Ulusaba Rock Lodge

Kruger and surrounds, South Africa

Virgin rating

The hotel

Owned by our own Sir Richard Branson, this is one of the most luxurious and exclusive game lodges in the world. It is located amid the breathtaking landscapes of Sabi Sands and combines exceptional service with a superb safari experience - what could be better? If you have a head for heights, stay in the unique Rock Lodge, high above the reserve, where all rooms have beautiful panoramic views and are carved out of the Ulusaba rock itself. For a change of scenery, why not combine your stay with Ulusaba's nearby Safari Lodge, located right in the heart of the bush. Your day starts early with a cup of tea and then it's out to the 4WDs in search of the reserve's exciting creatures. Then it's back to the lodge for a delicious hearty breakfast and a chance to enjoy the impressive leisure facilities. You'll also enjoy an evening safari to spot some different bush creatures, before enjoying a first-class dinner accompanied by excellent wines and occasionally by tribal dancers and singers.

Amenities

  • Honeymoon
  • Safari
  • Wedding
  • Bar
  • Evening Entertainment
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Internet Access
  • Restaurant

Where is it

In the western sector of the Sabi Sand reserve. Road transfers from Kruger Mpumalanga or Skukuza airport are available. We recommend to fly direct from Johannesburg to Ulusaba's private airstrip. Flight time approximately: 1 hour 20 minutes.

Hotel information

Ulusaba has 20 rooms and suites spread over 2 exquisite lodges. Rock Lodge is set 800 feet above the wilderness perched on the summit of a koppie. There are 8 rooms at Rock Lodge including 4 Rock Cliff Rooms, 2 Makwela Suites, Master Suite, Two Bedroom Rock Suite and also Cliff Lodge featuring 2 magnificent suites offering guests the ultimate in safari luxury. All with private entrances and terraces providing incredible views of passing animals on their way to the nearby waterhole, air conditioning, ceiling fan, mini-bar (restocked daily), a sitting area and en-suite bathroom with separate bath and shower. 

Rock Cliff Rooms are spacious with a private viewing deck and spectacular views over the vast landscape, en-suite bathroom, twin or double beds, sleeping maximum 2 adults. 

Please note: 2 of the Rock Cliff Rooms are split level with a spiral staircase.

All Inclusive of: all food and beverages - including top quality wine list, premium-branded spirits and French Champagne. Twice daily game-drives, daily walking safari (subject to favourable weather conditions), local entertainment, laundry service and transfers from Ulusaba air strip.

2 Bedroom Rock Suite features 1 master lavish bedroom with a full en-suite with views over the bush with 1 king-size bed and there is 1 smaller bedroom with an en-suite shower room. This spacious suite with separate living area, is ideal for families, sleeping maximum 3 adults.

The Master Suite has 3 levels, offering 1 double bedroom with spacious en-suite bathroom and balcony with infinity plunge pool providing beautiful views. The separate living area also has a private furnished sun deck and has a telescope to watch the stars - a perfect room for honeymooners! The Suite sleeps maximum 2 adults.

Makwela Suites are built on 2 levels offering a spacious bedroom, living area, library area, infinity plunge pool and outdoor showers on the private balcony, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

Cliff Lodge features 2 magnificent suites offering guests the ultimate in safari luxury.

Cliff Lodge 1 is an opulent 2 bedroom suite with 1 large bedroom and a second smaller bedrooms - great for families as it can accommodate maximum 3 adults. It also features a spacious lounge with fireplace, kitchen with bar, a mini-gym and outdoor deck with large private pool.

Cliff Lodge 2 is a spacious one bedroom suite sleeping maximum 2 adults. The luxurious suite features a lounge area with fireplace and has its own Jacuzzi on the large viewing deck with stunning views over the bush.

You can hire both suites at Cliff Lodge for exclusive use which includes your own chef and private vehicle for game-drives. Cliff Lodge can accommodate a maximum of 5 adults when booked exclusively.

