Our 3 night stay at the Garden Route Safari was life affirming. From start to finish we had the most wonderful experience and we shall definitely be going back. Nanete, Abrim and all the staff made us feel so welcome it was like being part of the family. Our personal guide Sivi was so full of enthusiasm and knowledge about the animals, and kept us entertained for 3 hours on the jeep safari....our pocket guide to safari! 😄 The food was exceptional. The accommodation and attention to detail was beautiful. We did the horse riding safari and it was an amazing experience...standing just a couple of feet away from a giraffe on my trusty horse 'Handsome' is a life experience I shall never forget. Josh and Eon, our riding guides kept us safe and offered thrilling gallops or steady walks throughout the experience. You will not be dissapointed choosing this lodge for your safari experience. It has an intimate family feel yet so professionally managed. You feel in very safe, knowledgeable hands. Just book it !!

Garden Route Safari Camp offers a fantastic story and purpose- restoring the original nature so the fantastic animals ( lions, giraffes, rhinos, hippos etc) once again can thrive in their natural environment. The staff and guides are just wonderful and they will do the outmost to make your stay at Garden Route Safari Camp special and personalised. We did the Sundowner and Early Bird game and it was worth doing them both as they offer different experiences. We will always remember to drink our hot chocolate with the grazing rhinos close by or have a wonderful GT while admiring the lions. Thank you to all the staff at Garden Route Safari Camp to make our stay so wonderful and meaningful..

That we couldn’t stay for more days

We stayed in the superb tented lodges that are beautifully appointed and extremely comfortable. The team have thought of everything. Abram and everyone at the lodge were super friendly and catered to our every need. The dinner and breakfast were delicious and beautifully presented. Finally, the game drive. Eon our guide was simply fantastic. The depth of knowledge he displays for his years is incredible. Every part of the drive was fascinating but the rhino and lion encounters we experienced will stay with us forever. Our second visit to the camp but this exceeded the high bar set previously and frankly far exceeded our expectations. I cannot recommend it high enough.

Not a thing.

Our stay at Garden Route Safari Camp was absolutely unforgettable! From the moment we arrived, the staff made us feel more than welcome – we felt instantly at home. Their warmth, friendliness, and attention to detail were truly exceptional.The food was very good, exceeding all our expectations with every meal. It’s clear they put a lot of thought and care into the dining experience. Our safari guide was amazing – knowledgeable, patient, and passionate about the wildlife. They took the time to explain everything in detail, making each drive an enriching and fascinating experience. It was heartwarming to see how well the animals are treated and respected here. We honestly could have stayed much longer. The camp is a gem, and we can’t wait to return for another adventure. We hope that when they will also start with Day visits, this experience will not change for the ones who stay over night!

Room was incredible, so luxurious and a real treat it was such an authentic place for safari. Food was incredible, some of the best we’ve ever had All of the staff so attentive and friendly, genuinely show so much care to every single person staying with them And finally Siviwe our safari guide. The safaris themselves were so much fun, we spent only 6 hours with him across 2 safaris but it felt like we’d been friends for life. A wonderful man and tour guide, so informative about the animals and plantlife, and so interested in us and our background.

Only challenge was trying to get into the camp! Very stony roads, we only had a small hire car so took us a bit of time to get there without risking a puncture!

Our stay was amazing -we‘ve been to a number of safari lodges all over Southern Africa in the past but none of them provided the experience we got here. The staff were absolutely overwhelming and we felt welcome from the first until the very last minute. The tent accomodation is wonderful, spacious, great bathroom and terrace and numerous little things that just made us love it. The dinners were extremely good and the game drives and walks were a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As stated on the website the reserve does not currently have the big five but they have such an amazing vision about what they want to achieve and the wildlife they want to add in the next years! Great wildlife conservation story!! All the guides we absolutely exceptional both in their friendliness as well as in their knowledge and their willingness to share it with us - absolutely never experienced anything like this before! We loved every wildlife minute we got to share with our guide Ion - what a great young man with amazing social skills!! And this applies to the entire camp staff - they feel like one big family.. - we sure hope to be back some time to see how the camp and reserve develop - they have recently introduced hippos and are planning to add buffalos as well as elephants (which requires purchasing more land) in the short term. The work they are doing with their 3 lions which were rescued from bad treatment and are not yet free roaming is extremely interesting and I hope they will succeed with their efforts to release them into the reserve as planned! Overall, an exceptional experience which made us feel like being amongst family.

Nothing I can think of - loved every second of our stay

Everything! From the greeting on arrival to our farewell the experience was unforgettable. This is five-star in all categories - accommodation, food, activities and the friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff, who are mostly family. We learned so much on our two safari drives with Josh - we recommend doing both the evening and morning drives. We were the only guests on both drives so were able to ask lots of questions. This place is highly recommended for anyone (like us) who has never been on a safari before. We wish the Garden Route Safari Camp all the best with their plans to increase the size of their property in a manageable and sustainable way so that guests can enjoy seeing and learning about more these beautiful African animals.

Nothing.

Everything! The place is beautiful and the rooms have everything you could need and more, cute little personalised touches such as welcome cookies etc just made it feel like home, it is clean and specious and the food was amazing. The safari with Eon were the best Safari we experienced, his love and passion and unlimited knowledge about the animals and nature are just amazing and we learnt so much! Also recommend the horse Safari with Simone who does an amazing job and made this a special experience, she is so knowledgeable and friendly! This is a place not just run for profit but to truly create a paradise for nature, animals and humans.

Nothing!

My partner and I stayed at the safari camp for 2 nights in February. We had a wonderful time from start to finish. The welcome was warm and friendly and our accommodation was large and superb. It was a little way from the main building but we were always offered transport to and fro. We did a sunrise and sundowner safari and both were excellent. Our guide Elon was brilliant, informative and very passionate about his job and all the animals. Our highlight was hearing the lions roaring. Amazing!!

Nothing

Staff - everyone extremely friendly and personable, from guides, to hosts, right through to restaurant staff etc. Very “family” & “homely” feel throughout experience. We were welcomed back from trips out with drinks and smiles, the host family ensured our safe passage through the reserve on arrival and even carried our bags etc. Cannot praise them enough for their kindness and hospitality. Room - stayed on Nyala terrace. Nice and private, luxurious bedding/room/bathroom etc. Lovely turn down service and everything you could possibly need in the room. Game drives - friendly, knowledgeable, polite guides. Josh had only worked there a month but his driving skills and understanding of the animals/their environment suggested otherwise. He felt like family by the end of our 2 night stay. Animals!!! - obviously the best part and truly a life-changing experience. We went on a couple of game drives and a guided walk. Would fully recommend doing both to see and breathe the environment fully.

Must bear in mind the camp is completely isolated (which we loved) and therefore suggest bringing in drinks/snacks/?lunch if you don’t want to be limited to using the restaurant. The food was excellent and all home-made (we cannot rate this enough) but would eventually tot up if you were exclusively eating/drinking there (especially if larger group or had children etc). Breakfast included in price and fully recommended, and we were happy to visit the restaurant for dinners (and pay for this in addition to the room cost) - just something to keep in mind if watching the budget.