Guest Reviews

Could not fault our stay here. Absolutely amazing from start to finish, despite shocking, unseasonal weather!! We saw plenty of animals, 4 of the big 5 and our driver (Zee) was just superb. Incredible views of the lions every day and even the elusive rhinos came out in the rain. Rooms were spectacular, we had a 2 bedroom lodge overlooking the hippo pod so listened to their groaning early hours, just lovely. Food was of high quality and varied, catering overall very well for our food intolerances. Spa treatments were lovely and very welcome, although worth booking in advance of your trip. Excellent and would highly recommend.

Where to begin!
From the moment you arrive at Pumba lodge the warmth from every member of staff you meet shines through.
You're then taken your room which feels like something out of a dream. I miss sitting on our balcony watching the animals come to the watering hole!
Our experience wouldn't have been so special without our guide Mzi. He not only ensured we saw as much as possible - lions, hippos, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, cheetahs (I could go on. But he also shared an immense amount of knowledge on everything from tracking, animal behaviour, conservation efforts, astronomy. His love for the animals and environment were infectious and his jokes put a smile on our face every day. We miss him and our "elephant milk" hot chocolates every morning.
We also had the pleasure of doing a bush walk with Cleo. We learned so much about the tracking of prints, the vegetation and stories of how Cleo grew up in the area.
To close off, a thank you yo every one of the lodge staff. From the housekeeping who would leave hot water bottles in your bed at night and the fire on. To the friendly front of house staff who were always happy to help.
We can't wait to return to Pumba one day.

What a great experience, amazing safari experience with good food good wine, who could ask for more. Up early for the first excursion managed to see Lions, Elephants, Rhinos and Hippos, Giraffes and Zebras. Coffee and a snack on the range then back for a great breakfast. The room was beautiful. Highly recommend

Well, where do you start. This was a bucket list trip for my wife's 60th birthday and what a trip. Firstly, top marks to Trailfinders who organised an exceptional trip, which literally went without fault, from start to finish with many parts to organise, thank you to the team in Belfast.

Pumba... it's magical ! Its more than what you expect.. .... luxurious, private, personal... more like moving in to your own world of luxury. The pictures on their web site do it justice, the staff are without exception, wonderful. The accommodation is.... breathtaking... the food divine... but the main reason you come here is to see the wildlife.. and boy... do you see it! Lions, lion cubs, white lions, elephants, rhino, hippo, giraffe, cheetah, monkeys and of course, Zebra and Impala. But what makes the safari special is your driver...Mzi was ours, what a gentleman, so much knowledge, expertly delivered as he drove our Land Rover around to places that I didn't think even Land Rovers could go.... and then in the middle of nowhere, he produces a bar and serves a mean G&T and aperitifs (hot chocolate, coffee and muffins on the morning drive). Back at the lodge you relax on your own balcony, with plunge pool and outside shower while you look down on the lake and the elephants and Hippos.

A special thank you also to the ladies in the restaurant and reception who are expertly guided by Hannes, a real life Safari star.

We hope to see you all soon again.

This far exceeded our wildest dreams. Our game guide, Cleo was absolutely fantastic. He explained everything in a way we could understand. He spotted animals we couldn't make out with binoculars. In our opinion he is the GOAT of game guides. When we asked him to seek out lions, just around the corner were lions. The same for elephants, wilderbeast, buffalo and giraffes. He even found the cheetehs that no-one had seen in 10 days. We had the time of our lives here and i hope to come back one day. Also, the lodges, food, drink and service were excellent.

I had always wanted to do a safari but didn’t want to go where there was a risk of malaria. After looking at many game reserves in the Eastern Cape decided on Pumba after seeing their videos on YouTube. The reserve didn’t disappoint.
From arrival to departure we were made to feel special by all the staff. We stayed at the water lodge where all the rooms have views over the lake. Luxurious accommodation in such a beautiful wild setting with the noises of Hippos in the water & monkeys running over the roof just added to the ambience.
The game drives never failed to impress with sightings of lions, including their cubs, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, warthogs, zebras, impalas, buffalo, baboons, and cheetahs. A huge thanks must go to our rangers Cam and Q who made the game drives interesting and fun sharing their knowledge of the wildlife and never failing to find animals of interest. On making a special request on our final game drive to see if we could find the cheetahs again, they searched them out and found them feeding after making a kill - amazing.
The breakfasts and lunches were excellent. However there was the odd evening meal which wasn’t quite up to 5 star standard which is a shame as everything else about Pumba is top notch.
That said I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Pumba for a safari as the staff make this place special, always there to make sure you are having a good time and have everything you need. And of course there are the animals 😊

We loved absolutely everything about our stay!
It far exceeded our expectations - location, room, food, game drives, staff professionalism and friendliness were all absolutely outstanding.
The fact that we are already booking another stay with our daughters and partners in December says it all!
We couldn't make any higher recommendation - you have to experience Pumba!

