Panzi Lodge

Panzi Lodge is a fantastic place where we had an excellent recent trip. We stayed for 5 nights doing a package of activities including 2 days in the Kruger NP, Blyde River Boat trip, Panorama Route and various other drives and walks. All were excellent with great guides. The lodge was a brilliant base, fully out in the bush surrounded by birds and animals itself with Giraffe, Nyala, Bushbury, Warthog, Buffalo, Wildebeest, Duiker, Bushpigs to name but a few mammals seen around the lodge itself, plus monkeys peering in at every opportunity and Baboons making their way through. The rooms are beautiful, clean, spacious and spaced out so you feel you have areas all to yourself. The restaurant bar area is just lovely with great food every night, a great breakfast including packed breakfasts when off out early, and a wonderful setting having BBQ's and campfires under the stars surrounded by the wooded valley of the lodge itself. As for the staff, brilliant - the two main ladies running it Charmaine and Irene couldn't be more helpful as well as incredibly friendly, and all the staff were just great. We had such a fantastic time we would recommend Panzi fully to anyone, and to us this lodge was far more a brilliant traditional proper safari experience and far more 5 star.

I absolutly love panzi lodge, the taste of interieur, the buildings, the accomodations, its all beautifull. super friendly hosts and owners. We went here as part of our honeymoon and we loved every second of it!

We had a wonderful time at Panzi Lodge. Very nice and cozy accommodation. Friendly staff who always were willing to offer advise and make suggestions for day trips. We hope to be back one day!

This was our second time here, the first for my Mom, niece and nephew. It was an amazing trip!! As expected, everyone was welcoming and Irene and Charmaine (and Leah) were absolutely fabulous, just as we remembered them. It was like coming home.  The accommodations were perfect for us as a party of 5 in the 2 rooms with one bed added. We did not know about the monkeys, we did not see them last time, so those rascals did manage to grab a few snacks off of our deck before we knew about them. I kept telling the kids not to litter, then we saw a monkey with a snack bag in a tree! We were more careful after that. My Mom with limited mobility did so good there! The railings for the walkways are not very far apart, so she was able to use them to help her get around. We did not use her wheelchair at all the whole time we were there, which was so good for her legs and for her independence. She has early stage dementia, so forgets some of the things she asks or is told, and everyone just answered her questions and were so accepting and forgiving. We could not be more thankful for the empathy that was shown to her. The food was incredible, just as we remembered. The kids did not eat much, which I felt bad about. They are very fussy eaters and do not eat a lot anyway. I hate to see food wasted though. The activities we booked all worked out great. We did 3 afternoon game drives in 3 different parks, kruger park all day, the HERD elephant interaction, panorama day tour, blyde river canyon boat ride and the hot air balloon. Thank you to Irene at Panzi for the recommendations! My Mom had no trouble getting in or out of the game vehicles and our guides were extremely helpful with her! They also just answered her questions with grace, and stopped at every bathroom when she needed one without complaint. The kids favorite part was the elephant interaction. What an experience! We were fortunate with the weather also, so the hot air balloon ride was incredible! The only thing we really did not care for were the 2 lunch stops we had when on excursions. On the panorama tour, we went to Harrys pancackes (?) in a little town last time and loved it. This time we went to a place down a bumpy road on the water called the chubby pig. It was very buggy, the service was slow, the people were not overly friendly, the food selection wasn’t great (no salads, they did not have a lot that was listed on the menu), and the food was sub par, no one ate their meals. The other lunch stop was at a gas station! Definitely not what we expected. Again, very slow, as there was one person working and she was busy, no real healthier options, they had grilled cheese sandwiches and fries, which we all got, but no one ate. There was one small table inside, and a picnic table outside for seating. We wound up getting waters and ice cream inside the store there and called that lunch. Last time we went to a local diner/sport bar type of place and it was great. Simon took us to a great

My partner and I stayed and took advantage of their 3 night package. They provided transportation to and from the airport which was very helpful. The lodge is great, just as pictured, very laid back and relaxing atmosphere. The hosts were extremely helpful and communicative. The food service was also great which many options depending on your preference and traditional South African cuisine for dinner. Our games drives were even better as we saw everything we were hoping to. Couldn’t recommend this place enough for anyone interested in a safari experience.

I had a great stay at Panzi lodge: Charmaine and her team was so lovely and helpful, the room was comfortable and clean, and the food was great! The reserve is great! The only reason I don't put a 5 stars review is because of the location : it's a bit far in the reserve and if you don't have a solid car, you need to be very cautious to arrive at the location without risking a flat tire. Otherwise, I can only recommend this accomadation; thank you once again for everything!