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5.0
#3 of 7 lodges in Thornybush Private Game Reserve
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Serondella is a 5-star family-orientated boutique safari lodge in the Greater Kruger Park. The newly renovated lodge (in 2022) envelopes one of the most active waterholes in Thornybush, providing world-class wildlife viewing with an intimacy that is designed to feel like home. The experience is immersive and conservation-focused, led by a specially curated team of guides, allowing guests to feel connected to the natural ecosystem we are privileged to be a part of.
An incredible stay, with amazing food, workers, and animals. It was our guide and tracker Benji and Jeffery who really made it perfect. They are the best and know exactly how to make you feel at home and give you the best possible experience . Also Anold was incredible and his house drinks were top tier. Everyone else was amazing as well. Couldn’t ask for a better vacation, choose serondella.
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Serondella means tracking together. Unfortunately our visit coincided with extensive rains (136mm in 36 hours) and it affected game drives. Tracking becomes a challenge. Despite comfortable ponchos that kept us dry, the rain was stinging our faces. Roland and Beni tried their best but the elements proved stronger. Pity.
I like small game lodges and Serondella is one of the nicest I have stayed in Thornybush. This is my 12th visit to the Thornybush game reserve and I would love to return here ASAP. It has a beautiful layout and nice view of water hole. The chalets are very comfortable with all the amenities one gets accustomed to.
Roland, Larissa and their team was fantastic. Nothing was too much to make our stay and the food was delicious.
Thank you. Had it been for a better weather I would’ve given this more than 5 stars
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Candice Winterboer, Marketing at Serondella Safari Lodge
Responded 24 Feb 2020
Hi there PaulPauwen, thank-you so much for leaving this review of your stay at Serondella Game Lodge! Such a pity that it rained so much during your stay, and what a downpour it was! Although much appreciated by the wildlife and plants, it can make tracking and game viewing a challenge. Hopefully the weather will be dryer on your return. Till then, take care.
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..it should be without a doubt. We had the privilege to be part of the Serondella family for four memorable days. The lodge is breathtakingly beautiful, as are the people you will meet. Guirly's kind welcoming manor makes it home fron the second you arrive. The food is divine, and in Thomas's very capable hands. The kindness and warmth of the lodge staff is genuine and remarkable.
The lodge and rooms are beautifully designed, having stylish luxury interiors, and thoughtful touches throughout. Indoor/outdoor shower, outdoor bath, plunge pool and deck overlooking the watering hole, to which elephants, impala buffalo's are regular visitors.
The spa treatments are divine, and truly therapeutic.
We were lucky meet Alfred and Andries, who gave us fascinating luxury game drives from which we learnt so much, and taught us an understanding of nature and its magnificence we will treasure. Not forgetting our early morning coffee, or Gin and Tonic watching the majestic African sunset.
But in my quiet moments of reflection, what will stay with me forever, is Wilfreds thoughtful manor, and his kind gentle reply to my thank you's.."its a pleasure".. I hope to convey..the pleasure was all ours. Thank you Serondella..from the bottom of our hearts.. xxxx
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
World class lodge with a World class team Chewy and Monica.
All the staff and management are so awesome. By far the best experience that I have ever had. The amazing stories and Chewy's vast knowledge on the bush is mindblowing. I will never look at anything in nature the same again. Chewy you are natures GOOGLE. What we did not know you taught us.
Thank you for explaining the importance of termites to us and would like to encourage all future geusts to ask Cewy about these little "single bodied" insects.
Monica The food was fantastic thanks to you and all involved in the kitchen. Jeffrey you made it possible to see 4 different leopard with your tracking skills.
Lazurus. The drinks next to the pool was refreshing and the best ever.
What a place to be. We truely did not want to leave.
Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Candice W, Guest Relations Manager at Serondella Safari Lodge
Responded 20 Jan 2020
Hi Tiaan J, thank-you for leaving this review of your stay at Serondella Lodge! Four different leopard is a massive feat - we're so pleased that you got to experience this and all the other little things that make a safari at Serondella so special. Hope to see you back again some day in the near future. Till then, take care.