We stayed at The Water Lodge for a couple of nights at the end of February. Our whole experience at Pumba was just fabulous. The accommodation was beautiful, with a terrace overlooking the lake, just stunning. The staff were so friendly and efficient and we have to give a special mention to our ranger Mzi who was exceptional and made our game drive experiences so memorable with his knowledge, charm and love for the animals.
We would definitely recommend!

I’ve just returned from my fourth time staying at Pumba Water Lodge and as usual it never fails to impress. Thomas our ranger was superb and I cannot praise him enough for his tracking and information of animals, birdlife and flora. Dining is a delight with an excellent choice on the menus each day. I also cannot praise the staff running this lodge enough, they’re so helpful and always happy and friendly. I’m already planning my next visit.

We had a great time at this reserve. It was our first time on safari, everything was well managed, we felt totally relaxed and taken care of. We didn’t manage to see all of the big 5 but appreciated that they limit the amount of animals in a responsible way. We would definitely recommend this reserve, especially as a first time safari. The lodges are stunning and the service excellent.

We stayed in a Lake lodge which was beautiful and spacious. The dining areas & food is excellent. The staff are amazing and attentive. And Q!! our safari guide was just THE BEST. He is new to Pumba and we were his first guests. He did a fabulous job and made our safari experience just perfect. He’s super knowledgeable, good fun and a true gentleman. We couldn’t believe his knowledge! We will always remember our interesting chats, laughs, and of course morning coffee and sunset drinks! Thank you Q and to all Pumba staff for making our stay such an amazing memory we will always treasure. Helen & Kenny from no.5 xxx

We stayed for 3 nights & experienced 5 game drives with our brilliant guide Mbuti. The Chalet accommodation was gorgeous with an awesome view of the lake, everything was wonderful, the staff were all kind,helpful,polite and happy to look after us. I would not hesitate in returning.

Excellent service, clean and comfortable accommodation, Thomas our Ranger was absolutely amazing! He ensured we our comfort at all times that we would see as many animals as possible. His knowledge was endless. Absolutely loved our time there. Would thoroughly recommend it

We had a wonderful experience at pumba.The warm welcome on arrival and tour of the lodge was excellent and staff were so friendly and accommodating The reserve has lots of different animals, fauna and floral . Our guide was excellent and extremely knowledgeable and was happy to answer all the questions us and the children had. Our children age 10 and 12 thoroughly enjoyed their game drives and learnt so much from it.

Our Msenge Lodge was excellent,clean and comfortable - the bathroom was huge and the views from the lodge and plunge pool area were stunning - we frequently saw warthogs and zebras . The food was good with plenty of choice and an extensive wine list. The staff were highly attentive and service was excellent nothing was too much trouble. The little extras of welcome drinks, snacks and goodnight treats were lovely . There is a pool and gym and spa on site as well as a range of other activities to do. Pumba is a great game reserve for children and adults with plenty of space and children are well catered for. Pumba truly is a 5 star experience

Fantastic experience from as soon as you arrive. Very high levels of customer service and attention to detail in rooms. Excellent food throughout our stay. Staff couldn't do enough to make your time at Pumba special. Fun and informative game drives twice per day. Our ranger was so passionate about all nature and extremely knowledgable. Really peaceful snd restful environment..being woken by hippos outside the room in the mornings was just great! We loved this place! Special mention and thanks to our ranger Philip, archery with Thomas and super helpful Ryan, thanks guys

Fantastic place!! Beautiful lodge and rooms with great views over the water hole or bush.
Very good staff and game drives, lots to see.

Food also very good and wines likewise.

Ideally the guests would mix more before dinner for a drink, which would make it a more social experience. The Lodge needs to proactively encourage that.
Recommended.

What a fantastic four night stay we had at Pumba, absolutely faultless. Our Bush Lode accommodation was fantastic, absolute luxury with its own private outside plunge pool overlooking the watering hole and the wildlife that where regular visitors...Elephants, Zebras, Monkeys, Antelope, Buffalo etc. The housekeeping and room service did a fantastic job of servicing our lodge.

We had 2 game drives, morning and afternoon followed by a delicious evening meal under the stars. Our guide was Pumi, very knowledgeable and a nice chap. We saw too many animals to mention but included were the magnificent white lions, Rhino, Hippo, Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Various Antelope, Monkeys. Up close and personal with the animals which made for great photos.

If you are pondering about which game reserve to visit when in S Africa then don't hesitate with Pumba, its fabulous. The type of place which would make a perfect honeymoon destination.

Thank you to all the wonderful staff at Pumba for making our stay so brilliant.

We stayed here for two nights during our honeymoon. This was our first safari and we are so glad we picked Pumba! The room was very spacious and clean and had beautiful views of the lake and the hippos. The food was fantastic, beautifully presented.

Our driver Denise was brilliant, we learnt so much and were lucky to spot so many animals! We could hear the hippos in the morning and found the velvet monkeys so entertaining!

Pumba is also perfect for star gazing, the sky was so clear in the night!

Wonderful place, we hope to return one day, thank you for making our honeymoon so special! 🥰