Founders Lodge by Mantis

We had a really fantastic 3 night stay at Founders Lodge. The staff were all, without exception, outstanding, welcoming and friendly. It truly felt they were all passionate about the property and the service provided. Our guide on the game drives, Juvan, was outstanding. His knowledge of,and passion for, the animals really shone through. He really went out of his way to make each game drive a brilliant and memorable experience. Our room was super, with a view over to the waterhole and hide. Waking up to views of a passing giraffe or rhino is definitely memorable. Founders Lodge is highly recommended.

Second to none - Founder’s Lodge has been absolutely wonderful. Craig and Glynnis are just the best hosts. Service is personalised and personable. Food was delicious. Your experience really matters to them. The guiding was terrific and we saw Lions, Giraffes, Black Rhino, White Rhino, Warthogs, Impala, Springbok, Kudu, Buck, Zebra, Mongoose, Gennet and much more. Watch the animals from your bedroom as they visit the waterhole. Beautiful pool overlooking the waterhole. Enjoy a Braai/Barbeque with other guests. With over 28,000 hectares there’s a huge expanse of land and animals for you to discover. We cannot recommend Founders highly enough.

Absolutely perfect, in every possible way! The food was heaven, the rooms spotless and charming, the game drivers were incredible! It truly felt like every single person in this lodge wanted us to have a good time, from the staff, to the managers to our amazing guides (James and Yuval were the best)! Everything was perfect. The views during our lunches, how they always cared to attend all our wishes. Amazing! Can highly recommend!!!

Wow wow wow what an amazing place to stay, Craig, Glynis, our amazing game driver Matt and all of the staff were so welcoming, friendly and so helpful. The two rooms we had were superb with spectacular views of the animals that decided to come and visit the lodge that day, there is also the added bonus of having the watering hole with the hide just a stone’s throw away which made it so you could get really close to the animals and watch them have a drink. The game drives were exceptional, our driver Matt was knowledgeable and passionate about all the wildlife, we still can not believe how close we got to so many animals from elephants, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, a variety of antelope, lions (my sons highlight was watching up very closely a lion eating its kill), a large pod of hippos and we were very fortunate to see two male cheetah’s not long after they had eaten their kill so they we lazing around with very fat tummy’s and even more amazing, we saw a mummy cheetah with her 4 cubs which are the cutest thing we have ever seen. Thank you Craig, Glynis and all of the staff for making our stay wonderful, founders lodge is highly recommend by us and will hopefully be able to return in the future.

A little bit late writing this review, but better late than never as they say! Our stay was fantastic (we stayed for 3 nights), from the moment we arrived until the morning we left, we were very well taken care of. The staff at Founders Lodge are very good, nothing is too much trouble and you never had the feeling of being rushed. It was all very relaxing. The food was excellent, especially the braii (the chef and team excelled themselves) and the locations to eat change daily, with the most beautiful views across the reserve. Every game drive was amazing. We saw so many birds and animals everyday (nobody can deny the beauty of a water buffalo!). Our Ranger, Cillie, was incredibly knowledgeable, from learning about tracking when we spent time tracking a leapard’s paw prints to understanding how an elephant is feeling just by how its ears move. It was an incredible unforgettable experience everyday. Thank you for giving us a beautiful suite (no 3, opposite the watering hole), the sunrises from our room were gorgeous and a beautiful start to each day. The view of the watering hole and all the animals that visited it was lovely to watch. We were addicted to going to the hide and to get up close to the animals drinking from the watering hole…now home, I love watching the live feed of it on You Tube. If you are thinking of staying here, please do! You will have a wonderful time! Myself and my husband would like to thank Glynnis and her team for a very lovely stay and to Cillie (our Ranger), thank you, the drives were amazing (and the views for the Sunrisers and Sundowners beautiful). Thank you :)

What a fantastic place! All the staff were friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had a great experience. The room was amazing, looking out over the waterhole and with a little veranda we could sit on to watch the animals. The bathroom was enormous with a deep claw- foot bath and a separate shower cubicle. The food was delicious and exceedingly high quality. The game drives were well organised and we saw lots of animals. The addition of the viewing area at the waterhole meant we saw lots of animals up close. It was an amazing experience and we both wished we could have stayed for longer!