Romance/Honeymoon package

Enhance your stay by adding a Romance/Honeymoon package to your room or suite and recieve the following benefits:

- A fruit basket and champagne in the room on arrival

- The Aroma Boma Devotional Journey spa treatment for two (60 minutes)

- Lovers’ Picnic private lunch on a day of your choosing

- Romantic bath time experience on an evening of your choosing

- Private dinner on the last evening complete with own personal butler

- Complimentary space-available upgrade

- Gift on departure

  • Free Nights: Stay for 4 nights, pay for 3 (stay for 8 pay for 6) for stays completed between 1 Mar–31 May '24 and 1 Nov–19 Dec '24. Any applicable offers have been calculated into the prices shown. Offers may not be combinable. Blackout dates apply. Terms and conditions apply. 

Local entertainment. Daily game-drives. Late morning walking safaris. Outdoor swimming pool. Viewing deck. Aroma Boma spa*. Gym and 2 tennis courts. Video, music and book libraries. Wine cellar at Safari Lodge. Observatory in the bush for star gazing. Complimentary WiFi access.

3 nights between 22 Dec-1 Jan.

* Denotes local charge.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (334)
  • Very good (15)
  • Average (5)
  • Poor (3)
  • Terrible (2)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Amazing. Have been twice and will go again.

Mar 2, 2024 Jacob W

The most amazing hotel where they have thought of everything Our guide Brogan was great - knowledgeable, funny , personable and engaging. Great job also by Sipu the tracker Food amazing, rooms amazing, staff so nice and friendly Our favourite destination so far and will revisit again AmazIng small touches like snacks and drinks watching… Read more
The most amazing hotel where they have thought of everything Our guide Brogan was great - knowledgeable, funny , personable and engaging. Great job also by Sipu the tracker Food amazing, rooms amazing, staff so nice and friendly Our favourite destination so far and will revisit again AmazIng small touches like snacks and drinks watching the sunset at the end of the game drives Chef announcing the menu pre dinner 10/10 Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Ulusaba is the most magical place ever

Feb 22, 2024 LizUk UK

Absolutely amazing trip! We loved every minute A huge thank you to the whole team at Rock Lodge for a wonderful stay. Eric and Mango - what can we say! You were brilliant. We had such fun and got to see the Magnificent Seven in 2 days. Your love for what you do is incredible! And you found us a cheetah with a cub! Matt and the team at Rock… Read more
Absolutely amazing trip! We loved every minute A huge thank you to the whole team at Rock Lodge for a wonderful stay. Eric and Mango - what can we say! You were brilliant. We had such fun and got to see the Magnificent Seven in 2 days. Your love for what you do is incredible! And you found us a cheetah with a cub! Matt and the team at Rock Lodge were fab. You all looked after us so well. Food was amazing and so many little extras like mimosas in the bush for breakfast and the Bomo last night It was also great to revisit Safari Lodge and see Janine again This is one of the best places ever to go. Our real happy place! An absolute must do We will be back again. Thank you to you all Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Cliff lodge

Feb 19, 2024 278krysl

Just returned from a magical week at cliff lodge with our daughter and grandchildren. Cliff lodge is absolutely beautiful and the views are breathtaking. Brogan and Sipho made every game drive memorable, their enthusiasm and knowledge was a joy to behold. Even though they had both been doing the job for years they were both as excited as us over… Read more
Just returned from a magical week at cliff lodge with our daughter and grandchildren. Cliff lodge is absolutely beautiful and the views are breathtaking. Brogan and Sipho made every game drive memorable, their enthusiasm and knowledge was a joy to behold. Even though they had both been doing the job for years they were both as excited as us over every animal we found. We witnessed a kill, elephants playing in the water, lion cubs playing in the long grass, wild dogs chasing impala and many more moments of the animals in their wild habitat. Anre, our hostess, looked after every detail of our stay and arranged a number of surprises!! Connie, our chef, served up some delicious meals and Dora, our housekeeper, kept the rooms beautiful with a big smile . Mr. Branson, you must feel very,very proud of the lodge and the magical team who run it. We cannot think of a better place to be. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Just the best

