Name: Honeyguide Tented Safari Camps - Mantobeni
Address: Manyeleti Reserve, Kruger National Park, Kruger National Park, Kruger National Park, 1380, South Africa
Rating: 9

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Honeyguide Tented Safari Camps - Mantobeni

Kruger National Park

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You can't go past your first ever African safari. That being said, Dan was the most passionate & enthusiastic guides on all the safari's we did over the 5 countries visited. Maybe viewing the big 5 helped but we heard many a good comment about Honeyguide Mantobeni while staying here. A good alternative to the big name parks in the Kruger region this camp offers great game viewings, spacious tents with hot running water & electric blankets, filtered water & provided bottles, plentiful food, structured days & lovely staff. You can't go past the unfenced camp to see elephants & other wildlife wandering through. Amazing! Food was from a choice of 3 selections daily & there was a well stocked bar. Boma night was wonderful!

Honeyguide Mantobeni - a great alternative to the big name parks

Our most recent six night stay at Mantobeni in early June 2024 was our 4th stay at this camp and once again, we had a wonderful time. There is not too much more to add to what is covered in my previous reviews of this property. Very little in terms of the guest experience had changed from last year which in my opinion was a positive. Unfenced, wild, immersive and as their moniker goes, ‘closer to nature’ which is just how we like it on safari. Our tent was perhaps beginning to show signs of wear and tear (zipper/shower pressure) but the general standard of accommodation, the food, the incredible staff and the reserve itself, were all as good as we remembered.

Our guide this year was ‘Twice’, who we got along great with and who looked after us well while also ensuring to get us into position to experience some wonderful sightings during our 12 game drives with him. I would humbly suggest Honeyguide look into supporting their guides further by revisiting their current policy of not employing trackers to assist the guide. This was a feature at their camps pre-COVID, one which is once again commonplace at the majority of Greater Kruger lodges and camps and a feature which makes not only aids the guides but which elevates the overall guest experience. That being said, we still did enjoy some exceptional game viewing in the Manyeleti again, which if pushed, would stand as my favourite reserve ascetically in the Greater Kruger area including Sabi Sands. We managed to spot the ‘magnificent 7’ within only 7 game drives and went on from there to witness multiple other memorable and varied sightings across a multitude of landscapes and different areas of the concession thereafter. 

A big reason guests stay at Mantobeni, particularly in the dry winter season is for the Elephant interactions at the swimming pool. This aspect or feature certainly did not disappoint as the Ellies arrived frequently, often in numbers, day and night to drink. A more important aspect and reason why we always return to Mantobeni, is because of the staff. In my experience they are all simply wonderful in every aspect and make it so we truly feel like we come home to an extended family each time we visit. This not only adds to the enjoyment of our stays and our experience but it provides an immediate sense of comfort and contentment that we do not experience at many other safari lodges and properties. 

It was again wonderful to spent time btw game drives with Brilliant, Michael, Mavis, Mumsy, Ranny, and Previous as well as meet some newer members of the Mantobeni family. I truly hope Honeyguide and Albatross are continuing to support and uplift their staff at every opportunity because they are an absolute asset to the company and should always be viewed with that in mind and treated as such. Quite frankly, alongside the beauty and wonder of the Manyeleti reserve itself, the staff are what makes our stays at Mantobeni so special and memorable.  

If you would like a more lengthy endorsement then look back and read my previous reviews of this property. It is a great value hidden gem in a world class game reserve. The best endorsement I can give is that we have been on 20 something safaris and we will once again return to Mantobeni for a 5th stay when next visiting the Greater Kruger area.

