Let love lead the way to a place where luxury meets wild beauty, the Shumbalala Game Lodge. Located in the heart of Thornybush Game Reserve and a stone’s throw from the iconic Kruger National Park, this lodge is an oasis of romance and adventure. With its posh suites, private plunge pools, and mesmerizing game drives, it’s a haven for honeymooners seeking a unique blend of serenity and excitement.
Experience Unmatched Luxury
Each of the five exclusive suites at the lodge is a testament to comfort and luxury. Thatched roofs mirror the charm of the wilderness, while the plush interiors ensure a cozy stay. A separate lounge area, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, and tea and coffee making facilities add a touch of home. The en suite bathrooms and outdoor showers offer a private retreat, while the mosquito nets ensure a peaceful night’s sleep.
For couples desiring an elevated sense of privacy, there’s a two-bedroom suite complete with a dining room and a private plunge pool. It’s an idyllic setting for a romantic getaway, where every moment is a memory waiting to be made.
Into the Wild
The Shumbalala Game Lodge is not just a place to stay; it’s an experience. With all meals and twice-daily game drives included, every day is a new adventure. The reserve is teeming with wildlife – zebras, giraffes, bush babies, and wildebeests roam free while elephants crash through the thickets in search of sweet reeds. Perhaps the most thrilling of all is a sunrise encounter with a lion pride on the prowl or a lazy leopard lounging in a tree.
Unique Outdoor Activities
Aside from the game drives, the lodge offers a variety of outdoor activities for an additional fee. Elephant-back safaris offer a unique perspective of the reserve, while balloon rides present the opportunity for an aerial view of the breathtaking landscape. Boat cruises and guided bush walks provide a closer look at the flora and fauna of the region.
After an exciting day, cool off in the outdoor pool or relax in the guest lounge. At Shumbalala, every moment is designed to be unforgettable.
Conclusion
If you’re seeking a honeymoon destination that combines luxury and adventure, look no further than Shumbalala Game Lodge. From the lavish suites to the incredible wildlife encounters, it’s the perfect backdrop for your love story to unfold.
Map of Shumbalala Game Lodge
Open in Google Maps What Honeymooners Love Above Shumbalala Game Lodge
Summary of Verified Guests at Shumbalala Game Lodge Honeymooners and romantic travelers consistently praised Shumbalala Game Lodge for its exceptional staff, luxury accommodations, and immersive safari experiences. Guests appreciated the attentiveness and detailed service provided by the hosts Danielle, Lillian, and the rest of the team. The game drives, led by knowledgeable guides like Bryce and Tony, were highlighted as both entertaining and educational, providing close encounters with a variety of wildlife. The lodge's food was consistently praised for its freshness and variety, with some guests being treated to private dinners overlooking the local wildlife. The rooms, complete with private plunge pools and large bathtubs, were commended for their quality and luxury, adding to the overall unforgettable experience. Finally, the lodge's commitment to creating a personal and memorable stay was praised, with many guests eagerly anticipating a return visit.
Reviews of Shumbalala Game Lodge
Perfect Honeymoon Vacation!
My wife and I stayed at Shumbalala for 4 days to celebrate our honeymoon before traveling to Cape Town. The lodge, staff, game drives everything was amazing! Danielle and Lillian were amazing hosts, attentive and detail oriented and making sure we had everything we needed. Bryce and Tony were an...
My wife and I stayed at Shumbalala for 4 days to celebrate our honeymoon before traveling to Cape Town. The lodge, staff, game drives everything was amazing! Danielle and Lillian were amazing hosts, attentive and detail oriented and making sure we had everything we needed. Bryce and Tony were an amazing team and we had such entertaining rides appreciating not only the animals but the small wonders of safari. The food was so fresh, farm to table and always had options for every meal. And the accommodations of the lodge were beautiful; a sizable room with a private plunge pool and large free standing tub! Overall, can’t recommend this place enough. Cannot wait to come back!
Read Full Review
A wonderful game lodge and experience!
