Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve

5.0 star property

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your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve

2 outdoor pools, pool umbrellas, sun loungers
Luxury King Suite  | 1 bedroom, minibar, in-room safe, desk
Sundeck
Luxury Safari Tent  | 1 bedroom, minibar, in-room safe, desk
Exterior

Reviews

8.4 out of 10

Very good

Popular amenities

  • Bar
    Bar
  • Pool
    Pool
  • Breakfast included
    Breakfast included
  • All inclusive
    All inclusive
  • Spa
    Spa
  • Room service
    Room service

Explore the area

Map
Amakhala Game Reserve, Paterson, Eastern Cape
  • Amakhala Game Reserve
    1 min walk
  • Shamwari Game Reserve
    27 min drive
  • Lalibela Game Reserve
    31 min drive

Room options

Luxury Safari Tent

  • 484 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

Luxury King Suite

  • 484 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Luxury King/Twin Suite

  • 484 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

Similar properties

About this property

Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve

5-star Paterson lodge with restaurant
This smoke-free lodge features 2 outdoor pools, a full-service spa, and a restaurant. Free continental breakfast, free WiFi in public areas, and free self parking are also provided. Other amenities include a bar/lounge, a poolside bar, and coffee/tea in a common area.
Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve offers 14 air-conditioned accommodations with private spa tubs and safes. Rooms open to balconies or patios. Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones. Coffee/tea makers and minibars are provided. Bathrooms include rainfall showerheads, slippers, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers. A nightly turndown service is provided and housekeeping is offered daily.
2 outdoor swimming pools are on site.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

Guests can indulge in a pampering treatment at the lodge's full-service spa. Services include massages.
Some rates at Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve are all-inclusive. These rates include onsite meals and beverages, and may include taxes and gratuities. Additional charges may apply for meals at some restaurants, special dinners and dishes, certain beverages, and other amenities.

Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve features 2 outdoor swimming pools. The lodge offers a restaurant. Guests can unwind with a drink at one of the lodge's bars, which include a poolside bar and a bar/lounge. A complimentary breakfast is offered. Public areas are equipped with complimentary wireless Internet access.

This luxury lodge also offers spa services, a terrace, and barbecue grills. For a surcharge, an airport shuttle (available 24 hours) is offered to guests. Complimentary self parking is available on site.

Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve is a smoke-free property.

Guests are offered a complimentary continental breakfast.
Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve has a restaurant on site.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.

All inclusive details

All-inclusive room rates at Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve are available. These rates are higher because they include onsite food and beverages in the room rate (some restrictions may apply).

Languages

English

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • 24-hour roundtrip airport shuttle on request for a surcharge
  • Free self parking on site

Food and drink

  • Free continental breakfast
  • A bar/lounge
  • A poolside bar
  • A restaurant
  • Coffee and tea in common areas

Things to do

  • 2 outdoor pools
  • Archery
  • Full-service spa
  • Game drive
  • Game viewing
  • Safari

Conveniences

  • Gift shop/newsstand
  • Laundry facilities
  • Limited-hour front desk
  • Safe at front desk

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Turndown service

Outdoors

  • Barbecue grill
  • Firepit
  • Garden
  • In a national park
  • Pool loungers
  • Pool umbrellas
  • Terrace

Full-service spa

  • Massage

Accessibility

  • No elevator

More

  • 1 building
  • 1 floor
  • Built in 2012
  • Fireplace in lobby
  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Rainfall showerhead
  • Slippers
  • Towels provided

Food and drink

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Free bottled water
  • Limited room service
  • Minibar

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Desk
  • Phone
  • Safe

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 1 PM; Check-in end time: 9:00 PM
Contactless check-in available
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
The front desk is open daily from 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Front desk staffed during limited hours
If you are planning to arrive after 3:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
Guests planning to take part in the afternoon game drive on their arrival day should check in before 2 PM.

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

No pets or service animals allowed

Children and extra beds

Children younger than 12 are not allowed at this adults-only property; all guests 12 and older are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

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 210 per person, per night. This fee does not apply to children under 2 years of age.

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

Optional extras

  • Airport shuttle fee: ZAR 3000 per vehicle (roundtrip)

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

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
This property accepts major credit cards and cash
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property
Property Registration Number 2004/024354/07

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
Guests under 12 years old are not permitted at this adults-only property
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property

National rating

Quality Graded by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) – South Africa's official quality assurance organization.

Property is also known as

Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve Lodge
Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve Paterson
Bukela Game Lodge Paterson
Bukela Game Paterson
Bukela Lodge
Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve Lodge Paterson

Bukela Game Lodge Amakhala Game Reserve Reviews

Reviews

8.4

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 9 out of 17 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 5 out of 17 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 17 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 17 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 17 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Alison, Wilton

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A luxury all- inclusive game lodge experience. The 8km drive from the main road is dirt and gravel so a little challenging for our tiny hire car. A warm welcome on arrival and our room was very spacious and comfortable ( the bed was quite hard but perhaps the mattress was new). An indoor and outdoor shower meant you could wash under the incredible stars in the night sky if so inclined. Lodge was comfortable and well decorated if slightly lacking in atmosphere. Not sure if the pools were for swimming in but they looked attractive. Meals were all delicious with generous portions. The highlight of course was the game drives - you are assigned one ranger for your stay and get two drives per night stay. Our driver Edisonnwas completely brilliant and made sure we saw Lions, Elephant, Giraffe and Rhino as well as numerous species of antelope, baboons and birds. We managed three drives but opted on our last morning to relax at the lodge instead. There are more luxurious lodges out there but this is at the high end of the less expensive lodges on Amakhala.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

