Letamo at Qwabi Private Game Reserve by Newmark

My wife and I spent a week here during July as part of a Titan Tours holiday from the UK. No doubt the safari connoisseurs will have a critical opinion on reserve size and wildlife. But for us , it was a fabulous holiday. Situated approximately 3.5hrs from Johannesburg airport.( 2 hrs on good roads and 1.5hrs on a bumpy dirt road) . We were in a deluxe room with balcony, which was excellent. Very spacious and kept extremely clean throughout our stay. The staff were always pleasant and keen to please, going out of their way to meet any requests from guests. Our guide was Darian. He was knowledgeable, witty, engaging and most of all, very passionate about his job, conservation and wanting to give you the best safari experience possible. Two 3.5hr game drives per day, restaurant and outdoor dining and a spectacular bush dinner watching the sun set and an abundance of encounters with Elephants, giraffes, lions, hippos, rhinos, jackals, birds and a crocodile. This holiday had everything we could have dreamed of and more. We were there in July, which is the SA winter. Daily temperatures were in low 20s Celsius , with blue skies every day. Overnight temperatures dropped to about 6 Celsius. Some 7 am game drives were a frosty start. When the Sun disappeared behind the mountains after 5pm there is an immediate drop in temperature. It is advisable to bring plenty of layers including a warm coat, gloves, woolly hat and a snood or face covering, as driving around during the colder hours in an open sided landcruiser you experience an added wind chill. We didn’t want to leave, and it has wetted our appetite for another safari and another visit to South Africa. Highly recommended!

Really loved this place, it's close to Jhb & it's a Big 5 reserve. The food was really amazing with lots of choices in the buffet. The sightings were great & the crocodile lying by the dam was a highlight for me. Gorgeous facility & rooms, very warm welcoming staff, and the guide Thomas was really good, entertaining, & knowledgeable. Definitely a place i can go back to, over & over. Beware though there is a 32km "crinkle cut" gravel road to get to the lodge, it took a whole hour on the gravel stretch so I dont mess up my car cos the ripples make the car shake...4×4 bakkies needed for that road for sure!

Nice 4 star lodge in a small big 5 reserve Very family -child friendly; which is a great advantage if that’s what you are looking for. The lodge could be a lot better, but management seem to be missing small touches; who seem to be non existent! We had issues with our room, where something was tripping the power, which housekeeping were aware of in the morning; assuming issues were resolved, only to call reception after 8.30 at night to say there’s no hot water; only to be told, “oh we are aware of it” and we will move you to another room!! (At almost 9pm with a 2 yr old child!!) Never mind the new room was not turned down, and had a dirty throw on the bed!! The food in general was good, but all served buffet style ; so generally food was warm ,not hot, and often dried out from standing; but food quality in general was good. In general the staff were very friendly and helpful, but management seem to be missing, and overall experience could be so much better with small touches!!

We stayed at Letamo at Qwabi recently - March 2025. A “Billionaire “stayed at the same time. He was allowed to erect his own “ boombox” and play his own music so loudly at the dining and pool area, that it could be heard inside the chalets. This was allowed by Management despite it being disruptive and irritating to other guests . He was allowed to “take over” the facility without any regard for the comfort of other guests. Rolls of notes were dished out to staff to accommodate him. What would have been a very pleasant stay with good accommodation, good food and friendly staff, was totally ruined .

The rooms were very clean with attention to detail. Excellent service with the waiters, very welcoming. Variety of food to choose from and very fresh and Tasty. Our Guide April gave us an amazing game drive. Overall, Letamo staff are very friendly and welcoming,

Tout était parfait La nourriture le personnel très attentif à nos besoins merci Nokwanda Des safaris sur 11000 hectares à couper le souffle Le guide le meilleur de l’Afrique du Sud c’est APRIL L’organisation de voyamar très bien Je valide à 100% Seul bémol la pluie torrentielle je n’ai pas pu utiliser mes maillots de bain