Guest Book

Hi Arline, hope you are well. Sorry it’s taken me a while to write to you, but we have not been back in the UK long and have been so busy preparing for our party last night. We had around 150 guests, and ran a showreel of pictures of Nkomazi all night, which went down very well, and I hope spread the word to some potential new visitors. I wanted to say a huge thanks to you and all your team for making our stay so memorable. Everyone (and I mean everyone!) was amazed at the beauty of Nkomazi, and the care that all your colleagues put into looking after us. Not sure I can add to much more, you run an operation that exceeds any other we have ever experienced, and we simply could not have chosen a better venue for our wedding. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts Jane & Dave Barwick xxx

Hi Arline I just wanted to say a big thank you to you and your team for such an amazing and memorable weekend! And special thanks to Michelle, Tania and Thabo for all the help. I cannot even begin to tell you how much we enjoyed our stay and I can promise you that we'll be back soon. Thanks again! Mark Hi All I also want to thank everyone for making my engagement weekend so perfect! I could not have asked for a better setting, nor better people. You were all so accommodating and a special mention must also go out to Thabo - he was brilliant on the night and was so excited for us! :) Thank you thank you! I will definitely be recommending Komati in the future (I already have!!), and Mark and I will be sure to visit again soon! Leigh

My wife and I have just returned ( 9 /10 Aug 2012) from our third visit to Nkomazi Game Reserve in a space of 8 months. On all three occasions we have experienced superb service from all the staff at the Komati Tented Camp. This camp and reserve is indeed a well-kept secret but is steadily becoming more and more popular by word of mouth referrals. Ulrich and his team provide truly awesome service and when the staff including the waiter and waitresses welcome you back and thank you for your continued patronage it speaks volumes of the amount of time and effort that has been put in to ensuring that the service ethic remains exceptionally high and that the continued success of the lodge is based on the service ethic and a recognition that contented guests will return time and again as well as being the best advert for the reserve and lodge. Our weekend was made that more special when we arrived back from our last game drive yesterday when we were greeted on entering our tent with a thank you note for our continued support of the reserve and two sleeveless (Nkomazi branded) fleece tops. This was totally unexpected and spoke volumes about how guests are viewed at Komati Tented Camp. Could you please advise the necessary senior management of the Shamwari Group of the superb lodge run by a great team filled with a passion to service the needs of all the guests and make their stay a memorable one. The reserve is not that well stocked and does not offer the big 5 experience but this pales into insignificance once the guest has experienced the "Komati Way". Well done to Ulrich and his team.

Ek wil net baie dankie se vir 'n wonderlike naweek by Nkomazi! Julle het ons baie spesiaal laat voel en alles het so goed afgeloop. Dankie vir die moeite met die tafel versierings, die rose petals aisle, die rose petals op die beddens, die vreeslike lekker kos en jul positiewe en vriendelike gesindheid. Natuurlik ook die warm water sakke, bedtime stories en chocolates en al die klein dingetjies wat bydra tot so 'n onvergeetlike experience!! Ek hoor iemand het tot my pa se hemp gewas en oor gestryk? Baie dankie!! :) Al my gaste was weggeblaas deur die lodge en niemand kan uitgepraat raak daaroor nie! Ons sien uit om weer te kom sodra ons 'n geleentheid of 'n verskoning het!

This is the most awesome place that I have visited in a while. The nature reserve is spectacular with lots of game visible on the game drives. The staff are one with nature and they are truly world class. The food and accomodation are more than 5 star and the main leaders Ulrich and Arlene are extremely passionate and well versed with nature. Thank you guys for you professionalism and the experience is truly beyond expectations.

Arline, Ek wil net weereens baie baie dankie se dat julle die dag vir Ian SO spesiaal gemaak het. Dankie vir al jou moeite en liefde!! Dit was regtig die BESTE ervaring ooit. Dis die mooiste plek en al julle mense daar laat mens net nog meer special voel. Sien julle een van die dae weer… Lekker dag!! Lizelle van Biljon

Dear Joe, I just want to give you some feedback from our visit at Nkomazi. From arrival to departure - very very proff. Very nice area - grassland, different from Eastern Cape and other reserves. We saw a lot of game in our short time. Staff, food, camp - some of the very best we have tried ( and we have been many places in Southern Africa ) five star ! Arline & Ulrich Schutte was No. 1 - super nice people, Ulrich did tell us all about the bush and game we saw in the area - very proff. Nkomazi is just a place you feel welcome at and it was very nice to watch the other guest in camp, they realy enjoyed their stay, like we did. A place that we only can recommend to all our clients. Venlig hilsen / Best regards Jannik Hansen Limpopo Travel A/S / Diana Hunting tours

Nkomazi: what an awesome place! If you want total relaxation and excellent customer service this is the place to come to. Arline, Ulrich and staff - thank you for making our stay as close to perfect as possible. We were completely spoilt during our stay. Thabo, Nati, Peppy, Louise and Michelle - thank you for everything and for accommodating all our needs. The service, food, accommodation, people, and atmosfere was spot on! We will be back and will recommend Nkomazi to all our friends and family.

