We had a lovely stay at Motswari Private Game Reserve. We stayed for 5 nights and each day was wonderful. They only had the guests in mind, safety (making sure we got to our lodges at night safe) and food allergens were considered. We had 2 rooms and these were connected together with a door in the middle which was lovely for our family as we could walk through. However, this could also be shut when necessary. The lodges had a lovely view of the bush and we were able to see monkeys and birds from our accommodation.
On our arrival we were warmly welcomed with homemade lemonade and shown to our lodges. They had also made sure to keep lunch running for us (even though everyone had left for sunset safari).
2 safaris a day were available to us, a sunrise and sunset drive. We really appreciated the continuity of the tracker and the guide, allowing us to build a relationship throughout our stay, where they even knew our drink choices. Our tracker was Patrick, he had a good eye for finding us animals to see and made sure our experience was the best it could be. We saw all the big 5 in one day!!! And of course Patrick’s leopard more than once. He also made sure he knew our favourite animals and tried his best to search for there tracks. All the family members saw their favourites. Our guide was William, they worked really well together to ensure we had a good and safe drive! William was very knowledgeable about the animals and we could ask him questions and stop him at any time to query something. Keeping the safety of the guests in mind at all times. We also were grouped with fellow guests who we also built a bond with, this gave camp a community vibe. With it only having 18 luxury ensuite bungalows this allowed this to be possible.
We also managed to go out on a guided walk, where we saw the geographical side of the bush, William and Owen were our guides making sure we were safe throughout our time in the bush. Owen was amazing, so knowledgeable about the plants and trees, even explaining the importance to nature. We saw different types of rocks and features that we wouldn’t normally see on our drives. They kept us safe and comfortable even when we came across a family of warthogs making sure we were safe but also experience the amazing sighting.
The camp staff were lovely, with Timothy making sure we were well looked after and the kitchen staff including Chef O, making sure we had filling meals, filled with whole foods. They also catered to my dad’s dietary requirements- being lactose intolerant. Making sure he knew what he could and couldn’t eat, and sometimes preparing his food separately, when necessary to ensure he was well fed and looked after. The food still being incredibly high standards and delicious. Me and my sister are usually fussy with food but we loved it- my sister says she misses the soup at dinner and i for one missing the flavour of every meal.
We had a pre drive drink in the morning, returning for a breakfast buffet, with lots of fruit, meat and eggs, omelettes made to order!! Lunch was before the sunset drive, a buffet which was served with the staff singing and dancing, we loved this!! Lunch was carefully explained to everyone and the buffets were always high quality and delicious! Dinner was served after the last drive- pre drinks, and then the meal and organisation of how it was going to work explained every night, this was important for new guests but also to have a refresher of how the night was going to go. We were served with a starter (usually a soup and always a bread roll), our main meal (the buffet, this was always full of lots of options and amazing hot, fresh foods) and our dessert, absolutely delicious!!
My mums birthday was a few days after our departure, however the staff made sure to celebrate!! They made an amazing cake, it was huge!! And sang happy birthday to her, having a huge celebration by the fire!! This was a lovely surprise and we really enjoyed the cake. This was so thoughtful and lovely of the staff and we really appreciated it!!
The ethos of the camp is ‘arrive as a guest and leave as family’. We fill they fulfilled this and was strangely surprised of how this was possible. We had an amazing time and wish we could return in the future. We fully recommend Motswari.
Thank you to all the staff who made our stay the best possible. Thank you: Partrick, William, Owen, Timothy, Chef O and the rest of the amazing staff. Including the amazing housekeepers who made sure our room was kept clean and tidy, for our many naps tidying twice a day!!
Ciara Beetwell and the rest of the Beetwell family!
