Mashatu Lodge

Meals are a sumptuous celebration of traditional African Cuisine – flavorsome but lacking in ostentation. Fresh fruits, vegetables, home-made breads and pies, succulent meat dishes and delicious desserts will appeal to a guest who appreciates home cooking at its best.

Communal spaces encourage guests to connect with the untamed paradise around them, while cozy nooks welcome an aura of relaxation.

A large swimming pool is a focal point where visitors cool down and relax between game activities.

Morning and evening game viewing - savor the essence of exclusivity with only 4 guests per safari vehicle, exploring the 31000-hectare (76000 Acre) Land of the Giants. Mashatu is known for some of the finest predator and elephant viewing in southern Africa, with daily sightings of lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal and African wildcat. Other animals such as eland, bat-eared foxes, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, warthog, baboon, monkeys and kudu make the safaris interesting and diverse.

“Take a ride on the wild side.” A horse safari in the Land of Giants will arouse the explorer in you. Join Horizon Horseback Mashatu for a morning or afternoon ride. Horizon Horseback Mashatu operates as a concessionaire on Mashatu Game Reserve. The area is perfect for riding; good going with natural ditches and logs to jump gives an exhilarating ride. Regular game sightings not only of the elephants and cats but also of antelopes, wild dogs, jackals, bat eared foxes, giraffe and the occasional canter with zebras and wildebeest across the plains leaves you with unforgettable holiday memories. No children younger than 12 are permitted. Additional cost applies.

For the more adventurous, join a mountain bike safari and see the bush from a completely different perspective. Experienced rangers accompany the cyclists as they pedal their way along ancient elephant paths. Cycling amid the “Giants of Mashatu” is an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the mountain bike safaris are tailored to suit the fitness and strength of the riders. Rides are conducted in the early morning and late afternoon. Additional cost applies.

On a walking trail the focus is more holistic than purely big game. Although many opportunities arise to view big game, the focus is on the little, often overlooked aspects of the bush – tracks, plants, insects, etc. A walking safari is an awakening of all the senses. You are a part of the environment – not merely a spectator on a safari vehicle. There is no better place to enjoy a walking safari than in this diverse and mammoth piece of Africa – The Land of the Giants. Longer trails are available on request. Additional cost applies.

PhotoMashatu is professionally run by a concessionaire on Mashatu, which offers guests sessions with a qualified, resident, wildlife photographer, based at Mashatu Lodge. These sessions take place in an underground photographic hide, on the dedicated PhotoMashatu photographic vehicle, or as tutoring sessions at the lodge. The Matebole elephant hide was built using two large shipping containers, adapted for comfort, which have been sunk into the earth to give ground level views across a waterhole. The hide has become world famous for award-winning photographs, built to maximize the photographic potential of the animals that visit the waterhole in the dry season. The professional photographer who accompanies the guests in the hide, will tutor on camera settings and the art of wildlife photography, should guests require the assistance. With elephants, predators, antelope and birds only meters from the camera lenses, the excitement in the hide is tangible. Combine this with the PhotoMashatu vehicle and you have the best photographic offering in Africa. Additional cost applies.

The Discovery Room, situated at Mashatu Lodge (Main Camp), is a museum of all things Mashatu, past and present. The educational side of Mashatu, our Discovery Room comprises numerous and interesting displays of our reserve. We change the contents of the Discovery Room from time to time.

For a touch of retail therapy, the fully stocked curio shop showcases a variety of African crafts, clothing and jewellery. Fear not – if you run out of sunscreen or your battery runs flat, you can replace these too.