The premises is very nice, very clean and comfortable. The self catering unit was well equipped with everything you may need for self catering. The place is beautiful and peaceful. Loved the communication and flexibility I got when still planning the trip and the efforts made to make our birthday special.
The only thing I didn’t not like was the rudeness from the lady that woke us up for breakfast on our last morning, she was very rude about how we must be at breakfast by 08:00 ( which o think of breakfast is between 08:00 and 10:00 then guests should have the flexibility between those times). The girl banged the door and rudely communicated how we need to be there at 08:00. She needs general customer service communication training as all my encounters with her were not pleasant. The rest of the staff was amazing.
Owner doesn’t have a problem with expressing his racist ideology while staying there as a dark skinned tourist. Served me pork as well.
Verified traveler, Mar 2025
We had a wonderful stay. The game drives are
Professional, all of our questions were answered, the staff was friendly and took good care of us.
The location was perfect. We could watch the animals from the terrace. We'd love to come back.
Thank you for the lovely stay.
This was my second time staying at Raptor Retreat and it was just as good as the first. Our lodging, the Hippo Cottage, was huge, very well equipped and had a wonderful view of the river and the animals. One morning, we saw a parade of elephants right by our window. I also loved the soaking bathtub that also had a great view. We did three amazing game drives with Keith, the owner of Raptor Retreat on which we saw an incredible variety of animals including a huge herd of elephants, hippos and both male and female lions. Finally, we had several excellent massages from Nancy. I highly recommend Raptor Retreat and look forward to returning in the future.
It was such an incredible experience at Raptor retreat. We enjoyed our stay at the elephant lodge!
The whole staff is so kind and the food is very good!
The Raptor Retreat Game Lodge was definitely the most beautiful on our trip to South Africa. We received a very friendly welcome with African singing. The chalet was very large with 2 bedrooms and the kitchen was also very large and well equipped. The bathroom was integrated into the bedroom except for the toilet. There was a very large shower and a great bathtub with a great view outside. Everything was very clean. Our chalet had a very nice and above all quiet private outdoor area, a pool and a great view of a waterhole. Elephants, big boy (a kudu that was always around the lodge) and warthogs walked in the garden.
Breakfast and dinner were served in the main house (restaurant) with a great view and beautiful ambience. Both were very rich and delicious. If you want to relax, this is the place to be.
The hosts were very nice and also offered game drives, which we did. These are also recommended.
This chalet exceeded our expectations and we would book there again in a heartbeat.