Mantobeni Magic

My wife & I visited Kruger in May for 19 days & stayed at 5 lodges starting from the Hoedspruit airport. Of the 5 we loved Honeyguide the most by far and preferred Khoka Moya over Mantoben a bit more, though both were excellent. If you don't want to be with kids, there was only 1 during our 4 day stay & Mantoben had more teenagers. The highlights were elephants visiting the camp many times especially afternoon & drinking from the pool gave me tons of photos. You can get into the pool & get pretty close so it was just as good as a game drive. The buffet food gave lots of choices & ask for sparkling water for lunch or dinner, free. Pool and lounge chairs were nice. The whole area iarge & being unfenced there is often an elepahnt on premises! This was amazing for us. The game drive hours were good for winter: 630am and 3:30pm for 3 hours each. Other lodges had later hours (like 4 or 4:30pm) so you end up in the dark most of the drive which is a waste in my opinion. This is just May with very short days & very freezing mornings. I would not go in May again for these reasons. (It did dreach 80 degrees by afternoon so pool was always an option if you dont mind very cold water.) Tents were nice with king size bed & a heater which felt so good during cold nights. The game drives were excellent with Leighton our guide as we saw the big 5 in 2 days! No exceptions, including rhino & leopard & also cheetah. He is not just good but he knows the animal sounds and prints & will speed off road right to the sighting. Then they radio the other cars so there is that communication. Try to ask for him if possible. We also had a good deal with some promo they were doing. So good price, great guide, food & tent. And for us the amazing elephants visiting the pool to drink out of! 100% recommend this place for 4 days & then go to their sister camp 5 km away, Khoka Moya and spedn 3 days there for similar experince.

The best exeperience for tons of elephants visiting the camp and overall best lodge. Loved it!

What an amazing experience!!! The staff at Mantobeni Camp made our stay so special and Michael was an amazing guide!! We stayed for 5 nights which in hindsight may have been too long but we enjoyed it nonetheless. There is a lot of downtime in between game drives and as the weather was so hot, we were not able to stay in our tents, perhaps have a nap in between drives, because the tents get so hot. So we just lounged by the pool where elephants came to drink on a daily basis. There is also no wifi in the tents but to be honest, the time we did spend in the tents (to sleep mainly) we were not interested in being on our devices and just slept in preparation for the next morning’s game drive. 

We slept so comfortably in the tents - I was very pleasantly surprised as I normally have trouble sleeping in new places. The bed was huge, the pillows were amazing, the bedding clean and smelled fresh and the mosquito net was set up every night by the staff so when we returned to the tent after dinner everything was all set up. 

We managed to see all of the big 5 during our stay and other equally amazing and fascinating animals. All thanks to our guide Michael who is so knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. He really did make our experience that much better. I appreciate their way of operating during safari. They do not overcrowd the animals and the different lodges respect each other and take turns to allow their guests to view the animals. So everyone gets equal time. They have a real respect for the place and the animals which I love. 

The food was also really good. My only “complaint” (if you can call it that) was that the lighting during dinner is so dim that I could hardly see what I was eating. I understand why they do this. It is a natural environment and having bright lights disturbs the environment - and the elephants who still come to drink from the pool even at night. So it’s really such a minor thing that it’s barely worth mentioning but I have in the spirit of honestly. 

I will definitely be coming back! This was our first proper safari experience and man was it epic!

Will go again and again!!

Had a great time at Mantobeni. The game drives were really good and we got to see so much. The staff are very friendly and helpful and the food was fabulous. It was lovely to relax round the pool between drives and watch the elephants come for a drink. The tents are comfortable, although would be very hot in summer. 

Excellent

3 nights in Tent no12 and it was one of the best locations to see the elephants as we were so close to a mud bath/water hole, elephants came past everyday.  They also came to the pool 2/3 times a day which was just amazing to watch. 
The tents are rustic but by no means basic. However hot water is abit hit and miss. 
Tents well maintained and cleaned daily. 
Food for breakfast and dinner was very good. Plenty choice. Staff lovely. 
Our driver Leighton was brilliant.   Very informative and knowledgeable. 
If you love elephants however….. this is an absolute dream place to stay. 

Rustic but peaceful

A wonderful stay at Mantobeni for our family party of 8, four of whom were new to the bush.  

