Reviews of Amalinda Lodge
(95%) From 26 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Amazing place!
You wonder about this lodge as you are driving in and the road disappears and you continue driving up over the rock hill. On the other side a small building - the reception area - appears. Everything else is so cleverly constructed and tucked into the boulders, you don’t even see a “lodge”! Wow, it was all phenomenal.
The pool area was magnificent. We enjoyed lunch there each day. Our room was unbelievable - huge, with a giant bed, a sitting area, a shower carved into the boulders and a sunken tub.
Everyone on staff was excellent. We highly recommend having a massage!
Kevin, our guide, was great. He was amazing at spotting various birds and animals to point out.
Amalinda Lodge
What can I say! Such an extraordinary place. I loved the way it is built and my room No 9 was spectacular.
We had to get up very early for the long drive to Great Zimbabwe but it was worth the visit. I had seen photos and read about the ruins but the reality is so much better, it is really worth a visit. The Khami ruins were interesting too. Howard my guide was so knowledgeable and interesting, I really enjoyed his company and good humour.
We walked in the Park and saw a rhino mother and four month old baby which was very special. The rock paintings were superb and the visit to Worlds View with the graves of Rhodes and others was great too.
A very special place to stay and such an awesome setting.
Amalinda is Amazing!
The highlights of my three-night stay at Amalinda were the two Rhino treks and the visit to Bambata Cave to see the San hunter-gatherer rock art with my wonderful guide Kevin. On each Rhino trek we saw a mother and baby as well as a male White Rhino, and the hike up to the cave was nearly as stupendous as the rock art itself. Kevin is a bright, conscientious, hard-working guide who continues to study even as he is teaching his guests about the flora and fauna of Matobo National Park. It was a pleasure to ride, walk and talk with him as we looked for wildlife and as I learned about the history of the area.
We saw many birds I had never encountered before, and my favorite was the imposing Black (Verreaux's) Eagle. Among the mammals, an entire herd of Sable Antelope was the standout .
My "thatched suite" (No. 1) was well-equipped, comfortable and, luckily, the one closest to the reception and dining areas. The entire staff was pleasant and ever helpful, and the food was excellent. My only regret at Amalinda was not having time to go for a dip in its enormous swimming pool, which is situated in an indescribably beautiful setting.
Amalinda Lodge review
Amalinda Lodge was a fantastic place. The location is out of this world and the layout is brilliant. Our room was some distance from the main building - very private. We had to climb through a crevice in the amazing rock formation to access it (although there was a track which was less direct but accessible by vehicle or on foot).
The room itself was very large and beautifully furnished. There was a double shower built into the rock. The seating are outside the front door of the room looked over a valley with a small waterhole. We had access to a second seating area reached via a rope bridge over the valley directly above the bottom and saw some wildlife there - water birds and baboons.
On our first afternoon, we relaxed for a couple of hours after we arrived then we walked up into the hills above the lodge for sundowners. The views were lovely.
Next day after breakfast we drove into the National Park. The Park Rangers took us on foot through the bush to where a family group of white rhino were sheltering from the sun under some trees and we got close to them which was very exciting. This was the high-light of our stay. Less exciting was finding a snare set by poachers on our way back to the vehicle but it brought home to us the real danger the wildlife and rangers face. Our guide was excellent and managed to find Sable Antelope which we had been hoping to see since we arrived. That was a second high-light.
We returned to the lodge for lunch and a swim and then in the afternoon went back into the Park. We visited a cave which contained an outline painting of a white rhino made by ancient bushmen, and which was why the Government decided to re-introduce the species in that area.
Then we went on to World's View to see Rhodes Grave which was well worth the climb. The view is spectacular and the sunset beautiful. We were lucky to have it to ourselves that evening except for the brightly coloured lizards hoping for crumbs from our snacks and the dear little Elephant Shrews that wanted the water dripping from condensation on the outside of our G&Ts.
The big disappointment at Amalinda was that the emphasis seemed to be less on wildlife viewing than in the safari lodges. We set off at 08:30, which seemed very late to us, but the other people we shared the vehicle with preferred to have a leisurely breakfast before setting off so by the time we got inside the camp it was getting on for 10:00. When we found the rhino, we were told 'an hour ago they were foraging out in the open' which was frustrating. The same was true of the Sable. We did see them but at some distance because they had retreated into the rocks to avoid the sun.
