Lalibela Big 5 Game Reserve & Safari Lodge

Incredible 10/10! Everything was amazing from start to finish. Arrival drinks, food, friendly staff, sorting luggage and cleaning of rooms, game drivesWould definitely recommendWe saw lions, cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, buffalos, elephants and lots more! Lions were even on the path when exiting the camp.Holiday of a lifetime!

Amazing place My family and I had a wonderful 3 days at marks camp. Instantly we were made to feel at home by Zoe and all of the other staff. She was incredibly welcoming. Especially making a fuss of George our little one. Food was incredible, I wasn’t sure what it would be like when I found it that it was a buffet format but wow! Best buffet food I’d ever had. Then we go on to the drives. We had some really magical moments that we will all remember forever and a lot of these were credit to our ranger Nel, who had an amazing knowledge of the reserve and knew where to go at all times. As a family we cover most of the age groups, two adults, three teenagers and a toddler and there was something for all of us. I would highly recommend lalibella. Thank you for making our holiday so memorable.

Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful - Thank You! My Wife and Children (aged 9 and 12) recently returned from the most amazing 4 night stay at Lalibela Game Reserve. We were greeted at the child-friendly Mark's Camp with the warmest of welcome's, which set the tone for our stay. All of the staff could not have been friendlier or more helpful, nothing was too much trouble. 4 meals a day were served (breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner) and all were of a consistently high quality - Ostrich Pie being my personal favourite!We managed to fit in 4 evening safaris and 3 morning safaris which was just about the right amount to not only see everything (Rhino, Elephant, Hippo, Lion, Cheetah, Brown Hyena, Warthog, Springbok, Impala, Eland, Kudu, Buffalo, Wildebeest etc.) but also sufficient time to enjoy it all at a leisurely, unrushed pace. Highlight of the safari was experienced on our final drive, where we observed two male giraffe battling it out for mating rites for well over an hour, whilst drinking our sundowners - much better entertainment than some of the fights shown on Pay Per View recently!Huge shout out to our Ranger, Lauren. Incredibly knowledgeable and infectiously enthusiastic with a genuine passion for what she does, we learned a lot from her. Not only about the idiosyncrasies of the wide range of flora and fauna at Lalibela, but also of the finely balanced eco system that we are all incredibly fortunate to be able to experience at this moment in time. The future of much of our wildlife sits on a knife edge, but with a future generation inspired by Lauren - we at least have chance!Thank you so much for the experience of a lifetime!Craig, Nicky, James & Hannah

Best safari trip! 5 stars * We stayed at Marks Camp for 4 nights with a 9 year old and 12 year old. It was their first safari experience and lalibela was perfect.Starting with Marks Camps - wonderful accommodation and the most delicious food!!! Every meal was mouthwatering and for our little picky eater, they always managed to get her a meal she enjoyed too. The staff were so friendly and made the stay so memorable. The games drives were superb. We had Lauren for the 4 days and she was wonderful. So knowledgeable and did a wonderful job of getting us to see a lot over the drives we did. I would highly recommend Lalibela to anyone and we hope to return there one day soon. We all loved it and were sad to leave.

Family reunion at Mills Manor We were lucky enough to have a family reunion at Mills Manor recently and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The reserve has amazing wildlife in their natural surroundings and is obviously managed with the animal's needs being priority. The manor is a magnificent house with luxurious facilities and beautiful views. The staff are amazing and cannot be faulted. They do their utmost to make you feel welcome and their attentiveness to your needs is constant. The meals and snacks are incredible and you will be spoiled with the frequency of their arrival, even when on a game drive.Our guide, Nathan, has outstanding knowledge of his craft, and we appreciate his patience, care and sense of humour with our questions. The staff at reception were very efficient and our arrival formalities were completed in minutes. The manor staff are excellent, Christine, Vuyo and Sethu in constant attendance, with Tsana, Mandisa, Thulani and Frans busy in the background. Chef Anthony deserves a special mention for his faultless, gourmet meals, freshly prepared from a menu of options.This holiday will be hard to beat...

Marks Camp Stay Stayed at Marks Camp in April as a family for 3 nights. It was the pinnacle of our 2 week holiday to South Africa.We were warmly welcomed on arrival by Elvis. Our cases were taken, our car parked and after some arrivals paperwork were driven the 20 minutes or so across the reserve to Marks Camp.There was a refreshing drink on arrival and we were shown around and to our lodge. Soon after we would be out on our first evening game drive. There is only around 8 lodges I think. Our thatched lodge was clean and comfortable with a dividing wall so that our daughter had her own area of the room. The bed was the most comfortable we had on 2 week trip. Sheets were turned down with chocolates on the pillow each night and the aircon set to warm, as it is coming into autumn in SA and gets a little chilly at night.Food was good and a communal event, with all the guests joining together in a central dining room, where there was always a good selection of hot and cold items at breakfast, soups and salads for lunch and a couple of options in the evening, including game meats. Wine, beers and spirits available on request from the bar area.Daily game drives were from around 6 - 6.30am for around 3 - 4 hours and after some chill out time in the day, 4.30 - around 7.30pm in the evening. Both drives included a coffee stop in the morning and sun downers in the evening. There were other walks and things that could be done during the lull in the day, but we preferred to rest. Our daughter did spend some time in the day doing the children's activities which she really enjoyed.All the staff were friendly and helpful. Our guide Craig was outstanding. Very knowledgeable about everything we saw and we got to see a huge amount in our short stay: Lions, Cheetah's, Elephant, Buffalo, Giraffe, Rhino, Hippo, Jackal, Mongoose, Wildebeest, Warthog, Hyena, Zebra, several antelope and much more. Only the Leopard alluded, but at least gives us an excuse to return!We were woken up by the elephants on our last morning as they ventured close to the camp. Very magical, we told our daughter they'd come to say goodbye! Then we saw lions and rhino again on the return drive to the reception centre to pick up our car.We loved every moment of our stay and our daughter was devastated to have to leave to head home. We will definitely return without hesitation.

