Emdoneni Lodge

Capacity

Style

On-site stay

Catering

Beautiful, peaceful in the bush, in the heart of Zululand. Where owners of the Lodge are involved, rooms are beautifully decorated, food is exceptional. If you want the true South African experience, visit Emdoneni. Walk with the cheetas, watch them move. This experience is highly recommended.

We really loved it, perhaps in part because we were the only guests & had the lodge & restaurant to ourselves. Grounds are beautiful, restaurant is stylish & warm, food is excellent, staff is great. Cabins are all free-standing & ours was really nice. Wifi in rooms is hit-and-miss, reliable in the main lodge. Occasional power cuts remind you you're in the middle of nowhere. The Cheetah Project was a bit of a letdown. We entered the enclosures of four cats, heard a bit about them, & the guide took our photos with them (at least four meters in between). The name seems rather lofty for this, especially considering they've only had seven cheetahs since inception.

We went to the Cat rehabilitation which was excellent. We loved the whole experience. I must say, however that we arrived a little early and went to the restaurant to have a coffee and there was no-one to serve us. When someone eventually came, we ordered and were terribly disappointed- the cappuccino was the worst I've ever had... In fact one can't call instant coffee with frothy milk, a cappuccino! What a rip off!! Sorry, but I know my coffee, and if you want to charge international prices, make sure you can meet the international standard.

Missing mosquito nets took off the full-star rating... Nice lodge, comfortable beds, very spacious, very nice and friendly staff and great food. Zebras, Nyalas and Impalas + the cats. Would have liked some more cheetah interaction. But we can recommend a atay and would return.