Hi Ulrich I am back in SA and have just had a conversation with Peter Viljoen. He used words like stunning, perfect, magnificent and ideal to describe his stay and he then said “it’s a place to love and it’s a place that gets better with each visit” Peter was really thrilled that you had rye bread for him and both he and Lance commented on the amazing attention to detail with each meal. Peter said the meals are better than ever! Ruth was particularly thrilled with the heaters and the hot water bottle. Peter also said he had a massage for the first time and he commented on the therapist’s skill but more especially on the cleanliness. So dear Ulrich, thank you for treating my clients so honourably and for making each visit so perfect. I am just waiting on some members of his family to get back to me but they are looking to return sometime in August. I may ask Res to hold a few tents for me as its probable they’ll travel on or around the 9th. Warm regards Dorienne

I want to thank the management and staff for my stay at Nkomazi game reserve. There is nothing I could possibly complain about except time goes way to fast when one is at Nkomazi. Also a special thanks to the ranger Louise for her knowledge and beeing able to get us close to one male and female rhino baby during two of our game drives. Also a special thanks to Thabo. I hope to see you all agan in the future.

More Arline, Ek wil net hiermee weereens verskriklik dankie se vir al julle moeite en reelings om ons week en ons dag daar by julle 'n onvergeetlike ondervinding te maak. Dit alles kon nie meer perfek uitgewerk het nie!! Ek wil dan net persoonlik dankie se aan jouself en Ulrich vir julle profesionele bestuurstyl en vriendelikheid, Hugo en Nico vir die uitvat en die mooi fotos, Michelle en Arline vir die spa behandelings en dan natuurlik vir Heinrich wat elke dag se ondervinding in die veld spesiaal gemaak het met sy kennis, grappies en respek vir die natuur. En ook al die ander personeel van skoonmaak tot heerlike kosmaak. Ons hoop ons sal julle weer binnekort kan besoek, baie sterkte met die nuwe baba! PS, ekt darem my bril op die klip gekry...(dankie vir die soek pogings) Groete Jacques Hodsdon

Hi Natasha I just wanted to pop you a mail to thank you for arranging the trip to Nkomazi. I get to see a number of lodges and I have to admit, I was incredibly impressed with Nkomazi. The camp itself is great, the food was fantastic, the staff were all superb (Ulrich was our guide and he is excellent). Having seen Nkomazi, I now have a better idea of who I can sell the product to. I will definitely be pushing it to my Johannesburg based clients as a fantastic getaway that is easily accessible from Johannesburg. I believe that it is incredible value for money as well. Cheers Simon

Dear Ulrich & Arline Thank you so much for a lovely, relaxing stay at Komati Tented Lodge, John and I had the most wonderful time. It was far too short, but we will be back. The welcome song on arrival was a “jolly” start to the stay, loved the hot towels and ginger beer – yummy. Accommodation is first class, extremely comfortable, sparkling clean (compliments to the housekeeper) and all the amenities one would need for a very comfortable stay. I felt like a queen in the Sultan’s bed in the Royal Suite…….. The High Tea was a delicious spread which we delved into with relish! The game drive was entertaining……Hugo was great – his love for the reserve is evident and we were even fortunate enough to come across some lion and rhino. It is a beautiful reserve ……… not many reserves can offer such a combination of great beauty, abundance of plains game, fishing, mountain biking and pampering in the retreat as well as throughout the lodge. The proximity to Johannesburg and daily rate are very appealing factors in helping to sell this lovely product. Our evening meal was delicious and John was very embarrassed by the lovely surprise birthday cake – that kept him quiet for awhile at least!!! Thank you so much for going to the trouble, it was much appreciated. All too soon we had to leave. Thank you again, Ulrich, Arline & all the Komati Staff for such a warm welcome and lovely stay…….. Komati Tented is a little gem for all the reason outlined above….. the staff is friendly, humorous and willing to please….. so nice to see all those HAPPY SMILES. Keep up the great work and well done!!! Warmest regards Bridget Booysen

