Motswari Private Game Reserve

We’ve just returned from Motswari and had the absolute best time! Our guide/trackers - Eden and Magic were amazing! Knowledgeable and funny, and nothing too much trouble. The safari drives were brilliant - we saw the big five, including the elusive leopard which we found on our last (super eventful) drive. All of the staff were fantastic and looked after us so well! The accommodation was beautiful, each lodge completely unique. Food was delicious and plentiful. Would highly recommend and looking forward already to returning. Read less

I had read all of the reviews and had very high expectations. This was planned to be at the end of our Sth African adventure and for it to end on a high. I was not disappointed. We arrived mid-afternoon and they invited us to go on our first game drive. We were staying 3 nights so i was only expecting 2 on each of the full days, not when we arrived. They even offered a 6th game drive on the morning that we were leaving. We decline this last one as we wanted a sleep in before a journey home. Within a couple of hours into our first drive and we had ticked off 4 of the Big 5. The next morning, we completed the Big 5 plus seeing a Honey Badger in daylight. We had a great team on the jeep, and we all got on very well. The Driver, Josh and Tracker, David, were the A-team. We called our team the Honey Badgers. Josh threw us a challenge as we had ticked off our list of animals to see and we seemed to have a positive energy and a lot of luck. Josh said he wanted to track down a White Lion. At first i thought this was a myth. We headed out the next morning to an area where hardly anyone goes. We found the white lion and his brother. We stopped for 20 minutes or so just watching them watch us. I never thought that we would see such a thing. The staff at Motswari are amazing and nothing is too much trouble. Food is incredible and i never thought that i would like to eat Warthog but it is amazing. Take advantage of the midday walks with your guide, they are very informative and something different or you could simply sit in the meeting area with a cold beer watching elephants around the waterhole or warthogs coming in eating the grass with impala or springboks Motswari is not cheap when compared to other lodges, but you do get what you pay for. It is a long way to Sth Africa so you may as well make the most of it and do it right. Read less

We've just returned from our Safari to South Africa and the Motswari Private Game Reserve.  I've always thought I had a great imagination, but even at its best, my imagination paled in comparison to the reality that we experienced!  I could never have imagined that we could have seen so many different animals!  My husband and I have half-joked that we didn't just see the Big 5, but that we saw the Big 25!  I could also have never imagined how close we were able to get to the animals!  I'm not even kidding when I say that a lion came to within 4 feet of our vehicle!  The lion couldn't have cared less that we were there, but each occupant of our vehicle got the thrill of a lifetime!  Toward the end of our stay, we were able to see a magnificent leopard with his dinner (an impala) up in a tree!  What a thrill! The Motswari staff were beyond wonderful.  With Josh as our guide and David as our spotter, we were able to go to so many different beautiful places and see so many different species that it was like something from a dream!  Josh was able to answer all of our (relentless) questions with so much knowledge about the flora and fauna of the Timbavati. The two of them were wonderful to spend our time with, and I would love to adopt them both! I'm not sure of his title, but Timothy seemed to be running the show at Motswari and doing so to perfection!  We've called him the Mr. Carson of Motswari. Everyone, everywhere was friendly, helpful, efficient, and seemed to exude the joy of being a part of the beauty of their surroundings.  The food was excellent, the grounds were pristine, the beds were comfortable, the bungalows were nothing short of luxurious, and the wildlife that wandered in and out of the grounds was awe-inspiring!  We met John, Ofentse, Elizabeth, Dimpho, and I so wish I remembered the chef's name, and many more.  All were so kind and sweet that I feel like we now have a family in South Africa. As for the process itself, when I called and spoke to Emma at Yellow Zebra about a year and a half ago, one of her first questions to me was "why do you want to see Africa?".  When I responded that we were going to see the animals, she asked, "which animals?".  Mine were the giraffe, the zebra, the elephant, and the lion (I didn't dare hope we would be lucky enough to see the ever-elusive leopard).  My husband wanted to see the lion and the wildebeest.  She responded immediately that we wanted to go to Kruger National Park.  With more questioning, including our budget requirements, she determined that the Timbavati region was where we wanted to be.   I believe she had recommended Motswari, Walker's Bush Camp, and Geiger's Camp.  Because of unforeseen circumstances, we had to postpone for about a year and that's when Catherine was able to step in.  She was able to help us finally narrow our choice down to Motswari and handled the booking, the in-country flights, the ground transportation, and every other detail related to our visit.  Combined with all of the information sent to us in preparation for our trip, not a single detail was left to chance.  Communication could not have been better.  Kudos to Emma and Catherine for making everything work so seamlessly. A huge bonus is that we met some new friends along the way.  Andy and Heather R. from Scotland, and Maxine and John T. from England were in our vehicle from day one.  Both couples were about our age and both were a ton of fun.  We ended up having each of our meals together, as well as our game drives.  We probably drove Josh and David nuts, but we had a splendid time and talked and laughed way too much!  We have already become Facebook friends and hope to meet up again sometime in the future.  Now we're back home in Utah, USA with memories for a lifetime.  I have very seriously teared up half a dozen times, or so in the last 3 days, just missing the beauty and brilliance that was South Africa.  I can 100% guarantee that this will not be our last trip with Yellow Zebra and Motswari Private Game Reserve and their incredible talent for what they do.   Thank you, thank you, thank you! Read less

