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Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve

3.5 star property
All-inclusive hotel with 4 outdoor pools and free breakfast

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Photo gallery for Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve

4 outdoor pools, open 7 AM to 5 PM, pool umbrellas, sun loungers
Gift shop
River Lodge Thatched Suites | View from room
Lounge
Breakfast, lunch and dinner served

Reviews

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional

Popular amenities

  • All inclusive
  • Bar
  • 24/7 front desk
  • Breakfast included
  • Pool
  • Housekeeping

Room options

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Showing 2 of 2 rooms

View all photos for Main Lodge Superior Room

Main Lodge Superior Room | Premium bedding, pillowtop beds, in-room safe, individually decorated

Main Lodge Superior Room

Highlights

Deck/patio
Individually furnished
Individually decorated
Air conditioning
Heating
Connecting rooms available
Ceiling fan
Pillowtop bed
  • 38 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Large Twin Beds OR 1 King Bed

View all photos for River Lodge Thatched Suites

River Lodge Thatched Suites | Premium bedding, pillowtop beds, in-room safe, individually decorated

River Lodge Thatched Suites

Highlights

Deck/patio
Individually furnished
Individually decorated
Fireplace
Air conditioning
Heating
Connecting rooms available
Premium bedding
  • 51 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Large Twin Beds OR 1 King Bed

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About the neighborhood

Map
Limpopo, Hoedspruit, Limpopo, 6191

What's nearby

  • Siyafunda Conservation - 28 min drive - 4.4 miles

Getting around

  • Hoedspruit (HDS) - 174 min drive

About this property

Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve

All-inclusive family-friendly hotel in a provincial park
Free continental breakfast, game and wildlife viewing, and a free manager's reception are just a few of the amenities provided at Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve. The on-site restaurant, Makalali Dining Hall, offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Stay connected with free WiFi in public areas, and guests can find other amenities such as a terrace and a garden.
You'll also enjoy perks such as:
  • Swimming pool with sun loungers and pool umbrellas
  • Free self parking
  • A safari, a roundtrip airport shuttle (surcharge), and 4 outdoor pools
  • Babysitting (surcharge), coffee/tea in the lobby, and a gift shop
Room features
All guestrooms are individually furnished, and feature comforts such as premium bedding and air conditioning, in addition to thoughtful touches like free internet and safes.
Other amenities include:
  • Heating and ceiling fans
  • Free tea bags/instant coffee and electric kettles
  • Bathrooms with separate tubs/showers and free toiletries
  • Decks/patios, wardrobes/closets, and childcare services

All inclusive details

This hotel is all-inclusive. Onsite food and beverages are included in the room price (some restrictions may apply).

Food and beverages

All buffet meals and snacks included
In-room minibar (all beverages included)

Languages

Afrikaans, English

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free wired internet
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi and wired internet

Parking and transportation

  • Roundtrip airport shuttle (surcharge) on request
  • Free covered self parking on site
  • Free RV/bus/truck parking on site

Food and drink

  • Free continental breakfast available daily 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
  • A bar/lounge
  • A restaurant
  • Coffee and tea in common areas
  • Free manager's reception (select days)

Restaurants on site

  • Makalali Dining Hall

Things to do

  • 4 outdoor pools
  • Ecotours
  • Game drive
  • Game viewing
  • Library
  • Safari

Family friendly

  • 4 outdoor pools
  • In-room babysitting (surcharge)
  • Laundry facilities

Conveniences

  • 24-hour front desk
  • Gift shop/newsstand
  • Guidebooks
  • Laundry facilities

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Multilingual staff
  • Porter/bellhop
  • Turndown service

Business services

  • Conference center

Outdoors

  • Garden
  • In a provincial park
  • Outdoor furniture
  • Pool loungers
  • Pool umbrellas
  • Terrace

Accessibility

  • No elevator

More

  • 2 floors
  • Communal living room
  • Designated smoking areas
  • Reception hall

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Blackout drapes
  • Pillowtop mattress
  • Premium bedding

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Separate bathtub and shower
  • Shampoo
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels provided

Food and drink

  • Electric kettle
  • Restaurant dining guides
  • Tea bags/instant coffee

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Ceiling fan
  • Connecting rooms available
  • Desk
  • Heating
  • Individual decor
  • Individual furnishings
  • Phone
  • Safe

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 4:30 PM
Contactless check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); to arrange pick-up, guests must contact the property 72 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
This property doesn't offer after-hours check-in

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

No pets or service animals allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Property payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

  • Destination fee: ZAR 315 per person, per night. This fee does not apply to children under 6 years of age.