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Wow. Just wow! Serondella is like heaven on earth. A truly fabulous lodge with amazing staff. Greeted with a large smile, a drink & a warm towel from the minute you arrive you feel very special. We stayed in the family suite which was like a huge house! Your every need is catered for at the lodge and they also throw in a few wonderful surprises along the way. Nothing is too much trouble. The food is awesome and there's a fully stocked bar everywhere you turn! Anold looked after us so well. The safari experience was absolutely incredible. Our guide Liam & tracker were absolutelly brilliant. We saw absolutely everything. I think we saw the big 5 in the first hour! Watching the animals come to the watering hole at the lodge is such a special experience. Our children (13 & 14) spent hours watching and taking photos. We had the most magical week as a family. Met some wonderful people & had some unforgettable experiences. I can't recommend Serondella enough. Thank you so much to all the staff, each and every one of them made our stay so special.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was our pre-covid booked trip of a lifetime that was so worth waiting for, just cannot praise everyone at Serondella enough. From the beautiful singing African welcome to the last night BOMA singing and dancing it was like staying with family whilst being totally spoilt at the same time. Unbelievable game drives, seen the big 5 and so much more, could spend hours writing that up but so much wanted to see wild dogs and that was delivered on day one. Our room was beautifully decorated and had all the mod cons you could wish for and overlooked the waterhole which hosted daily visitors including elephants, zebra, impala, warthogs and even a late night hyena and this all between game drives!!! The food was incredible and beautifully presented and considering were you are, just fantastic and definitely put a few pounds on. I always think it’s people that make the place and all of the staff at Serondella could not do enough for us and treated us truly like family. Not 100% on spelling but in no particular order special special thanks to Lorna, Gabriel, Alfred, Andries, Wilfred, Bongy, Langy, Busi, TJ and Peter, you were all fantastic, thanks again for making our stay so special. It was difficult to leave but we have many many special memories to treasure. Don’t hesitate to book Serondella, you really won’t be disappointed and I cannot recommend this lodge and fantastic staff highly enough!!! Thanks again
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Don’t think about it, just book
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are family of five spent In Serondella 2 nights for NY eve and was very impressed with with place! We travel a lot and generally stay at 5* hotels only but Serondella exceeded our expectations and become one of the best places we have ever visited.
Welcome home! - we heard from everyone upon arrival and immediately we really felt like staying home for holidays!
Our family 2bdr suite suite was very spacious and stylish with great living area and 3 terraces facing the waterhole busy with thirsty animals. There are also heated pool, 2 hot tubes and outdoor showers.
The Serondella team does a great job providing an absolutely incredible service.
The lodge doesn't have restaurant! The meals are served at different locations - at the lobby, terrace, beautiful garden, in the villa near the fire privately for our family ! Thats actually a great idea as its made each meal different and more interesting. The food is fantastic! Thank you, chef Thomas and thank you, Peter, for serving us and for your best welcome coctails after safari!
We had wonderful spa treatments with relaxed massages. Thank you so much, Patience!
The safari was soo exiting for everyone. Each time was absolutely different. Our ranger TJ is very experienced and knowledgeable ranger with a great scence of humor! Thank you so much, TJ!
And thank you,Tanya, for managing of our different request!
We will definitely come back!
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Date of stay: January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our group of 6 stayed for three nights in this magical place. Accommodations exceeded expectations as did the meals and service at the lodge. Everyone went out of their way to to ensure our stay was perfect. Feedback on sustainability was immediately acted on and corrected which only proved to us that the guests were as valued as the wildlife and our environment.
And speaking of wildlife....what a show! Every day was a new adventure. Special thanks to the expert guides and trackers who really helped us join in their love of the animals. We saw it all and learned a lot.