Dear Mr and Mrs Ulrich & Arline Schutte, We reached India on 5th of September, rest at home on Sunday and back in saddle from Monday (6/9/2010). We (Rajiv Bhale, Kumar Tamhane, Aniruddha Deshpande, Jagdish Hiremath) had a fantastic time in South Africa. It started with Nkomazi and ended with Shamwari. Your presence in Nkomazi makes such a huge difference! We had excellent sightings, enjoyable time, lovely food and great hospitality. I am sure you have a great future ahead of you. All the very best to both of you in all the endeavors that you think of. Thanking you once again. Dr. Jagdish Hiremath

Dear Ulrich & Arline, Sorry for the delay in response as I got extremely busy on return. It was indeed a pleasure to stay at Nkomazi with you guys and I am very sure with the kind of dedication you have towards your job Nkomazi will soon become a success story like Shamwari. Your personal attention to our stay was really great and my friends and myself are really thankful for the same. Our experience of staying at Nkomazi was lifetime memory and I personally look forward to coming there once again with my family. I wish you the best for our future. Warm Regards, RAJIV BHALE

Thank you for the wonderful time at your “heaven on earth” lodge and reserve. It was just what we wanted and needed in order to truly relax and unwind from the hectic life in Joburg. The accommodation was remarkable especially the Edwardian outdoor bath! We both found the food to be fantastic in that it was not too rich yet very tasty. Your staff were so attentive and helpful and hence I am attaching a few photos that Les took. Please will you let the staff see them. We have already shared our wonderful experience with our friends in Joburg. Nkomazi is a wonderful product with wonderful staff and I certainly will be trying to send you a lot of business in the future. Once again thank you from both Les and myself for a fantastic couple of days. Best Regards from Ian and Les

Hi Arline, Ek wil net graag weereens baie dankie se vir jou en Ulrich en die res van die span. Alles het so perfek uitgewerk, en ek is seker ons sal nooit die naweek vergeet nie. Nylde was regtig weggeblaas, so julle het my ook sommer goed laat lyk. Stuur asb. groete daai kant.. ons sien julle weer vir ons anniversary! Lekker bly.. Nico Hoffman

Dear Ulrich and Fred, Thank you for a wonderful stay with you and for being spoiled rotten once again. For me it was like coming home, and for Paul it was a breathtaking first. The only problem is when one has seen and experienced Nkomazi, everything else compares badly and comes a dismal second (or third). It is one of a kind and you folks have made it thus. Please convey our thanks to all of the staff, especially to Hugo for taking the time to show us the elephants and the king of the reserve on his rocky perch, and to Peppy for feeding us so diligently. Love and the warmest regards to all Paul & Irene

We had our own Serengeti experience (stunning grasslands and kopje's)!!! What a wonderful place and the hospitality, guiding and food was fantastic. It really was all you cracked it up to be - every drive had a few extra special moments and the sunset on Sat eve was magnifique - as a back drop to elephants feeding in a thicket, lion 'lying'/rumbling nearby and a frosty for extra personality! Made Ulrich's (and ours) day when on our last drive we saw a brown hyena with a large bloody bone which he deposited in some reeds, came out and chased a warty around, gave up, scattered a few ibis and then back the bone! Accom is superb. Went on walk (no biking - lion in the area) and thoroughly enjoyed Ulrich's general banter and knowledge then and on the drives - saw a few tweets that were new to us as well. Pity can't paddle that river! A great destination that hopefully gets world heritage status as the geog is amazing. Also checked out some San rock art.

Hallo julle!! Baie dankie weereens vir 'n awesome kuiertjie by Nkomazi! Ons het elke oomblik vreeslik baie geniet. Ek en Rob mis die bos alreeds!! Ons sal verseker weer 'n draai by julle kom gooi. Geniet julle dag, en naweek verder! Zahn du Toit

Hi Arline I would just like to say Thank You for a wonderful weekend away at Nkomazi Game Reserve. We had the best time. Your service and going the extra mile was fantastic. We certainly felt spoilt! I have posted a great trip advisor report and also sent a compliment to Hello Peter. I hope you got them. Hope to be back real soon!! Cheers Regards Ildiko Hegyi

Hi …. Absolute gem of an experience! Family all exceptionally happy and it exceeded expectations…..Ulrich and the team were great…….Heinrich was a great guide and our fellow guests were great company….and Arline, Thabo and Peppy were exceptional in looking after us…. So in all, very, very happy! Thanks Kind Regards Jon Martinek