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation
This property accepts credit cards and debit cards; cash is not accepted

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
Pool access available from 7 AM to 5 PM
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms
The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property

Property is also known as

Makalali Game
Makalali Private Game Reserve Hoedspruit
Makalali Private Game Reserve Lodge Hoedspruit
Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve Hotel
Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve Hoedspruit
Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve All Inclusive
Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve Hotel Hoedspruit

Frequently asked questions

Does Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve have a pool?

Yes, this property has 4 outdoor pools. Pool access is from 7 AM–5 PM.

Is Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking at Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve?

Self parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve?

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 4:30 PM. After-hours check-in is not available.

What time is check-out at Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve?

Check-out is at 10:00 AM.

Does Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve provide a shuttle to the airport?

Yes, there's an airport shuttle that runs on request.

Are there all-inclusive benefits at Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve?

Yes, the property is all-inclusive.

Where is Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve located?

Located in a provincial park, this family-friendly hotel is 25 mi (40.3 km) from Boabab Tree at Leydsdorp.

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Aha Makalali Private Game Reserve Reviews

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 28 out of 40 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 10 out of 40 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 40 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 40 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 40 reviews

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

10/10

Amenities

9.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

amanda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Incrível , a acomodação é mto boa , quarto amplo , chuveiro incrível. Alimentação boa , e game drive inclusos incrível, com saída as 6:00am e as 4:00pm , com destaque a Isaac e butter os rangers, incríveis ….. Muito satisfeito e retornaria ao local com certeza.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

6/10 Okay

Mert

Liked: Cleanliness

Bad Food and incompetent rangers

Food is much below expectations. Most of the meat served was undercooked including chicken. Service Staff is incompetent as many places in South Africa. We have ordered wine one night and waitress just dropped the bottle in out table and left without opening and serving. Then we had to call another waitress to serve it. You need to tell everything and common sense was missing. English of the ranger for the game drives was not perfect and he was not really talkative or giving information unless asked, he was more like , yeah here is an impala but no information. Also to many questions that we have asked, the answer was “I don’t know”. I think it is worth to stretch the budget a bit more to stay in somewhere nicer.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Zaheer

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Excellent for big 5

Excellent for bush lovers
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2021

10/10 Excellent

Tumelo

Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
非常に洗練された綺麗なホテルで、シャワーやクーラーなどの設備もかなり良かったです。また、宿泊費に含まれている食事もおいしかったし、ゲームドライブも非常に楽しかったです。
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Carl

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great new hotel - super rooms

We spent a long weekend at this reserve - two adults and a teen. The hotel was lovely - new rooms and well-designed open, communal spaces. We booked two rooms and it was a bonus that they could be made to be interleading. The hotel rooms are exactly that - hotel rooms - and maybe lacking some of the charm of free-standing lodge units but very comfortable and well-appointed. The guide and tracker were friendly and knowledgeable and we enjoyed our game drives. It was great to be able to go off-road to get closer to rhino and cheetah. Whilst this is a big 5 reserve, you do travel the same roads quite a bit but the guide made an effort to vary things up on each drive and to go look for specific animals. The food was nice - and not as "conference-like" as the bigger Ivory Tree Aha resort - but not knock-your-socks-off amazing. The downside of a smaller lodge is slightly less variety and choice - but to me still better than endless buffets. Aha is running some specials where kids stay free. What this meant was that over the long weekend there were lots of noisy children in the pool and running around at the boma dinner. The hotel manager did make a plan for us to go to the quieter pool at the nearby smaller lodge which was very kind of her. Unfortunately though listening to a child play a loud game on a phone all the way through the boma dinner compromised the "peace of the bush" experience. Overall - we would go again. We had a great stay and thought it was good value.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2020

8/10 Good

Rennan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Tivemos de trocar as datas da nossa viagem devido à pandemia do Covid-19 e fomos muito bem instruidos e atendidos pela gerente de reservas. Esperamos pela estadia em Novembro.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2020

