Mongena Private Game Lodge

Absolutely incredible place to stay. The staff were very helpful and the facilities were fantastic. Nature freely walked around the hotel with zebras sometimes being just outside our door. Will definitely recommend this place to a friend.

What an awesome day trip from Johannesburg! We went on an absolutely brilliant Game Drive. Our Guide, Rene, was world class (I’ve been on a LOT of game drives). She was full of brilliant info, great jokes and such a vibe! Highly recommend this as an outing with the whole family. We saw awesome sightings and just loved feeling like we’d been away for the whole long weekend.

We stayed at Mongena for a week and got married there on the Saturday night. So we've been interacting with Marina and her team for nearly a year planning the wedding. We had the most amazing time. All of the staff that we interacted with were extremely professional and treated us really well. They really go the extra mile to make sure you are looked after. The food is incredible - everything we ate was delicious. The grounds are very well kept and there are zebra, springbok and nyala roaming around, which are beautiful to look at. We went on a sunset cruise and two game drives, and saw a lot. The rangers were professional and knowledgeable, while also being helpful. The wedding was incredible - Marina is the most amazing organiser and every member of her team worked very hard to make the wedding a success. Everyone had a good time. We had people stay over on the Friday night before the wedding and it was great to have more time to interact with our guests. Overall a fantastic experience and would highly recommend it. Bonus that it is so close to Johannesburg and OR Tambo airport.

Great lodge, service and food. Good value for money. The busbucks and monkeys in the lodge grounds keep you entertained. The staff is well-trained, and the accommodation is clean, tidy and comfortable. The restaurant’s food is delicious and has an excellent selection available.

I led a group of 24 guests do this lodge. They have certainly upgraded and improved this facility over the years. Beautiful grounds in the middle of a private concession as part of Dinokeng reserve. Rooms had recently been refurbished and were immaculately clean. The restaurants served first rate food which could not be faulted at all. They also had reasonable conference facilities for our group. We did early morning and late afternoon game drives and were fortunate to see all of the Big Five including lions and surprisingly lots of cheetah. Of course, this can be hit or miss and disappoints a number of people when they don't get to see any animals and then blame the lodge. We realized we were fortunate for the eight days we were there.

My wife and I spent 5 days at Mongena Private Game Lodge during a destination PD she was attending. Each day included a morning and an evening safari and three exceptional meals. The staff were all exceptionally helpful and friendly, and the facilities were immaculate. This was, by far, one of the best trips we have taken and well above our expectations. The safaris and our rangers were very exciting and informational, and staff made booking excursions off property simple. I highly recommend this destination.

We went there for the final lunch of your long weekend away in Dinokeng and the kingfisher restaurant is an excellent place to finish a great trip with an great dinning experience. Staff is very accommodating for families with small kids and the lodge area is a nice place to see interesting birds and see zebras close up. Every time we go there reminds me why friends of min picked it as their wedding venue.

So so disappointed. Having booked the River Cruise months ago for a special pre-wedding celebration, it was unfortunately cancelled due to the rain. This is of course understandable but I was super disappointed that Mary (to whom I spoke) could not suggest any alternative activities and made no effort help whatsoever. When, eventually, I suggested that we use the funds already paid at the restaurant, Mongena agreed but wanted to charge an additional R1000 transfer to collect from a neighbouring lodge. When cancelling an activity like this due to the weather, the Mongena team should have done everything possible to accommodate our group some other way, knowing that it was for a special event. Instead, Mary was rude and unsympathetic to what had happened. I'm gutted about by how poorly this was handled.

Wonderful bush experience and so close to JHB. Our conference was a resounding success and stay so enjoyable. The main resort facilities are wonderful and staff are all friendly and go out of their way to assist. All the catering throughout the conference was of the highest standard, and every venue/restaurant within the Game lodge offers a unique experience and spectacular views. For large groups, the Eco Challenge is highly recommended and so such fun – game rangers take you into the bush and do activities with the participants – everyone had a super time.