Ditholo Game Lodge Bela Bela

Staff are very friendly , Hennie is a hands on Gm . The chef (sheppard) knows just how to treat you with amazing food. Oupa and Frans is not only a barman, but everything else too, always ready to assist. Cristo is always friendly and ready to assist. The room is really clean and there is a lot to do on the premises

The staff are very friendly but that’s where the 4 star experience ends. Lodge is unkept, gardens poorly maintained, bedding and towels old, bed has a topper to hide the state of the mattress, food not 4 star standard, no a la carte menu, no headboard in bedroom, no tissues, no shower cap, windows dirty, stork margarine for breakfast. No filter coffee, just instant. Game drive was laughable, the website promises excellent game viewing, but hardly any game and all skittish and scared because they hunt at this venue. Game driver had such an attitude and stated he’s “just” a driver. Food below par, accommodation way below par, and literally nothing to do. Bar very poorly stocked. Dirt road 11km long and very bad condition. Push to give it 3 stars let alone 4. Very evident everything done cheaply.

One needs to travel about 15 km by gravel road to reach Ditholo. A high class resort with pretty good facilities when everything works, which unfortunately did not happen during our stay of one day. The incessant power cuts by the electricity company (not the fault of Ditholo at all) was a really debilitating factor. In addition, Ditholo suspends electricity at 21h00. With these electricity problems, I would have expected rudimentary solar electricity, even just to power the lights. Take this into account when planning the meals (and the need for a fridge), due to the electricity being down for a significant part of the day. Also, we had a very limited supply of water due to the power limitations that affected water pumps. No hot water in our room. Internet (of course also affected by electricity supply) facilities not good enough for streaming. If the resort found ways to work around limited electricity, it could be a really attractive venue. Large areas of native vegetation between houses, giving a real feeling of privacy. I hope they do not build all the additional houses they intend, based on the map provided to guests. Based on a per person rate, this lodge is not expensive and has many things going for it, including about 7 km of walking trails in natural vegetation and a restaurant. I really hope they can manage the limitations in order to realise the potential of the place.