Name: Sanctuary Makanyane Safari Lodge
Address: Krokodildrift Madikwe Game Reserve, Madikwe 2876, Madikwe, 2876, South Africa, Madikwe Game Reserve, Madikwe Game Reserve, Madikwe Game Reserve, 2876, South Africa
Rating: 10

Elevator/lift

Terrace

Reception desk

General

Room service

Indoor Fireplace

Minibar

Hairdryer

Shower/Bathtub

Bathrobe

Safe (in room)

Toiletries

Rooms

Telephone

Services and amenities

Coffee/tea for guests

Breakfast

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Library

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Outdoor pool

Pool and beach

Business center

Conference Hall

Business

Beauty and wellness

Location

At the hotel

Room amenities

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport

Sanctuary Makanyane Safari Lodge

Madikwe Game Reserve

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

We went to Makanyane over Christmas 2022, and what a trip. By far the most extraordinary experience I have ever had. The views from the taxi on the way to the lodge were breathtaking, so I can’t even begin to describe the safari drives - we saw 4 out of the big 5 in the first 2 days, just unbelievable. I cannot recommend Makanyane enough, the lodge itself is stunning, the rangers pre-eminent and the staff uber-attentive. I felt at home even though we were in such a remote location, half way across the world. Thank you to Makanyane Safari Lodge for an unforgettable trip!

Thank you Makanyane!!

My recent trip to Makanyane was amazing! All the staff were very helpful and friendly and the food was incredible. Having the private land turned out to be a massive advantage as it meant we could sit in a sighting for as long as we wanted, as you don’t have to make space for other vehicles to come in. For example, we were able to sit with a pride of lions for over two hours as we watched the before, during and after of a warthog kill. This would have been impossible otherwise as usually you only stay for 5 or 10 minutes and then have to leave, but the private land gave us this unique opportunity.  There is a spectacular view of a river from the rooms where animals regularly come to drink throughout the day, meaning you feel immersed in the safari experience at all times, not just on game drives. It was a fantastic trip and I can’t wait to go back!

A fantastic safari experience

Friends had recommended Makanyane, but my first visit this last Christmas and New Year exceeded all expectations. The standard of accommodation, food and service was exceptional. 
Exclusive use meant that our itinerary could be tailored for our party and gave us the flexibility to pursue some remarkable wildlife encounters as they unfolded.
We had regular sitings of Big 5 and general game as well as some beautiful bird and plant species thanks to the spotting and tracking skills of our guides.
A truly memorable holiday with family and friends and I can’t wait to return!



Bespoke safari experience for family and friends 

I love Africa and I love safaris. This though is next level.
The animal sitings were incredible but what makes the place so special is the fact that there is no competition for sitings. Makanyane has its own exclusive land (albeit connected with Madikwe) so we were able to sit for hours with a pride of lions and then with a pack of dogs - no sharing of the sitings with other vehicles. Also a great cheetah siting as well as black rhino. Then the odd day when we’d cross the “drift” to Madikwe and see the general game, elephants and so on.

Then there’s the fact that the lodge itself is exclusive use. It means that between safaris our group could really chill out, swim, use the gym, chat and play games. We felt so relaxed. It also meant we could determine what we did and when. Night drives if we wanted to, a walking safari one morning, eating when we wanted to and so on.

Food was amazing. Staff incredibly friendly and guides very knowledgeable and engaging.

We will definitely be going back.

Beyond extraordinary safari

My husband and I visited here in March 2018, and haven't been able to get over it since. 

The lodge is on the Madikwe game reserve and consists of 8 private lodges which were bigger than the entire downstairs of my home. The rear of the lodge is glass and the bed faces this. There is also a large bathroom and even an outdoor shower if you wanted to feel at one with the surroundings. The lodge overlooks a private stream and we were lucky enough to watch giraffes, zebras and elephants to name a few come and drink from there. We even had a hippo come and pay us a visit during the evening. 

The main building has an infinity swimming pool which overlooks the reserve, seated areas located all over including endless amount of books for reading, a shop for purchase items you may wish to take home to remember your trip. We purchased fleece jackets, coffee mugs and hats to name a few items. The property offers all inclusive which is great too!

