Mongena Private Game Lodge

Kingfisher Resturant stunning food. But the service is slow and has been on all the occasions I have been ( 3 times) Game drives - 100% worth the money. Rangers are helpful, insightful know their "stuff" Its calm and not over crowded. Closest I have been to game Clean and spotless. Beautiful rooms. Rooms are large- bathrooms are more than enough. Staff - arrogant and unwelcoming. It says on the website day visitors but there are limited facilities to have a sandwich while you wait for your drive. Some staff are helpful . Others are not. Staff have different ideas about the " rules" This is a missed opportunity in my mind as the day visit is a treat - if you could have a snack and drink while you waited. The Resturant service is too slow. Boba dinner is limited, not every night and there is no coffee station. If you are staying over there is only the restaurant and no take out service or menu. Limited menu times, what can be made when .... means you cannot have a snack. I would say try - I think it has the potential to be outstanding. Just a pity about the attitudes but if you can overcome arrogance and it's this way only - or you are wrong. It's worth the night and the day visit.

Who would have thought that less than 90 minutes drive from Gauteng one can find oneself in typical South African bushveld, complete with plentiful game … and the Big Five. Sound wonderful? Our recent trip to Mongena was a delight. We chose to stay at Little Mongena for the glamping experience. This proved to be the best decision for us. We love every moment. We’ll add to that attentive, friendly staff who go way beyond the extra mile to ensure that your stay in the bush is everything you could wish for. Knowledgeable game guides keep one interested with information and anecdotes about the wildlife … big and small. In our three days we saw elephants many times, lions on different occasions, both black and white rhino at different times, as well as many buck species, warthogs, jackals (including a little pup) … and to our delight, two Caracals, and a Python. Then, we need to mention the food. Well, the best is to experience that for yourself. Delicious, catering to different tastes, the meals are scrumptious. Will we return? For sure - we can’t wait!

Stayed in an A/C chalet en-suite November 21 - December 2, 2024. Clean, comfortable, quiet. Animals wandering the grounds are charming. Zebra, antelope, springbuck. Food is good. Special diets accommodated. Snacks and drinks on the game stop beautifully presented. Food in general beautifully presented. The most impressive aspect of the experience was 1) the profound respect the rangers have for the wild animals and 2) the depth of knowledge with which they spoke about them. Moving moments: the indigenous entertainment: the call and response of the African song. The dance. The music. The grounds are appropriately maintained. Many of the indigenous trees and shrubs are loaded with thorns. (Who brings flip flops on a safari?)

Travelled to mongena with my best friend and our 2 dads for our first ever safari, we had 1 night in the main lodge and after a long travel from the uk was pleased to be welcomed with a lovely big room each and equally as big bathrooms. After settling in and getting refreshed we were greeted by Shareece who would be our guide during our stay at main lodge. She gave a quick safety brief and we were away on our first trip, there was 4 in our party and another man who was in our van so all in all 5 of us and the guide, I felt this was a lovely amount of people as we had plenty of room in the van to move around and take photos. During our 1 night stay we had 2 safaris, 1 afternoon drive after arriving, and 1 early morning one the next day, I must say Shareece was extremely knowledgeable and tried her best to ensure we saw as many animals as we could without feeling rushed and somehow during our first 2 drives we’d managed to see most of the big 5! I’d say the grounds of mongena were kept well and definitely had the bush African experience we were looking for, there was plenty of impalas and zebras walking round freely much to the delight of our group. The rooms were lovely and clean, beds comfy and the bathrooms were also nice and clean, we did only stay here for one night so can’t comment on frequency of cleaning etc. The food at the kingfisher restaurant was absolutely amazing for each meal we had while there, and while soft and alcoholic drinks weren’t included between the 4 of us hardly spent anything compared to the price of the uk! Overall for our first safari experience we all throughly enjoyed the accommodation and game drives we did and were happy with the animals we did see. I will say at the time of year we went I would definitely recommend taking a jumper/coat as a minimum because the morning/evening drives can be pretty chilly with the wind when the sun isn’t around!

We stayed at Mongena for a week and got married there on the Saturday night. So we've been interacting with Marina and her team for nearly a year planning the wedding. We had the most amazing time. All of the staff that we interacted with were extremely professional and treated us really well. They really go the extra mile to make sure you are looked after. The food is incredible - everything we ate was delicious. The grounds are very well kept and there are zebra, springbok and nyala roaming around, which are beautiful to look at. We went on a sunset cruise and two game drives, and saw a lot. The rangers were professional and knowledgeable, while also being helpful. The wedding was incredible - Marina is the most amazing organiser and every member of her team worked very hard to make the wedding a success. Everyone had a good time. We had people stay over on the Friday night before the wedding and it was great to have more time to interact with our guests. Overall a fantastic experience and would highly recommend it. Bonus that it is so close to Johannesburg and OR Tambo airport.

Great lodge, service and food. Good value for money. The busbucks and monkeys in the lodge grounds keep you entertained. The staff is well-trained, and the accommodation is clean, tidy and comfortable. The restaurant’s food is delicious and has an excellent selection available.