Bayala Game Lodge  Verified Listing

We visited with Distant Journeys.
The highlight of the holiday.
Excellent facility. The game drive was amazing. We saw four of the big five(unfortunately no leopard). The ranger was very experienced and knowledgeable.
I would recommend it without hesitation.

Great experience! We had a really good time at the Bayala Camp. Very friendly staff, clean room, amazing food and a great game drive! Everything was really fantastic! The game drive was with an experienced guide who gave us a lot of information and which had a great eye, that we saw lions and cheetahs in one day.

Experienced game ranger. Great viewing. Good breakfast.

My sister, son and I have had a great 3 night, 4 day visit to Bayala and we had an excellent trip all round. All the staff were very helpful and went above and beyond to make our visit memorable. We took the evening and morning game drives and these were memorable. We saw a Cheetah mum and 3 cubs enjoying an Impala dinner then the next morning followed the "Bayala Pride" of 3 Lionesses as the stalked and killed a warthog. To see the whole hunt from beginning to end was incredible. Our driver, Walter, followed the pride and talked us through what they were doing and gave practical knowledge of the animals, the environment and how each of the different types of animals interact and the balance that brings to nature. Walter's knowledge of the reserve, the animals that are there and how best to view them gave us different experiences on every drive. He didn't keep to any ridge schedule and if we wanted to view a particular animal he went out of his way to accommodate that. The only one of the big 5 we missed was Elephant, but not through lack of trying on Walter's behalf.

We had breakfast and dinner at the lodge and all our meals were great. My son is very picky on his food but the Bayala staff came through each time to keep him satisfied.

I would thoroughly recommend Bayala to anyone wanting to view the South African wildlife in a relaxed and very casual manner. You certainly won't be disappointed.

On recommendation from a South African friend we booked a stay at Bayala during our recent trip to South Africa. This was our first safari, so we were fairly nervous, but prior communication was all well handled, arrival was easy, the staff were all very helpful. Accommodation was as advertised, I imagine you can get fancy accommodation at safari lodges, we looked at advertising for some before choosing Bayala, but you get what you pay for and that is all good at Bayala.
The most important thing - did we see animals? We certainly did! Walter our guide was excellent, he showed us Lions mating, White Rhino, Gnu, Zebra, Impala. We also saw Elephant, Warthog. Perhaps the most wonderful sighting was the leopard, it was at some distance, but we had a good view for some time. Walter also took the time to show us some of the birdlife.

Excellent game viewing and an amazing ranger.

Sehr herzlicher Empfang. Petsönliche Betreuung. Preis-Leistung Verhältnis ist grossartig. Gamedrive war traumhaft. Waren auch in Lodges die doppelt bzw. Dreifach soviel kosten, finden aber Bayala grossartig für den Preis. Kommen gerne wieder.

Where do I start.......

From the front gate to the privacy of the room at this lodge, you can tell that the owners have given great consideration to their guests. Everything was perfectly laid on, the quality of the facility leaves me wonder why the big property chains can't get it right. They need to come see how it is/should be done.

The staff are really friendly and go the extra mile ensuring their guests are happy. How do I know.... they asked me regularly. The food is perfect, no issues whatsoever.

As for the guide, my recommendation is to ask for Johnno Harper. He is incredible, his knowledge of the reserve and the animal population knows no bounds, the friendliness and the fun, I wouldn't hesitate to book him on my next visit, later this year.

We just spent this last weekend at Bayala, and we had the absolute best time despite the rain! The staff were fantastic, food was great and rooms are perfect. A big thank you to our Game Ranger - Graison Horn - we managed to see all of the Big 5 in one drive but the Leopard. Graison even managed to get us a special sighting of a Cheetah with her 3 cubs and then we got to watch the Cheetah Mom stalking and hunting Impala!! We will def be back!!!

A great location to see the Big 5, if that's on your list..... but there is way more to see other than that, take a look at the amazing bird life - its like being inside an aviary of birds! The food is good, the room is very comfy with all that you need and air-con! The staff are very friendly and helpful.
Now this venue is very central to going our for the day to Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve for the day and as well to Mkhuze Game Reserve on another day, a short trip to Sodwana if you want to go there as well. All game drives are in the Phinda Reserve, which makes this an affordable venue to stay at without paying Phinda prices!!!!