To all the staff at Nkomazi We were fortunate to spend time with you last week, and we would like to thank you for a totally unforgettable experience! We were pampered and looked after in such a professional and yet personal way. Nkomazi has definitely made an amazing impression on us and we'll surely tell all who wants to hear! We wish you all the best for the future and we definitely plan to be part of it again real soon. Regards Paul and Schizelle Theron

Nkomazi really was a five star resort and there was nothing that we could fault the team on, one of the best lodges that we gave been to. Have a good year and many thanks once again. Regards Julia Jacks

My apologies for a very belated thank you the opportunity for Gordon and me to spend three wonderful days at Nkomazi! Our accommodations were superb! We could not have asked for more. And your staff were fantastic, we really enjoyed our time with everyone, and especially Graham. He made our game drives a lot of fun, relaxing, and very interesting. Barb

Good day Crystal, Just to give feedback on the most amazing weekend ever, from arrivals to departures and all the activities that happened in-between world class standards. We are now planning the next competition for our retailers and they have requested that the prize be at Nkomazi game reserve same time next year. I will be in contact with you and you can provisionally look at booking the full ten tents for the mid Feb 2013 . Lorraine

All at Nkomazi, I just wanted to thank you all for one of the most wonderful experiences of my life! I was one of the Cox and Kings party who stayed with you for one night (far too short..!) last week. Your entire Game Reserve experience was amazing, the staff unfailingly polite and enthusiastic, the setting sublime and managing to get a good sighting of the lion family through the determined efforts of Ulrich, breathtaking. Thank you all for making my African holiday so special. Anne Richardson

Dear Nkomazi Not all of us but most have just got back into London ... into misty fog ... not the same now knowing that Nkomazi exists ! Thank you so so much for such a bewilderingly lovely stay , you made us feel so welcome and that nothing was too much trouble .. such generosity isn't always easy to find, so thank you all. So kind and special thank you to Ulrich who checked me and Graham in on line , it was really appreciated by us ! Thank you thank you Georgiana ( Dacombe )

There is no words to thank you for the 3 wonderful days we had at Nkomazi tented lodge. Special thank to Graham & Peppy. We were in a dream for 3 days. We will not forget our night adventure with Ghost ! And the meeting with the elephants. Certainly the Best holidays ever...

On behalf of Free State Cricket Union I would like to thank you sincerly for the professional service received with our booking at Komati Tented Lodge for the period 20 to 23 October 2011. It was a fantastic experience for all parties involved, and I must mention the exceptional professional, efficient and friendly service received from Ulrich and his staff. This was the best ever hospitality and facilities that we have encountered in our beautiful country. Thank you once again for your assistance and all the arrangements

Our heartfelt thanks to the entire team at Nkomazi for the making our wedding weekend so special and way more than we ever expected! Despite the weather on Friday forcing us to change plans (and I’m glad for this as things turned out for the better) your team ensured that every detail was perfect. The service we enjoyed was impeccable and nothing was too much trouble - we honestly felt that everyone was prepared to do whatever it took to make our weekend very special. The wedding venue turned out magnificently and our wedding dinner in the boma was marvellous and magical - this really was a beautiful start to our life together. Our guests all had a lovely time and thoroughly enjoyed the overall ambiance of the lodge, their luxury tents (especially the outdoor baths), food and facilities and I have no doubt they will be back for a weekend on their own. Please extend a very special thanks to everyone involved in making this weekend so memorable and please assure them all that no smile, special touch our excellent service went by unnoticed. Thank you and all the very best

Hi Ulrich and Arline, My parents and myself had a wonderful time at Komati. The place is stunning and being our first experience we really enjoyed. Also, great staff and thanks to Graham and Tanya too.

Nkomazi was the destination for our 10 year anniversary getaway and what a spoil it was!! Stunning setting, exceptional service and attention to detail, fabulous food and great hospitality. We would highly recommend it! (And we recommend a stay of at least 3 nights to really get into the rhythm of bush life!) Well done to the Nkomazi team :)

This weekend blew us away! We had the most special, relaxing, enthralling experience. Nothing disappointed (in fact, it exceeded my very hyped up expectations!) - the accommodation, the staff, the food, the game, the scenery - it was all, quite simply, spectacular. Came back (very reluctantly) to Jhb refreshed and relaxed, and already planning our next trip there. Thank you SO much for everything - your recommendation was spot on - suited us perfectly, and I feel like you shared with us a really well-kept secret of the bush. Thanks, too, for your complete professionalism and consideration throughout. I will definitely be recommending your services and the lodge to everyone I know.