Jan 30, 2024 mikeandshirl West Sussex, United Kingdom

Another fabulous trip to Ulusaba, our ninth, and another already booked for September. It’s hard to relate any more superlatives than we have for the last eight visits, so suffice to say again that this is a trip you should not miss. Everything is organised to the last detail from the moment you step off the ‘plane and walk up the steps to the… Read more
Another fabulous trip to Ulusaba, our ninth, and another already booked for September. It’s hard to relate any more superlatives than we have for the last eight visits, so suffice to say again that this is a trip you should not miss. Everything is organised to the last detail from the moment you step off the ‘plane and walk up the steps to the “arrival hall” at Ulusaba. This time we were guided by Brogan and his tracker Sipho, and Henry and his tracker George, all four of them absolutely brilliant and great fun to be with. As always, every drive is different so don’t be tempted to have a lie-in and miss one, you will regret it! The room is kept spotless, and the laundry comes back within 24 hours, sometimes faster. Meals are very special and if you ate everything that was offered you would not be able to walk to the Landrover for the drives. If you like a tipple or two this is the place for you as the huge supply of drinks in your room is topped up as soon as one is “sampled”. The bar in the main lounge is always open! Of course, the reason for visiting Ulusaba is not to eat and drink or get your clothes laundered, it is to see the wildlife. If you’ve never seen a leopard before this is the place to go and we were lucky enough see the famous resident Basile’s three month old cub literally inches from the Landrover, completely relaxed. You will see the Big 5 during your visit and on one occasion we saw all Five within two hours. Couple that with cheetah, wild dogs and hyena with cubs, and it’s difficult to imagine what else you would want. Thanks Ulusaba and we’ll see you all again in September. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating An experience you’ll never forget!

Jan 29, 2024 Anita B

We stayed at Rock lodge for 4 nights. Upon arrival we were greeted by Eric and Mango who were to be our ranger and tracker throughout our stay. They welcomed us with drinks which was much needed after a long 24hr journey! The Rock Cliff lodge team exceeded our expectations and we received the best customer service, nothing was a trouble. I can… Read more
We stayed at Rock lodge for 4 nights. Upon arrival we were greeted by Eric and Mango who were to be our ranger and tracker throughout our stay. They welcomed us with drinks which was much needed after a long 24hr journey! The Rock Cliff lodge team exceeded our expectations and we received the best customer service, nothing was a trouble. I can probably say it’s the best place I’ve ever stayed where hospitality was at its best. Mr Branson should be proud of what he has achieved here. The whole team work so hard to make your stay unforgettable whilst being so down to earth. A special HUGE thank you to Matt the manager at the lodge who went out of his way to help make my 40th birthday one I’ll never forget. I’ve never been so spoilt on my birthday, with a couples massage, lunch at the waterhole, dinner in the wine cellar and a birthday cake! Each day we had two game drives with Eric and Mango who are the best in their field and worked so hard to track the animals. They even managed to show us all the big five in one drive on my birthday! I couldn’t have asked for better people to share some rare and emotional experiences with when seeing animals in their natural habitat. By the end of trip they became our friends. The Rock Cliff lodge has unspolit views across Sabi Sands and in our opinion is better than the Safari lodge due to this. However Safari lodge you will get to see the animals outside your room window! Matt and the team organised for us to visit the Safari lodge for afternoon tea and on our last night we all joined the them for drinks, Braai and traditional African dancers. Which was a great end to our stay and a nice touch. I can say enough about Ulusaba other than they have got it so right and the whole team do their job to the best standards. A lot of other hotels/lodges could learn a lot from them. Thank you, until we meet again team Ulusaba….. Read less