Lion Sands River Lodge

We started our South African adventure at Lion Sands. From the moment we arrived we were surrounded by happy, smiling and the most extraordinarily dedicated people. We were escorted to our magnificent room, and then shown the various amenities of the room and the Lion Sands compound. At no time were we disappointed with Lion Sands. Our guide, Cruz, and his sidekick George the tracker, made each game drive fun, exciting, exhilarating and informative. They really know their stuff! The wildlife in Africa is amazing. The beauty of it all nearly took our breath away. Returning after a drive, we would be met by Cliff, our personal butler, who ensured we would have good eats and drinks, replete with smiles and laughter. Lots and lots of smiles! The men and women at Lion Sands never stopped smiling! The vibe was so good and so friendly, that we felt as if we had an extended family there. And let us not forget Darren, the manager, who could not have been more accommodating. And Joy...oh she is certainly a joy. And Mello made the entire food experience worthwhile. This wonderful crew made us feel as if we never wanted to leave. And we didn't want to. We could have stayed there forever. They made a special disco themed birthday party for my wife, since disco is her thing. They went above and beyond. Disco balls, flashing lights, and music! Then followed by dancing around a fire pit with African dancers. THIS was entertainment we never would have seen anyplace else....because the crew added the very personal touches. Because they care. After visiting many places after Lion Sands, and traveling through three other countries, I would give Lion Sands TEN stars, but can only give 5. They certainly have my vote as the best, nicest, and most accommodating and friendly game resort in South Africa. We are already planning our next trip, to include Lion Sands as our main attraction. Book a visit there. You will NEVER regret it, and you will never forget it!

The rooms are beautiful, well stocked and air conditioning was so welcome. The room was so well attended to , fresh towels several times a day! Complimentary laundry service was appreciated. Guide Rector and Tracker Culture were super friendly, and so accommodating. We had unforgettable sightings and experiences. Food was delicious and endless. 10/10

From arrival to the safari’s to all meals and truly welcoming employees Lion Sands exceeded my expectations every step of the way! Our field guide Gus was incredible! Gus was extremely knowledgeable and very interested in spotting animals and getting us incredible views.

The lodge and the safaris exceeded our expectations! We were so happy with our super friendly butler, James. The food is really good and the chef surprised me on my birthday by making me a birthday cake. Our hostess, Charity, was sweet and kind. The rooms are spacious and well equipped. Our housekeeper, Nunhlanhla, kept it spotless! We enjoyed sitting out on our deck in the afternoons. We can’t say enough about our guide, Pierre, and tracker, Joe. We saw the Big 5 and more! We got close enough to the animals to watch them and got some great pictures. We always felt safe. They are so knowledgeable about the animals and very passionate about their job. We appreciate them providing unforgettable memories for our family of 4! Thank you for the experience!

We had a wonderful 4 nights here at the lion sands. The food, service, safari were out of this world! Thank you to Adelaide, Raymond and Amu for taking care of us. Connie for explaining the food and Precious for the spa treatments! We stayed in the two-bedroom villa and loved the downtime there. The staff in general were amazing and made sure we were well taken care of. This safari trip and the location was truly a once in a lifetime trip and we collected so many memories including seeing the big five, but also hippos, hyenas, nocturnal mating lions, sundowners and a bush walk learning how to make tooth brushes and what to eat or not ! Thank you so much for everything.

We (2 couples) spent 4 nights at Lion Sands River Lodge in July. We were greeted at the airport by Rector, our safari field guide which helped develop a relationship upon arrival. From the moment we arrived at the lodge we were welcomed and briefed on the staff that would be working with us during our stay as well as details related to timing of meals, safety, etc. Having stayed at a similar resort on this trip to Africa, I will stress that the communication with us was by far superior to that resort - Lion Sands is exceptional!!! Now, on to the good stuff! The safari drives were amazing! Our guide, Rector, and our tracker, Culture, were simply the best ("The A Team")! Not only did we see everything (Big 5, Zebras, Giraffes, Ostrich, Wild Dogs, Hyenas, Kudu, Impala, Waterbuck, Wildebeest, birds, etc), we had the best time getting to know them and we had a lot of fun on our game drives. Rector was amazing at positioning the vehicle so this amateur photographer could get close to professional pictures. They also made pretty great bartenders on our evening game drives. Phili was also fabulous and met all of our needs for meals, meal times and other needs and wow, she could dance! We also were able to visit some local community schools as part of the More Community Foundation - the kids were so loving and the teachers were doing great things with the limited resources that they have available to them. Finally, there were some pleasant surprises along the way that I won't mention because it really made things more magical. There are so many luxury lodges to choose from and I second guessed our choice right up until the day we arrived - trust me, you cannot go wrong with Lion Sands River lodge!