely visit again.
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Date of stay: December 2019
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.
London, United Kingdom3 contributions5 helpful votes
HI some people take a short hour flight on a shuttle plane. We chose to drive. We hired a driver with a car. It took about 4 hours. Maybe 4.5 with a stop en route for lunch. (We stopped just outside Sun city.) And the drive was very Interesting. Passing through a lot of villages, mining townships. It felt quite safe. Glad we had a driver. I wouldn't drive it myself. Rachel
Dubai, United Arab Emirates8 contributions8 helpful votes
Hi we just stayed there. its a short walk from the lodge , 2-3 min tops. Its probably the most private of the lodges, but it does not have a direct view of the water hole. It is however one of the " roads" taken by the animals when they want a drink.
The room itself is amazing and the jacuzzi , indoor and outdoor shower is very private.
There are more places to choose from in the Madikwe Game Reserve area.
PRICE RANGE
RÂ 29,197 - RÂ 30,311 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
etali safari hotel madikwe game reserve
LOCATION
South AfricaNorth-West ProvinceMadikwe Game Reserve
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
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.
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