Luxury with a sense of humor and adventure
Jul 9, 2025 dioforrio San Luis Obispo, California
My mom and I visited Ulusaba Nov 8-11 2024 for 3 nights at Safari Lodge in River Room 2. The summer rains had not yet started and a long drought had stretched on, but even in its driest point the grounds and surroundings here were beautiful. River 2 feels very private and tucked in nature, with a deck and plunge pool facing away from the main…
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My mom and I visited Ulusaba Nov 8-11 2024 for 3 nights at Safari Lodge in River Room 2. The summer rains had not yet started and a long drought had stretched on, but even in its driest point the grounds and surroundings here were beautiful. River 2 feels very private and tucked in nature, with a deck and plunge pool facing away from the main lodge and opening right up into the bush. We frequently saw nyala, kudu, elephant, mongoose, monkey, etc from our room. One morning we woke to several hyenas dragging a kill past our deck to their nearby pupping den. I can only imagine in the green season how lush the view from the deck into the bush must be. The room was spacious and beautifully designed but still felt distinctly African. Many luxury accommodations in South Africa become SO luxury that they feel sterile and overly modern to the point you’d hardly know you are in Africa. Ulusaba struck the perfect balance of classic bush elegance.
My favorite part about Ulusaba Safari Lodge was their grounds. Sometimes safari really lacks in providing you the ability to explore and stretch your legs, but here there was lots of room to explore. The lodge is designed with the bar, lounge, main dining, pool, spa, gym, curio shop, etc all connected in the main area. To access the river rooms you cross a series of suspension bridges and wooden platforms/stairs that are great fun (for those with full mobility). Beyond the river rooms, a long expanse of raised wooden pathways lead you through the tree canopy deeper into the bush for probably a 1/3 of a mile. You can watch the elephants graze and take in the sights and sounds, see the koppies in the distance and Rock Lodge perched on the hill. The path eventually terminates at a dam/water hole. There is a covered lounge area to relax and watch the hippos and crocodiles, and enjoy the wildlife coming down to drink. This is also the location of the treehouse suite. During our midday break my mom and I frequently went for walks to the dam, it was really beautiful and such a nice change of pace to walk around independently. They also were kind enough to take us up to Rock Lodge on our first afternoon before game drive to appreciate the views there as well.
The food at Ulusaba never stopped coming and was great. It wasn’t the best we had on our whole trip, but still high quality and plentiful. Tea, coffee, and light snacks were available before morning drive. Back from drive and a full breakfast buffet of fruits, yogurts, cereals, and pastries were served, with hot plated options available on order. Lunch was served around 12:30 (as if you needed it!). High tea at 3:30 pm had more beverages and snacks before drive, and then dinner was typically plated appetizer, main, and dessert. Not to mention sundowners and coffee and rusk breaks on drives. You also have a full bar in your room that also has snacks. If you still feel hungry while staying at Ulusaba, you should consult your doctor. We also super enjoyed the surprise night in the boma with drumming, dancing, and food from the braai.
Our drive team of James and Orange were the best. James was serious, thoughtful, and informative when the occasion called for it, but usually the occasion called for comedy and enthusiasm, and he brought all that to the table, quick to laugh and crack a joke, and bubbling over with enthusiasm for every sighting big and small. I hate a stuffy atmosphere or when things are too solemn on safari, so the ability to joke around and get pumped up for cool sightings was the best. Orange is a trickster and jokester himself, they make a wonderful team, and I would go back just because of them.
And of course, the wildlife. I believe the very first animal we saw on our very first drive was the famed leopard Ravenscourt. He was lounging on a termite mound with the African sun setting behind him, and gave us several walks right past the vehicle. We could have stopped right there and the trip would have been complete. But we were gifted sightings of 3 different leopards in our 3 days, a total of 5 sightings. As if that weren’t enough, we had wild dog, rhino with calf, lions galore, great elephant sightings, hyenas with pups. The list goes on. You won’t be disappointed.
My only criticism of Ulusaba (and it’s a small gripe) was timing of some of the meals and activities. Afternoon game drive didn’t depart safari lodge until 4 pm. During our time we were sharing a vehicle with guests at Rock Lodge, and had to go up to Rock Lodge to pick them up. This meant we weren’t really starting drive until 4:20 or so. Not a huge deal, but it did cut into game drive time and your ability to get to sightings before other vehicles. Most other lodges we stayed at started at 3:30 pm, which I think helped give you the most drive time without pushing dinner too late, because the evening meal timeline at Safari lodge went pretty late. Vehicles would trickle in from evening game drives and slowly gather in the bar. Once everyone had arrived they announced the menu, and everyone would be seated and dinners were served plated by course. Sometimes it was 8:30 or later before we sat down to dinner, and on two of the nights we didn’t get back to the room to 10:30-11 pm, so by the time you hit the pillow it’s after 11 pm and you need to be up at 4:30-5:00 am to get ready for game drive. Safari isn’t designed for sleeping in, but that’s was a bit rough even by average Safari timing standards. That said, we still had a blast here and wouldn’t have dreamed of sleeping in/skipping a game drive. But seems like if they bumped up their afternoon game drive departure to 3:30 pm, it could get everyone back a touch earlier for dinner, without missing out at all on sightings. Just a suggestion :)
Our last night and morning, the long awaited rains finally arrived. We were treated to an incredible lightning storm that last night. The rains were quite heavy that last morning but still James and Orange pushed on to give us all the sightings they could before we left. When we landed in Cape Town I cried my eyes out already missing this experience so much. Thank you James, Orange, and the Ulusaba team. We’ll be back some day.
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