Honeyguide Tented Safari Camps

Our most recent six-night stay at Honeyguide Mantobeni in late June/early July was our fifth visit to the camp and, once again, we had a fabulous time. I appreciate that everyone's experiences and expectations are subjective, but I genuinely struggle to reconcile some of the more recent negative reviews of Mantobeni with our own experiences. Having now been on more than 20 safaris across Southern Africa, and arriving at Mantobeni on this occasion directly after eight nights split between two of Mashatu's properties in Botswana, I like to think we have enough experience and context to assess Mantobeni objectively and compare it with other safari properties at both a similar and considerably higher price point. For us, Mantobeni continues to offer exactly what has brought us back five times: an authentic, unfenced and immersive safari experience, in the magnificent Manyeleti Game Reserve, at what we consider to be excellent value for money. Our guide on this visit was Clive, whom we were meeting for the first time after being guided on previous stays by a combination of Brilliant, Michael and Twice. Like the other gentlemen before him, Clive was great company and worked extremely hard to find us memorable sightings across the reserve. Game viewing was actually more challenging than we have experienced on previous winter visits. The unusually late rains meant the bush remained remarkably thick in places and there was still plenty of pooled water throughout the reserve, so wildlife was considerably less dependent on the usual water sources. Consequently, some of our drives were quieter than in previous years – but that is safari. Wildlife is wild, sightings are never guaranteed and, personally, that unpredictability is part of the appeal. Despite the quieter drives overall, the Manyeleti still delivered some fantastic and particularly interesting encounters. We enjoyed numerous lion sightings, including watching the two Mahatlematle males competing for mating rights with a Nyaru female. We also had several encounters with the five-strong Mowana male lion coalition, including seeing them feeding on the carcass of an unfortunate rhino. Perhaps even more fascinating was watching these males bizarrely tolerate Nzuri, the injured dominant male from the rival Mbiri pride, feeding alongside them on more than one occasion – an extraordinary interaction and exactly the type of unexpected behaviour that makes time spent observing wildlife so rewarding. We were also fortunate enough to have two separate sightings of a coalition of two male cheetahs and, particularly special for me, two encounters with my favourite African predator, the African Wild Dog. We found two different packs on separate occasions – the Manyeleti pack and the Orpen pack. So although our overall game viewing was quieter than on previous visits, the stay achieved exactly what we had hoped for after our time in the Tuli region of Botswana: memorable encounters with species we knew we would not see there, particularly buffalo, rhino and wild dogs. Back at camp, Mantobeni was much as we have always known and loved it. The camp, pool area and our tented accommodation were clean and well maintained, while its greatest asset remains the wonderful team of people who work there. After five visits, some of them genuinely feel like extended family and it is an absolute joy to return and see Ranny, Mavis, Previous and others of course, plus my favourite of them all, Mumsy, who is an absolute star and on this visit even surprised us with a private candlelit dinner for two in a secluded, romantic corner of the camp – a lovely gesture and one of those personal touches we will remember long after returning home. For me, this is something that can easily be missed when reviewing a safari property simply as a collection of facilities and services. The Mantobeni team can elevate the entire experience if guests take the time to engage with them and get to know them as people first and staff second. Their warmth and personalities have been a huge part of the reason we have returned so many times. Another quintessential Mantobeni experience is having elephants come into camp to drink from the swimming pool, and once again they obliged on several occasions. One encounter was particularly memorable, when my wife and I happened to be the only people there and were able to sit quietly together and enjoy an incredibly intimate encounter with these gentle giants. One small plea to Honeyguide: please consider removing the rather garish 'selfie opportunity' sign beside the pool! It feels somewhat at odds with the wonderfully natural setting and, ironically, actually detracts from and obscures one of the best photographic opportunities when the elephants approach. I also managed to fit in two massages at the spa during our six nights, both of which were excellent. My one substantive constructive criticism remains the same as in my previous review: but it is an owner led operational issue, rather anything under the purview of Mantobeni and its staff - and it is the continued absence of dedicated trackers following their removal post-Covid. I still believe Honeyguide can and should do better here. Reinstating trackers would not only further elevate the guest experience and assist with locating wildlife in challenging conditions such as those we experienced this year, but would also better support their hardworking guides, improve working conditions and create additional employment opportunities for people from the local community. At this level of safari tourism – and when tracker/guide teams are commonplace across comparable Greater Kruger properties – I find their continued absence increasingly difficult to justify. Beyond that, however, I have very little negative to say about our fifth stay at Honeyguide Mantobeni. It remains, in our experience, a great-value, authentic and wonderfully wild safari camp on one of the most beautiful private reserves in the Greater Kruger. It isn't trying to be an ultra-luxury lodge – and personally, we wouldn't want it to be. Its appeal lies in being unfenced, immersive and, as Honeyguide has long described it, "closer to nature". Five visits probably say more than any TripAdvisor review ever could. And would we return for a sixth? I certainly wouldn't rule it out.