We were made to feel like family by the staff who would tend to our every need. Whether that be to ensure our favourite drinks were taken out on game drives and our favourite foods were ready for us for dinner. We were given private massages on the deck of our lodge and had personal guides to ensure our safety walking to and from our lodges to the main area. 

The game drives were incredible and consisted of two every day, you can even to a walk by foot (we did this and got to see hippos bathing in a river) where we would be able to witness beautiful sunrises and sunsets alongside viewing the beautiful animals out in the wild. We were lucky to enough to see the big five, watch wild dogs on a hunt and even see the rare black rhino. Our guide, Kaiser was amazing and so knowledgeable. He made every drive special providing us with breakfast and sundowners as well as teaching us about the beautiful animals we were able to see. 

The evenings were also special, we had a three course meal every night which consisted of specialty South African dishes as well as entertainment from the staff whereby they would sing African songs to us. They were all so lovely! 

We were even booked in to sleep under the stars in their treehouse, however, we were unable to do this due to a storm but my in laws visits last year and had this experience and they told us there aren't enough words to express how incredible this was. 

We loved this place so much that we are booked to return in 2021 with our in laws and to say I cried with pure joy when this was done says it all really. 

Could not recommend this place anymore. 

I decided to keep this review short and sweet as I could talk about this place for a week straight and still have more to say. My icon was from this trip. 

If you are thinking about visiting here, do it!

AMAZING! RETURNING 2021

We went to Sanctuary Makanyane Safari Lodge for our honeymoon in September 2019. It was the most amazing trip and I can't recommend staying here highly enough! From the moment we arrived we were made to feel so welcome and the staff are more like a family. 

The rooms are so incredible, probably the best room we've ever stayed in complete with outdoor shower, bathtub, veranda and glass walls meaning you can see animals right from your bed! We saw a hippo whilst in the room which was so special. 

The food was hands down some of the best food we've ever had and there is no shortage of it!

The safari was incredible, we saw all the big five and it was made all the more special by our guide Reuben who made our stay very memorable. Sundowners and breakfast drinks were a firm favourite! 

We could write so much about this lodge and our time there but it feels like words don't quite do it justice. This trip will stay with us for a long time to come and I hope we can go back some day.

Truly amazing stay!

We chose this lodge as we didn’t need to take malaria tablets. We had also been on a Sanctuary river cruise in mayamar and the standard was excellent so we thought it would be good for us. 

This lodge is rustic chic with beautiful attention to detail. We were met by the team and made very welcome from the start. This would be our home for 2 days. Our room was just gorgeous. The windows were floor to ceiling and outside was the river. Hippos came to say hello!!

Our ranger was a fabulous guy called Dillon. He was experienced, professional and gave excitement to all the game drives. The other guys on the game drive were good fun to be with as well. Dillon made sure we saw everything. 

Water buck 
Zebra
Elephant
Impala 
Baboon 
Shar tail wyder 
Pale chanting goshawk 
Tortoise 
Giraffe
Paradise wider
Rhino
Wilder beast 
Lion
White rhino 
Steenbok 
Water buck
Brown hyena 
Pumba 
Cheetah 
Ground squirrel 
Egyptian geeee 
 Baboon 
Rhino 
Hippo
Red billed quelia 
Hyena 
Bat eared Fox
Kudu  antelope 
Guinea fowl
Buffalo 
Jakal 

In between the game drives I had a fabulous massage treatment. 

The team who work at this lodge were fab and we so enjoyed it. I would recommend this lodge 100%. 


One of the best trips 

This is an extremely well run organization with attention to the comfort and experience of guests. Our guide, Francois, was friendly, knowledgeable and skilled in showing us the wildlife and large animals. The meals were first rate with a wide selection. We were fed constantly. The staff were courteous and attentive. This was one of our most memorable vacations. 

Great experience!

