Sondéla Nature Reserve
From trail hiking to bush walks, Sondéla offers no shortage of thrills and spills and its +/- 4000 hectares of rolling bushveld plains, provide endless opportunities to get back to nature.
There are numerous outdoor activities geared around the surrounding bushveld such as horse riding, excellent birding, cycling, hiking, game drives, 4 x 4 courses, quad bike trails and much more.
A full recreation programme is offered, ensuring that there is something for everyone and although guests are encouraged to keep busy and have fun, the choice remains to kick back, relax and enjoy the embracing tranquility of the Bushveld. Our experienced game rangers are standing by to show you around and ensure you have a wonderful time in nature.
Please click HERE for a 7-minute documentary showing the Nature Reserve!!
MAKHATO Bush Lodge 116
The bush lodge consists of 3 bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms and remote controlled fans and lights as well as thick curtains lined with block, keeping out the sun in summer and keeping in the warmth in winter.
The main bedroom is upstairs, 34m2 in size with plenty big windows fitted with flyscreens and with a kingsize bed. The en-suite bathroom features a kingsize cornerbath with a great view into the Sondéla fields. A double shower with separate taps allows for 2 people having a shower together as well!
The other bedrooms' en-suites feature a shower or a bath with private views into the bush. In all bedrooms there are hand-picked decorations, a wall mirror and a heater for those chilly winter nights.
The most stunning portion of this property is the 74m2 veranda upstairs, giving its guest the perfect opportunity to spot the Sondéla wildlife while looking over the tree-tops. Zebra, Giraffe, and all smaller wildlife have been spotted almost on a daily basis from this patio. The main bedroom gives access to this veranda (balcony) as well as a huge collapsible sliding-door from the upstairs lounge.
The Lodge has two braais. One fancy built-in braai upstairs that can be used while entertaining upstairs, and one braai in the shady Boma, where there is also a fire-pit and an outside (bush)shower. A very confortable six-seater patio set with table is available, as well as five lights to brighten up the outside area.
The kitchen features a stove that works on both electricity and gas. A big conventional gas-powered oven is available as well as a microwave. There is a nice sized fridge installed with a reasonable sized freezer compartment as well. A coffee maker, toaster and kettle are amongst the appliances you may need when staying over. Additional to all standard cutlery and crockery you may expect in a well stocked kitchen, there are all the extra utensils like choppingboards, bread & carving knives, corkscrew & Bottle opener, pans pots and tongs.
There are two televisions set up on the Lodge; Upstairs there is a normal 54cm television and downstairs, at the TV room there is a 42 inch LCD flatscreen available with 12 channels; SABC1,2,3,ETV,MNET,MM1,MM2,Disneychannel,SS1,SS2,SS3,SS4.
Both sets have DVD players attached as well.
Guests of this lodge are invited to make use of all amenities Sondéla offers, amongst which are 6 pools of which 3 are heated and one has jets.
The dining room is fitted with a fireplace and a chandelier on a dimmer to create the perfect atmosphere for having your Romantic dinners or an evening of board- or card-games. Upstairs in the lounge, there is another fireplace.
The Lodge comes with a 2-car carport and with outside lights.
Off course during your stay the Sondéla staff are on standby, and will be visiting your Lodge at least once a day to clean/do dishes/make beds/dust and replace consumables where needed.
We are very confident, and are aiming to exceed a four-star rating as quantified by the Touring Grading Council of South Africa - But you'll be the judge!
Here's some more details about the Bush Lodge:
• 300 square meters under a cozy thatch roof,
• 2 Braais,
• 2 TVs (one exceeds 1 meter diagonally)
• 5 toilets in total,
• All Bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms,
• 4 showers in total: 1 BUSH SHOWER in the field, one single shower next to a bedroom and a DOUBLE shower for two in the main en-suite,
• 2 baths of which the main en-suite one has a great upstairs-view and suites two people comfortably,
• Upstairs Prep-bowl next to Braai,
• All Braais have spotlights for night use,
• Lots of big windows for maximum view into the Bushveld, and
• All windows fitted with curtains and lining
Drop me an email if you want to see (more) pictures, or if you have any questions about the inventory of the Bush Lodge!
Stuff to do:
• Action cricket
• Animal farm and milking of cows
• Archery
• Bird Watching
• Bush Walks
• Cycling (bikes for hire hourly/daily)
• Game Drives (Day- and Night-drives)
• Games around the pool (per the Sondéla recreation programme
• Hiking
• Horse Back Riding
• Kiddies Club
• Organised quad bike trails (Quads for hire)
• Poolside games
• Putt putt
• Swimming
• Target shooting
• Tennis
• Volleyball
Facilities & Amenities:
• NEW!! Sondela Salon for MEN and WOMEN - Massages, Facials, Pedicures
• Bouncing Castle
• Boma and firepit
• Chalet / Bush Lodge meal deliveries
• Farmyard (Kiddies' Farm and Petting Park)
• General Dealer For the basic daily necessities
• Hiking Trails
• Hot and cold water swimming pools (6 in total!)
• Hotwater Spa
• Jungle gyms
• Mini ATM
• Mini Golf facilities
• Piccinini`s Bistro and Pub
• Sondéla Wildlife Centre
• Tennis Court
• Tree house
• Trampoline
Other Nearby Tourist Attractions:
• 18 hole Golf Course
• Carousel Casino - 50km
• Datan Boerdery - Strawberry Farming and stall
• De Wildt Shingwedzi - Cheetah and Wild Dog Breeding - 60km
• Avontura Forever Resorts Warmbaths and Hydro - 12km
• Klein Kariba - 20km
• Medical facilities - 12km
• Movies - 12km
• Nylsvlei Bird Sanctuary - 70km
• Mabalingwe Nature Reserve (Big 5) - 35km
• Mabula Nature Reserve (Big 5) - 48km
• Mokopa Reptile Park - 22km
• Royal Northlands Golf Course - 12km
• Shopping and Restaurants - 12km
• Thaba Kwena Crocodile farm - 25 km
• Thaba Monate - Nature Reserve and Restaurant - 26km
• Thaba Pitsi - L/Orange Bleu Restaurant - 23km
• Warmbath Waterfront - 11 km
Shopping Nearby:
• Curio Shops
• The Bela Bela Waterfront with many Shops for browsing and Restaurants
• Three Supermarkets: Spar, Checkers & Pick 'n Pay
• Beauty Salons
• Indigenous Plants
• Gymnasium
• Home Industries – objects & food
• Art Galleries
• Biltong
• African interior décor
• Porcelain doll Shoppe
• Roadside Stalls
• Chicken stall
• The Farmhouse Antique shops
• Salmon and Snoek stall
• Designer Clothing
Picknick Spots Nearby:
• Many stunning spots in Sondéla Nature Reserve
• De Draai
• The Dock
• Aventura
Restaurants and Pubs Nearby:
• O’Hagans
• Spur
• Panarotti's
• Greenfields
• Lórange Bleu
• T’skudu Restaurant
• The Dock
• Klein Kariba
• Something Fishy
• Tasneems Restaurant
• Klein Kariba
• Elephant Springs
• Wimpy
• Fish a'ways
• Nando's
• Kentucky Fried Chicken