We’d seen three leopards in one spot after just 30 minutes into our first game drive and our guide Twice kept the magic coming for the next three days, including four encounters with a pack of wild dogs, three different lion sightings and a pair of cheetahs.  There’s plenty of other game to see too (strangely, no buffalo for us) although with such extensive traversing rights across the Manyeleti and large distances between some of our “big” sightings, the opportunity just to sit and watch the less glamorous game were limited at times.  

There’s a chilled vibe around the camp and with elephants visiting to drink from the swimming pool several times a day, along with other game, plenty to amuse during down time between game drives and the wholesome, tasty meals served up by the lovely Mumci, which included decent veggie options.  Manager Wesley and all of the staff couldn’t have been more helpful and attentive.  

One thing to note: three safari vehicles between fifteen tents means that sharing game drives with a number of other guests is unavoidable - it’s a small price to pay for the incredible value that Mantobeni represents when compared with higher-end camps and lodges.  

One minor whinge is the absence of a tracker on the safari vehicles, otherwise the experience on offer at Mantobeni is practically perfect in every way.

Marvellous Mantobeni!

Stayed 4 nights at this camp. We stayed at Montabeni. It is a fairly rustic camp. The level of accommodation and service was less than what we had received at prior camps. My brother and Sis-in-law had problems with sewer backup in their shower. The first two game drives we had to share a vehicle with a family that included a 2-yr-old and approx. 7/8 year old, which was totally unacceptable to us. When we complained, we were placed on a vehicle with a family of 5 whose other 6 family members shared another vehicle. We always shared our sundowners with both vehicles. The staff was efficient, and the manager went out of her way to provide me with a hair dryer. All drinks were additional cost at this camp. We had been spoiled at other camps with better accommodation, so perhaps our standards were too high.  Personally, would not return to this camp.

Disappointing accommodation.

Our recent 6 night visit at Mantobeni in late June was our 3rd stay at this camp and once again, we had a wonderful time. There is not too much more detail I can add to what is covered in my previous reviews of this property. 

Everything I detailed in my glowing review last year still rings true, from the standard of accommodation, to the food, to the incredible staff and to the reserve itself, which lends itself to some wonderful game viewing. 

A special mention this year must go to Brilliant, our guide and friend whose ability to spot game in the bush while looking after his guests, suitably lives up to his chosen name. To Mavis, a lovely, kind lady who fed and watered us attentively at every meal time including arranging a special surprise private dinner at out tent one evening. To Ranny, the bartender extraordinaire and highly attentive man who can pour a mean G&T. I could go on and on about the staff at this property, all of whom are an absolute asset to Honeyguide.

I do hope Honeyguide revisit their current policy not to staff trackers at the lodge, as I feel having both does elevate the overall guest experience.

We had some 'quieter' drives to begin with but overall across 12 drives total, the game viewing was exceptional once again, with the stand outs being 3 separate sightings of lions, hyenas and a female leopard with their kills, plus a rare sighting of a particularly relaxed black rhino bull out in the open plains. 

I have a particular affection for the current dominant Mbiri male lion so it was a particular thrill for me when we eventually managed to locate him and his brothers then spend time with him over our last few drives. 

If you would like a lengthy, ringing endorsement then please feel free to read my review from the our stay in June 2022. If not, then the best endorsement I can give anyone contemplating booking a stay at Mantobeni would be that we have already booked up for another 6 nights in June 2024 - enough said. 

third time's a charm

just came back from a great safari with honeyguide.  if you are looking for something luxurious, this is not the place.  But if you want to be submersed in nature, this will not disappoint.  Elephants were in the camp every day.  Hyenas in the night so close to you that you can touch them.  The tent accomodations were great.  The Staff take good care of you.  shout out to Jan who was very friendly and interacted very well with the children.  Our guides Devance and KK showed us many lions and even a cheetah.  Best safari we had.  the only reason why I gave one less star is because they couldn't accomodate Halal dining.  Pretty much all of s africa is halal friendly and i was disappointed that they couldn't accomodate.

Honeyguide Tented Safari Camps - Mantobeni

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