Wow, this place. I could talk about our experience for a week and we were only there for 3 days! We had the most unbelievable time here at Makanyane. The moment we arrived we were greeted by Lynette and the whole team. All staff were absolutely lovely and couldn’t do enough for us. I felt very emotional leaving this place and that just goes to show how amazing our experience was. 

DAILY ROUTINE
The whole safari routine was perfectly planned out. The daily set up here is a wake up call at 0500 ready for a light breakfast at 0530 watching the beautiful sunrise. Morning game drive leaves at 0545. Return around 0900 with a brunch spread waiting for you and hot breakfast to order. It was lovely sitting with everyone on our drives including our ranger. Free relax time from around 1000 - 1530. Then afternoon tea at 1530 ready for the afternoon drive at 1630. Dinner then waiting for you at around 2000. 

GAME DRIVES
A special mention must go to our ranger, Kaizer. What a guy! We had plenty of amazing moments on our drives and that’s thanks to Kaizer. He was so knowledgable and enjoyed watching the wildlife as much as we did. It was lovely to sit with him at brunch and get to know him whilst asking all of our questions. Thank you Kaizer. You made our trip special and we miss you already. We never thought I’d experience what we experienced on our game drives. We’ve left Makanyane with wonderful memories of the animals and it’s something we’ll never forget. 

ROOMS
The rooms were amazing and luxurious and really felt like you were in the middle of Africa. The whole room overlooks the river where you can continue watching a whole lot of wildlife. We saw elephants from our bed and there were hippos in the river! Petronella, our housekeeper, was brilliant and our room was spotless everyday. Thank you so much for our lovely leaving note. 

FOOD
You don’t go hungry in this place. As mentioned above, the meals are set up perfectly around your game drives to make sure you’re always fed and full of energy for the drives. There’s always a game meat on offer at dinner and all of the food was delicious. You even stop during your game drives for drinks of your choice and home-made snacks. 

MASSAGE/BEAUTY
A nice addition was having a massage in the comfort of our room overlooking the view of the river. The therapist was brilliant and it was one of the best massages I’ve ever had. 

NOTES & TIPS
1. Just one to keep in mind with regards to ‘The Hide’. Should storms be predicted then the team may make the conscious decision not to send you up there which was the case with us. This is for a good reason and the team’s decision should be respected. Our tip would be not to plan your stay around this because your overall experience will be amazing anyway. This actually didn’t bother us at all and we enjoyed the luxury of our own lodge

2. Best to take a jumper for the early morning game drive. You won’t need it for long once the sun comes up! 

3. Fancy clothes not really needed for evenings. Dinner is served as soon as you come back from the evening drive and unless you want to be escorted to and from your room to get changed (escort required in the dark), then there’s no need to bring them

4. The lodges aren’t locked with a key and just has a sliding lock instead. Again, this is for a good reason! It’s actually safer should there be any wildlife around which could mean you need to hurry inside quickly (very rare). There’s no one else around other than your fellow guests anyway!

Thank you to everyone at Makanyane. Will and I had the best time and we’re missing the team and the animals already!

Rosie & Will x

The most perfect few days 

We spent 4 nights at Makanyane at the beginning of our honeymoon. This place is honestly the best place we have ever stayed at. We have received a very warm welcome upon arrival and the staff made us feel like we were immediately part of their family.
All the rooms are situated by the river and they are huge and pure luxury. Then the food! The quality was unbelievable! It is heaven for anyone who appreciates good food. Our guide Callan was very knowledgable, funny and such a nice person. He made every single drive special for us and went above and beyond to make sure that we have a great time. 
Special thanks also goes to Lynette, who was like a mum to everyone and made us feel so comfortable. 
I had to hold my tears back when we were saying goodbye and leaving this place, because the whole experience was just once in a lifetime. The whole pace of the safari, genuine people, excellent customer service and also the guests we have met there made this an unforgettable experience. 
Thank you!

Sanctuary Makanyane Safari Lodge

Main amenities of the hotel

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the hotel

What other amenities are there?

General

Rooms

Services and amenities

Meals

Internet

Recreation

Parking

Pool and beach

Business

Beauty and wellness

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Additional information

Payment