Buhala Lodge

Superb location with stunning rooms and view! Wildlife next door 🤗 Super friendly staff and excellent kitchen! Game drive with Conor is a must! Very knowledgeable and a credit to wildlife!

The outsourced taxi service from the airport to Bahula failed to arrive. Eventually sorted but a delay of approx 2hrs in arrival at the lodge. They apologised but we felt it lacked empathy. No welcome drink offered either. Serving staff were attentive but it seemed some lacked a bit of training or in experience. New admin staffed were being introduced as,we were there and they seemed to have newer and fresher ideas on things. The Lodge is quite old and some aspects of the rooms could have had a slightly more modern feel, but still keep the rustic ambience. It also is not inside the Kruger Park but a 15 minute drive away, which is not ideal. That said the view from the Lodge of the Crocodile River and beyond could occupy you for the day quite easily with animal activity. We only did one days game drive but the guide Connor was amazing and we had an incredible day of sightings. Food was excellent, although we only knew of Veggie options half way through our stay.....on back of menu card! Lodge is aptly placed for Leopard Creek Gold club though. A lovely overall stay though.

The look and feel of the lodge is very colonial, which we like for a place on the edge of the Kruger Park and on the Crocodile River. We had a balcony suite with a large veranda overlooking the Crocodile River. We loved our room with the big open shower, which would not be to everyone's taste. The beds are big and very comfortable. Our feedback is to have some lounge chairs on our veranda. The communal terraces overlooking the river are very comfortable for lounging and watching the many animals on the river banks. We loved seeing some of the animals coming very close to the lodge. We were a group of 7. We all thought breakfast and dinner were excellent, good choices of meats and vegetarian. However, we were only told about the vegetarian option on our 3rd day. Drinks during the day and dinner are extra, which none of us had realised. Staff serving drinks, dinner and breakfast were helpful and professional. We ate outside on 2 very warm evenings, the other evenings we were semi inside/outside. All very pleasant. Some of us played golf at Leopard Creek, which is located close to the lodge and is a nice course, but not the wow factor we expected. It was disappointing that my husband, a non-golfer, could not join us on the course. We were only advised about this a couple of weeks before we arrived. Buhala tried to get him permission to join us, but it was a firm no from LC. Safari started very early at 04.45, but was well worth it as we saw the big 5 and many other animals. Bianca and Conner were very knowledgeable and provided endless information about the animals. One day we visited the Elephant Whisperers in Hazyview, a 2hr drive there and back. The 1.5hr event is very interesting and well worth the drive. WiFi is not brilliant, apparently this is due to the location of the lodge. On the day we arrived our transport at the airport had not arrived. We got in contact with our tour operator, who got it sorted with the lodge. However, overall we were 2hrs delayed. We received an apology from the lodge, but it would have been nice to receive free drinks or a bottle of wine as compensation. Towards the end of our stay we did receive a free bottle of wine, but we shouldn't have had to enquire about it. Overall we had a great stay and would return.

Buhala Lodge was our home away from home for 3 nights. Upon arrival the team made us feel at home, and attended to all our needs. The staff all knew who we were, and what we drank, making each meal easy for us. The room was amazing, we stayed at a balcony suite, that had an amazing deck overlooking the Crocodile River, which borders Kruger National Game Reserve. We sat out there many times watching the animals come drink. We also played golf at Leopard Creek, which the hotel helped manage and make reservations. They also managed and set up private safari trips, which made it very convenient for us. Overall the lodge was amazing. My only concern, which is actually normal for most game lodges, was the lack of internet capability. Yes, they have internet, but our room was further away from the lobby. This meant that when we were in our room, we had no connectivity. The only time we had connectivity was when we were in the lobby area. Each lodge will say that we should enjoy the time away from the hectic world, but the reality is, today we all need and want connectivity, and we want a great connection with multiple bandwidth. No lodge offers that, but I certainly wish they would make this happen.

My father and I first stayed at Buhala Lodge in 2016 and we have been dreaming of coming back ever since. We were finally able to bring the entire family back this month and it was even better than we remembered. The staff at Buhala Lodge are the best of the best - and I can say that because I've tried other lodges in the area and there really is no comparison! From the food, to the service, to the housekeeping, to the wine cellar, to the bush spa, to the excellent safaris... this place has everything you need. Make sure to set aside some to relax on the Crocodile River and listen to the hippos roar, that was my brother's favorite activity. I'm still dreaming about the steak, the kudu, the springbok... and the balcony views! Already looking forward to my 3rd visit :) Thanks to the whole team!

Our stay at Buhala lodge was beyond our expectations, from the place, the small personal touches in every corner, the staff, everything was perfect. We were there for a few days of our honey moon and they even choose a room with views to the river from every corner of the room. If we were to visit SA again this will definitely be one of our stops. Thank you all the staff for your kind attention to each detail or request from us. Alba & Joan