This was not our first trip to Shumbalala and it certainly did not disappoint! The staff are exceptional and make the stay a real experience in the most positive way. Bryce and Sam were absolutely fantastic on the game drives. We visited the anti poaching unit. A very humbling emotional...
This was not our first trip to Shumbalala and it certainly did not disappoint! The staff are exceptional and make the stay a real experience in the most positive way. Bryce and Sam were absolutely fantastic on the game drives. We visited the anti poaching unit. A very humbling emotional experience and not to be missed. The food and accommodation are outstanding.Your every wish and desire is satisfied from the fire in your room, the hot water bottle under the thick coats and blankets on the game drives to your favourite tipple at sundown.The magical last night romantic experience ( I won’t spoil it) was wonderful. This is one of the few places we have visited where I can make no suggestions for improvement. We can’t wait to revisit next year! Many thanks also for my daily French lessons!
Read Full Review
My husband and I loved everything about this trip! Our guide Bryce and tracker Tony were the amazing!! Extremely knowledgeable and fun. We saw every animal on our wish list, plus more. The lodge and rooms are beautiful, the staff is top-notch, the food is delicious. We loved everything so...
My husband and I loved everything about this trip! Our guide Bryce and tracker Tony were the amazing!! Extremely knowledgeable and fun. We saw every animal on our wish list, plus more. The lodge and rooms are beautiful, the staff is top-notch, the food is delicious. We loved everything so much- I almost cried when we had to leave!
Read Full Review
The rooms at this lodge were over the top in terms of quality, luxury, and amenities. Just a wonderful spot to stay. Danielle was a great host / manager. The food was served sit down a la carte style and was delicious each time. We were even treated to a...
The rooms at this lodge were over the top in terms of quality, luxury, and amenities. Just a wonderful spot to stay. Danielle was a great host / manager. The food was served sit down a la carte style and was delicious each time. We were even treated to a private dinner in the lower level wine cellar, which has a window that looks upon the private watering hole where Hippos entertained us during our meal. Our Guide Bryce was unbelievably knowledgeable and regaled us with stories during our rides, and he was a walking encyclopedia when it came to knowledge about Africa and the animals and the local vegetation. Our tracker Tony did a fantastic job as well. This place holds only 12 guests in six rooms and I would recommend it as a MUST SEE spot for anyone thinking about where to go for a once in a lifetime safari experience.
Read Full Review
How lucky we feel to have visited Shumbalala for our first ever safari. From the moment we arrived and received such a warm welcome to the time we left, the staff were all wonderful and nothing was too much trouble. Our thanks to the whole team but especially to Andri...
How lucky we feel to have visited Shumbalala for our first ever safari. From the moment we arrived and received such a warm welcome to the time we left, the staff were all wonderful and nothing was too much trouble. Our thanks to the whole team but especially to Andri , Danielle, Eulandah, Yvonne and Issac. The game drives with Wesley and Fumani were fantastic and the memories of how close we were able to get to the animals will always be remembered.
Read Full Review
Truly incredible lodge, safari experience and staff - we'll dream of this the rest of our lives!
My husband and I recently spent 5 nights at Shumbalala for our honeymoon and we were absolutely blown away we were by literally everything. The lodge itself is beyond beautiful and the game viewing out of this world (I've done safaris before but this was in a totally different category...
My husband and I recently spent 5 nights at Shumbalala for our honeymoon and we were absolutely blown away we were by literally everything. The lodge itself is beyond beautiful and the game viewing out of this world (I've done safaris before but this was in a totally different category - we saw the big 5 basically every day we were there!) ... but where Shumbalala really really shines in our opinion was the people who are so incredibly invested in insuring every last detail is immaculately tended to. Everyone we met had the amazing ability to make their job seem like 100% their passion - so relaxed and yet professional, so genuinely engaged in spending time with you and making sure you were having a great time and just so unbelievably kind and thoughtful. On leaving, we really felt we were leaving behind friends - an experience I don't think we've ever really had, let alone at a luxury place (where things can be unfortunately a bit more formal / distant). Oh and the food .... next level. The chefs should get awards - every meal was mind-blowing! All around an absolutely incredible stay that we will think about the rest of our lives. Hopefully we'll be back but in the meantime, we've recommended Shumbalala to everyone we know - and the staff are a huge huge part of that.