This turned out to be a true highlight of my visit to beautiful South Africa.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Candice Winterboer, Marketing at Serondella Safari Lodge
Responded 24 Feb 2020
Hi there 477darinh, thank-you so much for leaving this review of your stay at Serondella Game Lodge. How wonderful that we were able to communicate our dedication to our guests, the wildlife and our environment so clearly :) We really are thrilled that you had such a wonderful time here with us and got to learn so much. Hope to see you again some day.
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We stayed her 3 nights shortly after serondella reopened from remodeling. What a beautiful job they did! The room was amazing! Very spacious and you could even shower with a view of the waterhole!We saw tons of wildlife just outside our room like elephants (huge herds), zebras, giraffes, hyena, buffalos, monkeys, and all sorts of antelope.
The game drives were amazing and on our very first game drive we saw leopards within 5 minutes. We saw the big 5 in 2 days and learned so much about the animals.
The staff was great for the most part. The manager lady (liana?) Was a gem of the place. She was always there to greet you after a game drive and checked in continuously. She was fun to talk to and gave great tips for rest of trip. All staff was friendly in their greetings.. and Ismeil (spelling?) Made us laugh nonstop with his jokes. Only area of improvement is the tracker wasn't all that socialable and the tracker/guide relationship was off. BUT the tracker was fantastic at his job and found us all sorts of animals, including seeing leopards first before other cars got there. The guide Jan was great too, informing us about all the animals we saw and even doing a "Ferrari safari" to find us wild dogs.
The food was exceptional and the cocktails were great! Loved trying them all. You definitely will not go hungry here lol. I also liked they celebrated our belated anniversary trip which was planned for 2020 but rescheduled to 2021. They made us a cake and the dinner setting was beautiful!
Overall we had an AMAZING first safari trip! It was a trip of a lifetime! Its memories that will stay with us for a long time!
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Ask for room 2 which has direct view of waterhole
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My daughter and I just returned from Africa where we stayed at the Serondella Safari Lodge in the Thornybush Game Reserve. It’s hard to put into words how exceptional our experience was. We have been blessed to stay in many fabulous hotels but nothing compares to the personalized service, excellent food, and attentive and friendly staff at Serondella. This is a Five Star place. ( I think it only serves a maximum of 14 guests at a time) The safaris were other worldly ( we saw the big 5 within the first 24 hours), the guide and tracker were knowledgeable and fun. Each morning we were met with hot chocolate (or coffee) and a hot water bottle to keep us warm on the early morning drive. Upon our return we would be greeted with warm towels and, in the evening, a shot of some very tasty beverage. Each day from our room (or our private plunge pool) we could watch giraffes, elephants and rhinos come to the lodge’s watering hole! I can’t recommend this place highly enough. Unbelievable, magical and unforgettable!! If you are thinking about Africa, put Serondella at the top of your list.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Be prepared to dress in layers. When we were there mornings and evenings were chilly but...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alison Rainier, General Manager at Serondella Safari Lodge
Responded 5 days ago
Dear Marci, It was such a pleasure having you and Meredith with us at Serondella. We are so happy that you had a wonderful time with many happy memories. Take care Alison
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Serondella only has one Land Cruiser, so yes there would be 8 guests on the vehicle if all suites have been booked during your stay. Should you prefer a private vehicle then please contact reservation to confirm price and if there is one available.
No stayed within the private reserve which is adjacent to the park (free movement of animals). Being on private reserve meant that we were free to follow animals through the bush, rather than being limited to staying on Kruger roadways.
The game viewing is particularly great in the Thornybush Reserve but we can't guarantee what you'll see within two days. Please bear in mind that two nights only give you one full day in the bush if you consider your check in and departure times..
All our Lodges are able to accommodate most dietary needs, please advise the reservation consultant of your dietary requirements when make the reservation.
There are more places to choose from in the Thornybush Private Game Reserve area.
PRICE RANGE
₹1,87,804 - ₹2,17,453 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
serondella game hotel thornybush private game reserve
LOCATION
South AfricaKruger National ParkThornybush Private Game Reserve
NUMBER OF ROOMS
7
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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