10/10 Excellent

Antony

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great hotel and game park, not so good food

Overall the stay was excellent based on the accommodation and the rangers taking us to see the most amazing array of wild animals. The only downside were the quality of the food and too many over attentive waiters and waitresses who must learn to be not so keen to remove your drink or plate, especially when you or your dining partner are still eating!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Lugar incrível ! Estrutura do hotel impecável, funcionários super atenciosos e simpáticos !! Vimos vários animais em casa Safari, inclusive um grupo de leões caçando GNUS! Carros do Safari com cobertor e capa de chuva ( precisamos !) e com guias muito bem informados !
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Raphaël

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Rangers very good. Place and location very good. Food: not good . Very average and always the same. A shame...
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

un séjour inoubliable

magnifique hébergement ,personnel aux petits soins,repas variés et de bonne qualité,des safaris extras bref rien à dire! sans oublier l'apéro en fin de safari du soir en pleine brousse et le café lors de celui du matin! le plus dur est d'arriver (et d'en repartir!)car la piste est ravinée mais après c'est que du bonheur!
notre chambre avec douche intérieure et extérieure
1er safari
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

THIAGO

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Monica E

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excelente experiencia
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Danilo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Lugar maravilhoso

Lugar maravilhoso, logo ao chegar tivemos uma recepção com nosso ranger Paulie que nos levou a 2 safaris e conseguimos ver 4 dos big five. Experiência inesquecível. Comida ótima e todos os funcionários do hotel foram muito simpáticos. Recomendo muito
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Aline

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Sensacional!

Sensacional! Optamos pelo Makalali pela comodidade, não queríamos nos preocupar com nada (Game Drive e Refeições) e foi exatamente assim. Atendimento, organização, limpeza, quartos e refeições excepcionais. Game Drive incrível, vimos os Big Five, eles procuram os animais incansavelmente, entram na mata, inexplicável. Nossa melhor escolha!
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Nathalie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent séjour, belle et grande réserve. Lodge raffiné, personnel attentionné et dépaysement garanti
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Nicole

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Brooke

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Best customer service

The customer service was absolutely above and beyond. You are treated like family. Room and lodge area is absolutely beautiful and the food was amazing. I will definitely book at Makalali again for my next visit!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019

8/10 Good

Mikael

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Nära naturen och djuren!

Du bör ha en 4x4 bil för att ta dig till detta fantastiska hotell. Närmare naturen och djuren kommer man inte, dessa stugor ligger långt ut från all annan bebyggelse. Stugorna helt otroliga men maten var inte till belåtenhet med tanke på priset på detta boende. Snopet att receptionen var stängd när vi till slut kom fram, och vi fick köra runt i skogen en stund till vi plötsligt hittade kocken som kunde hjälpa oss.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Alan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Safarimazing

We had an amazing stay, all the staff were extremely friendly and it was amazing to be living in the bush with all of the luxury conveniences in a very clean and organised lodge. Shout out to Lovedeliah (camp host), Stanley (game drive tracker), and Louise (game drive guide). The wifi was very weak around the property but you're in the bush so it was ok to be off the grid for a few days!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2018

8/10 Good

Bruno

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Muito legal!

A estadia foi realmente maravilhosa! Gostamos do hotel apesar do Safari parecer um grande zoológico! Ficávamos andando em círculos, até que alguém indicava onde está o animal! Vimos todos os Big five, o que foi bem legal! O serviço é bem exclusivo, a comida é excelente, o quarto então, maravilhoso! A única coisa que nos incomodou foi a hora do check out, aonde incluíram uma taxa de quase 500 rands por noite, taxa da qual não fomos informados hora nenhuma. A mesma taxa não foi cobrada de um casal de amigos que saiu horas depois! A diária já era bem cara, realmente a tal taxa foi uma surpresa desagradável! Acho que eles poderiam ser mais claros na chegada!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Mariana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Beautiful place to stay

Beautiful facilities, super comfortable room, great staff, food was ok but not a highlight. We got to see most animals from very up close on the safari however most of the time we are just driving thru the bushes, I can’t compare to other areas but I guess it’s normal. Only weird thing is paying a lot for an all inclusive resort and having to pay separately for water :/
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Bruno

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2017