Holiday to remember! From the moment we checked in to the moment we reluctantly checked out the staff at Lalibela gave us the most amazing experience. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. We stayed at Marks camp for a couple of nights and the rooms were in a beautiful setting and had everything we needed. The food was so tasty and there was so much variety. We then stayed at Mills Manor as met up with family members we hadn’t seen for nearly 25 years. Mills Manor was the perfect place for this family reunion and was beyond expectations. The two rangers we had, Guy and Nathan were very knowledgable and passionate about their jobs. Guy’s enthusiasm was infectious and we had some incredible, unexpected and up close experiences whilst out on the game drives with both of the rangers. I would highly recommend Lalibela to anyone who wishes to go on a safari and learn more about the animals and the flora and fauna from people who truly care about conservation.

One With Nature An amazing 4 nights at Lalibela Game Reserve. We stayed at Lentaba Game Lodge for 3 nights and then did a walking safari with Craig to Tree Tops for the fourth night in early March. Wow what an experience that was !The lodges were just simply out of this world. The rooms were spotless, with completely private decking for sunbathing or relaxing after your morning's game drive.I have been on safari many years ago in Kenya, but the knowledge of the rangers here made this an especially special experience. They really care for the animals here and always ensure that no more than 2 vehicles are present where the animals are so as not to spook them.We saw Elephants with their babies, lions hiding in the grass (we nearly ran over them, they were so well hidden!) Cheetah chasing antelope for dinner, hippos basking in the water, huge herd of buffalos and a herd of rhinos, I think we counted 11, again with their babies. We saw 2 giraffes fighting which was so comical to watch, masses of antelope of all breeds & sizes, Zebra that make the most unusual noises as well as tropical birds, warthogs, giant tortoise plus more. Thank you Peter our ranger who was just brilliant, so entertaining and kept us all safe. Sundowners with your choice of tipple, out on the African Plain watching the sunset, surrounded by nature, is an experience I will never forget. I felt so honoured & privileged to be able to see these beautiful animals in their natural environment. It warmed my soul. Thank you Lalibella

An outstanding Safari experience! We had an exceptional time in our 3 nights at at Lentaba Lodge! We truly loved the game drives. Our guide, Ruan, was incredibly knowledgable and tenacious in tracking down wildlife for us. He was also great company and an excellent driver over the rougher/boggier areas! We saw everything we wanted to see in abundance, with the exception of the new male lion, who was playing hard to get! Hope he’s been more accommodating since then! As well as the wildlife, the experience of watching the sunrise over the bush in the morning; and sundowners watching the sunset each evening, followed by a bit of stargazing and even tracking nocturnal animals by torchlight - the aardwolf was a new one for us - all added to a truly magical and memorable experience. We stayed in a beautiful luxury room, with a bath and large viewing terrace. It was idyllic for lying in the sun and listening to the birds during the day between the game drives. There was a generator, so load shedding didn’t affect us particularly - the only snag was that we were in room 8, which was right by the generator, which was very noisy when it came on in the middle of the night! I recommend earplugs for that. Food is buffet style and is ok - though not the highlight. There was a lot of venison and other varieties of antelope to eat, which wasn’t to everyone’s taste. Dinner is a lovely sociable communal experience though - especially when it’s at the big indoor table. My only suggestion would be to have an obvious ‘front desk’ within the lodge - we didn’t know where to go to sort out what time we wanted our luggage collecting when we were leaving for instance - although the lady behind the bar got it sorted for us! Overall, an exceptional experience which I would heartily recommend, and I really hope we get to return one day!

A Hidden Treasure. My family and I stayed at Mark’s camp for three nights in April 2022. We have three young boys aged 1, 5 and 8. My wife and I honeymooned in Shamwari next door 15 years ago and we were keen to do a safari with our kids. Mark’s camp appeared to have a family feel which appealed to us. Undoubtedly this is the finest game reserve we have ever been on. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left we were treated with a level of service not previously experienced. Their attention to detail is unrivalled. A five star treatment is guaranteed. The rooms are top quality and easily accommodated us all. The food served is high quality with 3 meals served daily. Local produce such as Ostrich, Kudu and Eland is served daily and is quite simply delicious. I would like to note the staff at Mark’s camp as the most courteous and professional staff I have ever encountered. They simply cannot do enough for you. On each game drive we left our 1 year old in the main house with a childminder and the house staff. It was clear on our return how engaged the house team were with minding our child when we were on drives. This service was inclusive on our package and allowed us to relax in confidence on our drives. We had a morning and evening game drive each day. Our ranger “Guy” was absolutely brilliant at his job and he went above and beyond each day to accommodate my wife and I and especially our two young boys who accompanied us on each game drive. He was extremely accommodating of us and answered all of our questions on the animals, no matter how silly! We saw lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, buffaloes, hippos, cheetahs and many more animals. Each drive was an amazing experience. Guy knows his trade and was brilliant at entertaining the kids. He also spent time playing football and games at Mark’s camp each day in between game drives. I had concerns about keeping my kids engaged with the game drives given their duration and the earliness of the morning drives however on our last drive my boys were fully dressed, packed and waiting at 530am ready for action!! I credit Guy with this anticipation. My boys had an unforgettable experience made better by Guy’s enthusiasm and commitment to customer satisfaction. My boy’s Sam and Jacob are still talking about their experience and are already wondering when we are going back. The animals at Lalibela are truly amazing and to experience them up close in the natural habitat is something I cannot recommend enough. A truly memorable experience. Thank you Mark’s camp. The Hennebry family.