Hoyo Hoyo Safari Lodge

Untidy rooms, disgusting old pool mattrasses, musty smell in room, algae pool, unprofessional service (taking plates while eating), sour coffee (at a 5 star hotel i expect to get portafilter coffee with vegan milk options and good foam quality), they always brought the old/used butter from someone elses breakfast to the table, unorganised check out, every seating cushion on every chair in the main area is dirty, breakfast options seems to be fallen out if time, and they lack all the small bits and pieces that usually make you happy in a 5 star hotel. Our Ranger Ike was worth a five star hotel. He made us see the big 5.

We stayed at Jock Safari Lodges for a combined anniversary and birthday, we had waited many years to go on Safari and the Jock team made it incredibly special. The team are exceptional from the rangers (especially Lazarus our very good humoured guide), the chefs, waiting staff, reception, room services etc. It is without doubt the best experience from a hospitality point of view we have had…but then on top of that comes many adventures on Safari with such knowledgeable guides, they genuinely care about their work and the animals, showing respect for the environment, patience and professionalism. We encountered the big five and experienced animals interacting with one another every trip out. How to sum up our four days, exciting, special and memorable for a lifetime. We feel very, very lucky indeed!

Where do I even start....what a spectacular lodge and incredible sightings of the big 5. Everything about this experience was so far better than what we imagined. The lodge compound itself is very beautiful with the 12 suites nestled within a canopy of beautiful trees and shrubs. Being situated on 6000 hectares (or 15,000 acres) affords the opportunity to explore a large area within Kruger with just a maximum of 24 guests traveling in 4 Land Cruisers. The value of that itself can not be overstated. With most of our sightings, we were the only vehicle in that location. Our ranger, Lazarus, was exceptional and his sighting and tracking skills were remarkable. At a great distance, he spotted a leopard camouflaged in a tree! Lazarus is very knowledgeable about animal behavior and characteristics which he readily shared and thus we learned a lot! It is difficult to describe how incredible our animal sightings were. As an example, one evening we drove around a corner and came upon a pride of 11 lions – 4 lioness and 7 cubs. They casually paraded right by our vehicle (literally just a few feet away). Lazarus then turned the vehicle around and we slowly followed this pride for several minutes. It was one of many goose bump moments. We also saw 3 of the big 5 together (elephant, buffalo, lion) which was very exciting. We valued the opportunity to just sit and observe the animals up close for extended periods of time and “live in the moment” as Lazarus would say. Our suite was very comfortable and we enjoyed using the plunge pool, outdoor shower and bathtub and lounging on the day bed. We had a special visit one afternoon by an elephant who ate vegetation right by our day bed! The food served at the lodge was exceptional and the different dinner venues were beautiful and charming. All of the staff were very friendly, helpful, and accommodating. We very much appreciated all of staff's efforts to make the experience so special like offering wet hand towels upon return to the lodge after a safari trip and providing snacks and drinks during the safari trip itself. We are already planning our return to Jock Safari Lodge! I can not imagine staying anywhere else in Kruger.

Wow, what an amazing experience! Jock Safari Lodge is truly outstanding. The lodges are spacious and beautifully appointed. The food was amazing - fine dining in the middle of the Krueger National Park! There were always plenty of options for every meal - you certainly won’t go hungry. Our ranger, Jacob, was fantastic and extremely knowledgeable and found us all the big 5 and so much more. On our first drive we were totally surprised when Jacob parked up for sunset drinks - complete with tablecloth and tasty snacks! Jock Safari Lodge is an absolute must if you want to go on safari. Thank you to everyone for making our stay so memorable.

This was our second visit to Jocks and we will be back again. Every drive is different but each one is special. Dawid was very informative and we even managed the big 5 in just one evening which was amazing. The staff at Jocks are just the best and nothing is too much trouble. They made our friends birthday very special and we will not forget everyone's kindness. We will be back!

Trailfinders booked us into Jock - so it was sort of by chance we were there, but we felt so utterly bowled over by our experience of the place. There are only twelve rooms (all with wonderful views down into the Bush itself), spacious and comfortable, with many little touches - the option of an outdoor bath for example! The (incredibly plentiful) food was absolutely delicious, with masses of choice at breakfast in particular, and every other evening a very enjoyable 'BOMA' barbecue feast. But key to the whole place is the atmosphere - it feels like a family, with staff so helpful and happy among themselves, and soon recognising us, over the four days we were there. Best of all was our amazing ranger, Jacob, who was completely in tune with the Bush... he had such an understanding of the animals, could read tracks, hear calls and rustles, and generally pick up on the slightest bit of evidence. With him we saw giraffes (two of them fighting for dominance), a pride of lions (as well as a lone male), so many wonderful elephants (both peaceful and occasionally more agitated!), a herd of buffalo, two running rhino, and had a superb hour with a mother leopard and cub, playing and licking each other on a rock. The less obviously dramatic animals were often equally fascinating - a solo full-bellied hyena, finding her way home, a quiet water buck, a warthog and a couple of wildebeest, both male and female kudus, a scrub hare... and many beautiful birds, including storks and a bateleur eagle. We were drawn in, through Jacob's knowledge of, and respect for, the animals - to a deep appreciation of their habits, abilities and inter-dependencies. It was truly awesome. And Jacob himself was also dry-humoured, wonderful company. Getting to know our fellows in the jeep (often four of us, sometimes six) was also a great pleasure. It was literally like being in another world for four days - and left a deep impact on us that we'll never forget.