8/10 Good

Kevin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Lodge with awful access road for cars
A great lodge in Amakhala reserve. Accommodation very good but in need of upkeep. Balcony furniture was in a sorry state and outside shower was too unhygenic to use
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2021

8/10 Good

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent game drives and good accommodation
Main reason to visit is the game drives and these were excellent. Lucky, our guide, was fun and informative. The tent was amazing and comfortable. The staff,with one exception, were very welcoming and eager to see were pleased. Minor blemishes, evening meals disappointing and minibar items used were not replaced. Amakhala highly recommended for inclusion on South African tour.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Lauren

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Brilliant Bukhela
Brilliant service, amazing setting, loved it! Highly recommended
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The perfect stay for a luxurious safari!
Bukela Game Lodge is the perfect stay for a short safari. We stayed 2 days at the lodge and never experienced such a luxury. The staff makes sure everything is perfectly arranged. Bukela is the only lodge that is not fenced in the area which makes it possible to wake up and have wild animals outside your front door. Would definitely recommend Bukela!
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Paul

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

10/10 Excellent

Mary-Laure

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Allez-y
Séjour parfait, staff sympathique, bonne nourriture, très bon guide
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2022

6/10 Okay

Mingyuet

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Bukela is a beautiful stay, facilities are great, friendly staff and our ranger (Sim) was very knowledgeable. Foodwise is really below average, just not good especially for a 5* resort. It felt like diner was prepared during the day and heated up in the evening, just not fresh. Breakfast was really poor. Only meal that was good was the lunch. No snacks during the day. Due to this matter i will not likely to visit Bukela again nor reconmend to anyone which is regretful as the staff and facilities were great. For the price you pay I would have expected high quality meals.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
die Lage ist wunderbar, das Wasserloch lockt viele Tiere an, bei uns kamen 2x über 25 Elefanten, die beiden Pools sind klein aber sehr angenehm und schön gemacht, die Hütten könnten sauberer sein, das Essen könnte besser sein, das Servicepersonal war sehr langsam und manchmal einwenig unwissend, die Einführung am Anfang war trocken und kurz.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Großartige Anlage mit liebenswertem Personal
Liebe zum Detail, wunderschöne Chalets mit Ofen und Blick in den Giebel. Die Ranger gaben sich jede Mühe, die Big 5 aufzuspüren.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lodge mit hervorragendem Preis-Leistungsverhältnis
Eine großartige Lodge, die sich durch liebevolle Details und persönliche und herzliche Atmosphäre auszeichnet. In den reetgedeckten Häusern hat man einen freien Blick in den Dachgiebel.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hinweis für Expedia: Die Lodge war überbucht !
Wir mussten in die Hlosi Lodge ausweichen und sind nach einem Tag voller Ärger abgereist. Das Management hat uns zugesagt, Expedia zu informieren und uns den kompletten Buchungsbetrag zu erstatten.

4/10 Poor

Edgar

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Für uns kein Luxusresort und schon gar keine *****
Leider konnten wir bei unserem Aufenthalt die vorangegangenen Bewertungen so gar nicht nachvollziehen. Entweder hatten wir einfach Pech... oder aber die Qualität in "fast" allen Bereichen hat extremst nachgelassen. Wir haben 2 Nächte dort verbracht. Wir wurden weder nach unserem Game Drive am 1. Abend besonders in Empfang genommen, noch wurde der Abend besonders gemütlich zelebriert (es war auch kein Manager vor Ort) und bei meiner Nachfrage nach dem Abendessen, nach einem Amarula wurde ich vom Personal schräg angeschaut, noch wurde generell nach Getränkewünschen gefragt. Man musste jeder Flasche Wasser hinter herlaufen. Am 2. Abend war es dann sehr viel gemütlicher eingedeckt (die Managerin war diesmal vor Ort) dafür waren leider beide Gerichte eine völlige Katastrophe. Das Lamm war so durch, dass man es weder schneiden noch kauen konnte und der Fisch "roch", dass alle Gäste ihn zurück gehen liessen. So etwas darf doch nicht passieren. Am 2. Morgen mussten wir nach der Rückkehr des morgendlichen, dreistündigen Game Drives über 1 Stunde auf Kaffee und Frühstück warten (dabei ist doch bekannt, wann man zurückkommt... und die Managerin war vor Ort) Leider war auch unserer Fahrer bei den ersten Fahrten sehr unmotiviert, was sich dann erst auf der letzten Fahrt gebessert hat. Zum Glück haben wir aber trotzdem einige Tiere zu sehen bekommen. Alles in allem (unsere Klimaanlage in der Hütte war auch noch defekt) waren wir leider ziemlich enttäuscht von der gesamten Entwicklung!

10/10 Excellent

klaus schön, rhein main gebiet

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Service, Hotel, Ranger, Tiere....alles perfekt....
Einfach super.......super.....super......super....super......was soll ich noch schreiben...