Facilities of the site were better than average. Bed, shower, food, staff were according expectations based on price. However the game drives were below expectations. They do not use trackers, neither qualified guides, but locals that know the bush by heritage and we found less than enthusiasm from our guide TWICE. We have done more than 140 game drives in our live and this guide was one of the worst we have ever had. Never smiling, never joking, always in a hurry. He was not interested in other elements beyond the big 5, like looking good light for special pics, curiosities of the plants in the bush, small animals, etc He looked always angry...we felt very little enthusiasm for his job. Not a place we will repeat

We stayed at Honeyguide Mantobeni and absolutely loved it! I believe our guide was Clive, and he was fantastic. On the drive to the lodge from reception, he stopped for us to take photos of the giraffes and a cheetah. The game drives were fantastic with rhino, elephant, zebra, lion, and hippo sightings. We only stayed here one night on the way to other lodges, but I would definitely stay again and for longer. The tents were in great shape and the food was excellent. Our stay ended with a herd of elephants coming by the pool when our morning drive ended.

The rooms were a spacious Safari tent. No fences so you needed to be escorted to your tent after 4pm. Elephants came to the camp for water. The safaris, 2 per day were filled with all the animals you would expect. Never guaranteed, but we saw everything more than once. Except the elusive leopard 🐆. We bashed through the jungle for better vantage points. Tasty meals and midday relaxing. Oh those sunsets.

We stayed at this lodge from April 1–4. On our first afternoon, we locked all of our valuables, including cash and a cellphone, inside the safe in our tent before leaving for a safari. When we returned and opened the safe, we discovered that USD 1,600 in cash had been stolen. We immediately reported the theft to the managers, Anna and Johan. Although they promised an investigation, we received almost no communication, updates, or even a simple apology during our stay. We had to repeatedly seek them out ourselves just to find out what was happening. We completed the lodge’s internal report, filed a formal police report, and fully cooperated with every step of the investigation. On our final day, after once again asking the managers for answers, we were told that their hands were tied. In the end, nothing came of the investigation. After returning home, we continued following up by email, seeking updates and a resolution. Instead of helping us, the managers eventually blocked our emails and marked them as spam, making it impossible for us to communicate with them directly. Only after nearly a month of persistent efforts and repeated contact with the company did we receive USD 500 as a “goodwill gesture”, far less than the amount that had been stolen. What disappointed us most was not only the theft itself, but the complete lack of empathy and professionalism shown by management. We never felt supported, informed, or safe. We received no proactive communication and no sincere apology. To make matters worse, despite everything that had happened, at check-out they made sure to charge us for the only extra items we had consumed during our stay: four soft drinks. Considering the circumstances, this felt incredibly insensitive and perfectly reflected the attitude we experienced throughout the entire situation. This lodge felt insecure: the tents have no locks and there are no cameras at the entrances. Based on our experience, we cannot recommend staying here.