Emdoneni Lodge with Zululand Cat Conservation Project

The best accommodation of our entire holiday. We booked four nights in the self-catering cottage in August. We received a very friendly welcome at reception, where the lady (sorry I can not remember her name) showed us around the lodge and the accommodation and explained everything to us. All of the staff, from reception to the dinner service to the night porter, were incredibly friendly, helpful and super nice. Large cottage with kitchenette is fully equipped. Very lovingly furnished and very cosy. Main bedroom with comfortable bed, large bathroom and very large outdoor shower (almost an outdoor landscape). Smaller bedroom for the children, but also with shower and toilet. Great garden with a fire pit, comfortable chairs and a bench for breakfast. Zebras visit regularly and the cottage is directly opposite the cat enclosure. Breakfast outside, eye to eye with cheetahs and caracals, was really special. The delicious dinner at the lodge (book in advance) is particularly recommended. Our children also spent every evening in the game room playing billiards and table tennis. Emdoneni is very well located – 30 minutes from Hluhluwe Park and 1 hour from St Lucia. Many, many thanks to the Emdoneni team. We felt very comfortable and would love to come back.

We are still floating from the unforgettable experience we had at Emdoneni Cheetah Sanctuary, where my fiancé pulled off the most beautiful proposal imaginable. From the moment we arrived, the team welcomed us with such warmth, kindness, and genuine excitement—it felt like we were celebrating with family. Thank you for helping create such a special moment in our lives. The memories we made there will stay with us forever. From the stunning facilities and flower-filled surroundings to the cool, comfortable room that felt like a private retreat, every detail was perfect. The three-course dinner was exquisite, and the breakfast the next morning was just as delicious—thoughtfully prepared and served with care. Getting to interact with the cheetahs was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we’re still talking about your adorable lodge cat who stole our hearts (and a few cuddles). Emdoneni, thank you for being part of such a big chapter in our story. We are forever grateful and absolutely certain—we’ll be back.

The cat tour was terrible, the guide wanted to be funny but rather dominated the cats and pushed them into the corner. He also generally hardly said anything about the project itself. There were only a few cats there and you only saw them from outside the fence. The rooms were in a dark part of the forest and we paid so much money for it. It's better to stay one more day in St. Lucia