Rhino River Lodge, South Africa – Lodge Review

Looking to get up close and personal with African Rhinos? Want an all-inclusive, intimate stay at one of the largest game reserves in South Africa? Love the rugged setting of being one with the wild? Looking for a romantic safari lodge to celebrate a honeymoon?

Rhino River Lodge is your game.

Getting to Rhino River Lodge, South Africa

The closest airport is Richards Bay. From here, car travel time is approximately 1h 45min.

While Google Maps has not been a letdown so far with all the travels I’ve been, we got a little confused by the directions given by Google and had to backtrack to get to the right entrance. It’s best to trust the signs on the road which points to Rhino River Lodge exactly. We knew we were at the right entrance when a wooden board named Rhino River Lodge greeted us at the gate.

Checking in to Rhino River Lodge, South Africa

After what seemed like a long time (about 2.5km) from the main gate down the dirt track to their reception, a wooden hut finally peeked into view. The reception is a small hut away from the rest of the lodge. Before we even mentioned anything, the staff already recognised us and immediately directed our car to our room.

Guests are advised to arrive at 1pm in order to make it in time for lunch which is served between 1pm and 2:30pm.

Rhino River Lodge’s Room

We were put up in one of the two loft-style thatched Family Chalet, which are perfect for families. The entire two-storey chalet was built with wood, which exuded a very homely, cosy feel. The high ceilings and surrounding windows that let natural light in gave the chalet a bright, airy look. It was massive by size too!

Rhino River Lodge

Dominating the living room is the comfiest sofa ever. While the property doesn’t have TV, the views out of the chalet never gets old, as you get random encounters of wild animals – impalas, nyalas and warthogs to name a few.

The upper level has a big double bed with wide windows that make the bedroom a steal, while the ground level has another more enclosed private room.

Come night, each guest has an escort who will take us from the dining hall to our respective rooms to ensure our safety, as wild animals still roam free on this Manyoni Private Game Reserve.

It’s a pleasant surprise to find find our window curtains drawn, our mosquito nets set up around our beds, and the lights switched on to welcome us home to our lovely abode – part of the turn down service that Rhino River Lodge provides.

The rooms also have A/C should you require, though we were more than content with the cool breezy October air.

The Homestead’s private pool

More luxurious options are The Cottage and The Homestead, which was once booked by a royal family. Each of these accommodation have their own private pool and kitchen and can accommodate 4 guests.

For something simpler, you can opt for the En-Suite Luxury Rooms that they also offer, a more traditional style of room which have their very own private veranda.

Check the best prices on Booking.com and Agoda

Rates start at R2800/ USD194 per person per night and includes:

• Accommodation
• A morning and afternoon game drive on one of our open safari vehicles led by a game ranger
• Snacks and drinks on both game drives
• A generous full English breakfast served on return from your game drive
• A light lunch
• A three course, hearty South African dinner highlighting local ingredients and cuisine

Rhino River Lodge’s Amenities

In-room massages are available upon request.

What I enjoy a lot is their common area lounge under a thatched roof hut, which overlooks the Msunduzi river and the forests beyond. There are ample seats – both indoor and outdoor – for guests to while their time while waiting in between game reserves. There is something quite healing about reading a book in the quiet of nature, isn’t it?

They also have an outdoor – albeit unheated – pool in their property. I believe it would be a popular recreational activity for guests come summer.

Dining at Rhino River Lodge, South Africa

Lunch is usually a set menu which varies everyday. During lunch, they will take our orders for dinner for that evening, and it usually comes with a few options.

While the staff don work uniforms in the day, but come night, they exude a more relaxed, laid-back, homely feel with their own attires. Dinner is a very relaxing affair, with candlelights on each table to illuminate the dining hall as we unwind from the day’s game drives. A three-course dinner is served each night, guaranteed to give you a good sleep.

On our very last night, we were treated to a special kind of dinner by the Rhino River Lodge team. It was a boma dinner – African outdoor dining at its best. A traditional boma is set up enclosing guests to dine in private under the glittering African sky.

We had our own bonfire by our table and ever so occasionally, there would be a staff constantly checking to make sure our fire is going strong and we’re kept warm. 🙂

Game Drives at Rhino River Lodge, South Africa

Rhino River Lodge is part of the Manyoni Private Game Reserve, a 23,000 hectare private game reserve shared by 16 other private properties. The reserve is home to all of the Big 5 (rhino, elephant, buffalo, leopard and lion), cheetahs and African wild dogs. Mostly it is home to a population of black rhinos.

Because of this, I found more vehicles doing safari drives compared to a previous lodge we stayed because of the shared space with other properties in the Mayoni Private Game Reserve. The guides usually communicate with each other if they spot any animals.

There are also unique species of insects, lizards and birds roaming the property if you know how to just look. Of course, as amateurs, it’s awfully hard to spot them, no matter how observant you think you are. That’s why it’s always a bonus if you have an experienced guide.

Given the name Rhino in Rhino River Lodge, we had a small expectation to be greeting some rhinos along the way. While we kept our expectations low, we were relieved to learn that rhinos in this game reserve aren’t quite as rare as we thought it would be. In fact, we spotted a couple on every game drive we went on, even a mum and her little one!

The key to safari game drives is to keep your patience low, have faith in your guide, and be patient. 🙂

In the mornings you’re served coffee or tea and a small snack during break, and the evening Sundowner game drives provide alcohol. Each game drive lasts about 3 hours.

or a cuppa

A more rugged, intimate group setting as compared to its neighbouring Thanda Safari.

TIP: Dress in dark- or neutral-coloured clothes as there will be dust while driving on game drives. You don’t get completely clean everything, which makes the whole outback experience more real.

Catching a sunset on a sundowner game drive

Overall, I enjoyed the familial hospitality at Rhino River Lodge. It feels like living with family, with the small, intimate spaces. Everyone we encountered were warm, friendly and more than happy to accommodate our requests.

Prices start from USD195pppn on HotelsCombined, Agoda and Book+ing.com

Rhino River Lodge 
P450 Rhino River Lodge Manyoni Private Game Reserve 
Bayala 3960 
info@rhinoriverlodge.co.za

Special thanks to Rhino River Lodge for making this stay possible! All opinions remain my own.

15-17 October 2019, Tue – Thu