As our flight to Johannesburg was not till mid-day the next day, and Bulawayo Airport was only 30 minutes away, we asked our guide if we could set off early and visit the main site of cave paintings on the way but were told that there was not likely to be an appropriate vehicle available. It sounded like an excuse and seemed to show a lack of flexibility.
The meals were fine - dinner was taken as a group but breakfast was at separate tables on the deck. The bar and pool area were very special and it was most enjoyable to have lunch there (excellent lunches) and then sit with a book, have a swim and watch birds and lizards come and go. Overall, a very enjoyable couple of days.
These travellers also commented, in their general comments on their whole trip:
It may be a good idea to recommend at least 3 nights at Amalinda if visitors would like to see cave paintings and visit World's End. We hadn't realised we wouldn't have time to do both.
Good for a short stay
Spectacular location and accommodation but very many steep steps to be negotiated (difficult particularly at night).
Lovely swimming pool.
Luxury camp in stunning national park
We had a very comfortable stay at Amalinda for the end of our trip. The room (10) was amazing and the design of the whole camp is incredible
They organised fascinating trip out to Great Zimbabwe ruins for us, albeit a long day with helpful explanation from our guide Howard.
The cave paintings are well worth seeing and the rock formations create an incredible landscape.
Amalinda organised our travel from Hwange and back to Vic Falls. The journey was comfortable and smooth. Packed lunches on our travels were great.
Well worth visiting for a relaxing time after safari.
Amalinda Lodge review
An amazing place set in the granite hills of the Matopos Hills The views are incredible. Our guide, Kevin, showed us the Bushman drawings in some of the caves in the area. We also saw a Zonkie!!, which was explained to us as a cross with a Donkey and Zebra. We also got to see the White Rhino and were able to get quite close to these magnificent animals.
The food was amazing and the room very comfortable.
our only fault was the lack of places to hang our clothes.
Amalinda - a very special place
It's hard to find words to describe Amalinda - the rooms and amenities and food and service are right out of deluxe travel magazines, but the environment in which it all takes place is pure and untainted bushveld, and the animals and birds are so close they can touch you.
Our "room" was palatial, beautifully designed and equipped, spotlessly maintained (even the odd lizard in the shower was freshly laundered), and a fine place to sleep peacefully after each day's adventures, but the minute one was in the bush, on foot, tracking a guide who was tracking a rhino, civilisation slipped away and one's world consisted of the grass and the trees and the animals. There was nothing contrived or artificial about the game experiences, except I suppose for the protection of the rangers and guides, and that was not something I would have traded.
Game drives were a constant source of pleasure, and the rhinos were co-operative in the main, despite the distress of the removals a few days before. The visit to the children's home and the village were most interesting. I appreciated the chance to speak with local residents and hear their thoughts about various things. Our fellow guests were a fascinating selection from several countries and cultures. Dinner conversation was most absorbing. I also particularly liked a collection of old books in the open air library with a view.
Special mention of our driver, Mr Edward, who was wonderfully knowledgeable, an ace game spotter, always cheerful and helpful, and a very interesting person to talk to. All the staff were competent, friendly and helpful, but Mr Edward was a stand out. Just to add that while we were there, the staff were almost all involved in fighting a serious fire a short distance from Amalinda, and yet still managed to produce superlative meals and keep the atmosphere unruffled. Bravo!
A Unique and Comfortable Base
Amalinda's unique selling point is how the whole lodge has been set into the landscape. The 'whaleback' boulders of the Matopos have been incorporated into the rooms and public areas. Note that this does mean a lot of steps everywhere, particularly to reach the bar and dining room. Our room was simply enormous with a high thatched roof and two double beds. The bathroom was bigger than most hotel rooms!
Having been guided around Great Zimbabwe by Paul Hubbard, a local historian of note, he was also our guide here for our exploration of the Matopos. I have a great interest in Cecil Rhodes, the founder of Rhodesia, and it was an ambition realised to have Paul take us through the area to sites and buildings associated with him. His knowledge is truly impressive. The highlight was to visit Rhodes' grave at 'View of the World' at sunset and watch the close of the day with a G&T. Amalinda was an excellent base for these activities and the full day we spent exploring Bulawayo.
The Matopos offers spectacular scenery, cave paintings and rhino tracking.
