Visited Vuyani for 5 nights at the start of November with my sister and partner. It’s hard to put into words how good it was.

We shared Honeymoon Suit 1 (HM1) and they setup an additional bed for my sister. The rooms are quite spacious and you never feel you are getting under each other’s feet. The little plug pool was well used on the hot sunny days.

Each room has a small fridge containing a selection of beers, cider and some soft drinks as well as a few bags of crisps, all of which are topped up every day. Some wine would have been nice as I’m not much of a beer drinker, I suspect I could have asked for a bottle but drinks are available all the time from the bar and it really wasn’t a deal breaker.

I saw some reviews that said get Peace as your tracker. You are pre allocated a tracker and driver for your stay and we lucked out and got Peace and Jannie who were both amazing. In fairness, everyone said their driver and tracker were amazing, Yuyani only hire amazing people so you are in good hands no matter who you drive with, but we certainly had the most fun.

I think in total there are only 10 rooms at Vuyani so it’s very personal and comfortable. Everyone knows your name and preference and it feels like a big family rather than big impersonal hotel.

Game drives take place twice a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Depending on the time of year, we were getting up at 4:30am to be ready for 5:15am. Animals don’t appear on demand and it’s not a zoo so you need to be ready when they are active. The game drives are a lot of fun as you never know what you are going to see, they are a mini adventure. It’s quite a thrill to jump in the 4x4, drive for 100 meters and see giraffes, elephants etc and then get a call to say lions have been spotted. All the guides work together to find the animals and driving off road was a lot of fun.

We saw so many amazing sights. Lions pulling the head off breakfast, elephants so close you could see your reflection in their eyes. Stopping for drinks with crocodiles, hippos, hyenas and a leopard all less than 100m away.

My sister was on a call back home and I overheard her say, “I have seen things you wouldn’t believe”, that pretty much summed it up.

I took on average 200 photos every day and I could write another 50 chapters on the experience. Just book it already.

From being picked up at Johannesburg Airport to welcome and stay at Vuyani everything went smoothly. The staff were very friendly and helpful, nothing was a problem for them.
Huge thank you to Alissa, Russell, Chriswell, Witness, Godsave, Bennett, Andrews to name a few who made the whole trip wonderful and to help organise champagne and special dinner as we arrived on Dave's birthday.
The safari drives with in the reserve didn't disappoint, the knowledge of the guide passed on was informative and interesting. The boat trip in the 3rd biggest water canyon was great, the guide on our boat was funny in a good way.
Alissa organised for us to go to a local day spa for a massage which was one of the best.
Trip went all too quickly, will definitely go back.

This was my first visit to Vuyani and I was full of anticipation.
From the welcome at the airport, to the farewell from the lodge it was a wonderful experience.
The people are beautiful, nothing is too much trouble and they want you to love the country as much as they do.
The chefs had no trouble accommodating my food allergy and the communal tables at meals were fun (and it’s okay to ask for your own table if you prefer). The food was delicious. Local produce, imaginative combinations, beautifully presented and the wine flowed freely.
My room ( in the apartment) was spacious, comfortable and clean but a little noisy so I’ll definitely splash out and upgrade next time I visit. There are a variety of options and, again, the staff will do their best to accommodate.
There are two game drives daily, with a 5 a.m. wake up call. The guides and trackers are exceptionally knowledgeable and soon suss out what each guest wants from their experience. We saw the Big Five and so much more besides, as well as getting to know a lot about the country.
Epic, awesome, these words are not too much. Once in a lifetime, nah who am I kidding?!
Thank you to everyone who made my first safari holiday so special.