Where to start? This our second visit to the Motswari lodge and I didn't think it would be possible for us to enjoy it even more the second time around - but we did! There is not a single thing you could fault about the experience. The food is absolutely sublime; local, fresh and most importantly, delicious! All meals and drinks were served by Motswari's excellent team - all of whom were friendly, welcoming and hospitable. Tim, Prince and their wonderful colleagues ensure you could not want for anything - and we didn't! It seems cliched to describe the staff as one big family, but that's exactly how it came across. Most of the staff have been there for very many years and it is genuinely wonderful to see the way they interact with one another. I can say for certain that this makes the trip even more enjoyable for guests! On our previous visit, we had Josh and David as our tracker team. On both occasions, they delivered the fabled 'big 5' and just about everything else, and we could not have asked for a more knowledgeable pair. Josh's and David's working dynamic was a joy to witness and they really are a credit to Motswari. I have no doubt that all the guides are brilliant at their jobs but my wife and I were delighted when our request to have Josh and David once agin was accommodated! Between them, Josh and David do not miss a single animal and they are both more than happy to answer the endless list of obscure and probably bizarre questions I fired at them! In addition to the game drives, we also went on a bush walk led by Hayden. As with Josh and David, Hayden's passion for wildlife and delivering a fun experience really shone through, and we spent the bulk of our journey tracking a leopard - which was very exciting! Unfortunately, the wily cat ultimately managed to evade us but we learnt a lot thanks to Hayden's attention to detail, seeing the bush from a completely different perspective. We were very fortunate to spend another night in the Giraffe's Nest - a truly unique offering that enables guests to sleep under the stars, in complete wilderness, with only the wildlife and much food and drink for company! During our stay we saw a rhino, buffalos, hyenas, and some other unidentifiable animals visit, and we could not recommend this experience enough. Sincere thanks to every single member of the team at Motswari, all of who contribute to making the lodge so special. The mantra at Motswari is 'arrive as a visitor, leave as a friend' - and you certainly get a sense of that! I don't imagine it will be too long before we come back for a third time... Read less

Wow - what an experience. This place and this trip exceeded all expectations. The food was so fabulous. The drives were so good and informative. The lodge is the perfect size. The rooms are charming. But above all else, the staff is just unbelievably amazing. We truly arrived as guests and left as friends. Everyone was amazing but in particular I have to call out a few. Dinpho, Pretty, Timothy and Jan you made our meals and cocktail hours so so delicious and so so fun (honestly, the rest of the staff did too but we just so happened to get to know each of you a little better). I just adore each of you. Lot and Lola - I don’t even know how to thank you both for making this the trip of a lifetime. Your knowledge, humor and beautiful personalities surpassed all expectation. I don’t know how they hire and train their people but kudos to anyone responsible for finding the staff - every last one of them! Every detail here is so thoroughly thought out. Every need is met. I truly cannot say enough good things about our experience. I felt so safe and well taken care of. If I could give more than five starts I absolutely would. Read less