Read Full Review
Having done a lot of research, we were confident that Shumbalala would deliver. However, they totally exceeded our high expectations. From the moment we got there and the following 5 days we were made to feel totally at home… Danielle and her team were fantastic, and nothing was to much...
Having done a lot of research, we were confident that Shumbalala would deliver. However, they totally exceeded our high expectations. From the moment we got there and the following 5 days we were made to feel totally at home… Danielle and her team were fantastic, and nothing was to much trouble. The food was varied and all delicious, with lovely staff. The house wines (included) were absolutely fine, although there were many wine options available if you wanted to purchase from their fantastic cellar. Our suite was fantastic – very comfortable and luxurious with great views of the dry river bed & waterhole and all the vast amount of animal traffic going past. With the amount time of you spend in the vehicles on the morning and evening drives, I realised the guide makes or breaks your experience, as you spend so much time with them. Our guide Bryce was 10/10, fantastically knowledgeable - sharing about the animals (big & small), theirs tracks and their behaviours - we learnt so much. Also delivered with a great sense of humour and had a magical ability to ensure nothing was more then 20 mins away. And then the wildlife… wow, wow & wow. We saw more then we imagined we would - elephants, rhinos, hippos, leopards, giraffes, a lion pride with fresh kill, as well as hyena pups… plus much more. The Shumbalala Land Cruiser we did our game drives in had 2 seats per row with a big storage box in the middle and tons of space to put stuff in – this made a big difference to the comfort of the game drives, as we saw other Lodge vehicles with rows of 3 passengers, looking less comfortable. Can’t recommend this place high enough and having experienced it, thinks it’s also good value for the money.
Read Full Review
The Shumbalala Game Lodge is simply magical! My fiancée and I were very fortunate to have stayed here and everything aspect of our 5 night experience went above and beyond all of our expectations. From the moment we arrived, the team’s warm welcome and hospitality continued through to when we...
The Shumbalala Game Lodge is simply magical! My fiancée and I were very fortunate to have stayed here and everything aspect of our 5 night experience went above and beyond all of our expectations. From the moment we arrived, the team’s warm welcome and hospitality continued through to when we had to say goodbye. The rooms are a very generous size and to an exceptionally high standard. The food is freshly produced everyday and was delicious. The setting of the lodge, over looking a watering hole, provides fantastic photo opportunities whilst relaxing and enjoying a refreshing drink. On top of all of this, the game drives were amazing and our experiences will be very hard to beat! We have done many safaris however, Shumbalala remains our firm favourite and our point of reference. We were both very sad to have to leave the lodge and the memories created at Shumbalala, and with the team, will be with us forever. A massive thank you to Karie, Bryce, Benny and the wider team for making our stay very personal and one that we will treasure forever. We will definitely be back but as a three rather than two!
Read Full Review
Get Kings as your guide!!! He is amazing!
Our trip would not have been the same without Kings, Evans, Lani, and Irene!!! The staff was incredible and really made the trip special. Kings was our game driver and if you are lucky to have him, it will make your whole trip and experience! He is so knowledgeable, excellent...
Our trip would not have been the same without Kings, Evans, Lani, and Irene!!! The staff was incredible and really made the trip special. Kings was our game driver and if you are lucky to have him, it will make your whole trip and experience! He is so knowledgeable, excellent at finding all the animals and teaching you all about them, as well as tracking them. He also took us on a game walk and we had such a great time and learned so much from him. We thought a safari was a once in a lifetime trip, but now we would love to go on more and hopefully have Kings as our guide again! Truly such a special trip and we cannot thank Kings and the staff enough.
Read Full Review
