"Day Trip:
We did the Lion Walk and cheetah interaction. It was great!
We did the morning tour and it was midweek so we were only 7 on the tour. This allowed the guides to take their time and we had long interactions with the cats. Gordon, the guide, is an animal nerd!😆- Very knowledgeable and passionate.

We took brief breaks during the tour, and we were given drinks and scones.

The steak sandwich we had for lunch was filling and tastes great.

The owner, Gillian, is very warm And welcoming. Tshego, the hostess, gave us excellent service! She's very loving yet professional.

I'm looking forward to staying overnight next time.

Highly recommended!"

Jason Finger

"Overpriced, Misleading, and Underwhelming – A Thoroughly Disappointing Experience

At the time of booking, we were told that normal cars could not travel the road to the farm and that a high-clearance vehicle would be required. When I asked about transport options, I was given the contact number of a courier company that could collect and deliver us to the farm. I was quoted R4000 for the round trip from Pretoria — which immediately raised red flags and felt like false representation of the road conditions to sell a transport package.

To verify this claim, I drove to the farm the weekend before our booking. While the road was undeniably in poor condition — riddled with countless potholes — I was able to complete the trip in my own car with slow and careful driving. The road was far from ideal, but it was absolutely passable without a high-clearance vehicle. We were clearly misled.

We were also told that the Saturday group would consist of 15 people, and since we prefer smaller groups, I booked for a weekday instead.

On the day of our visit, my wife and I left work early at 10am to ensure we’d be on time for our 2pm appointment, knowing that late arrival would result in forfeiting our booking and payment. After battling through stop-and-go roadworks and the pothole-ridden tar road, we arrived an hour early. We were ushered to a waiting area and promised fruit juice refreshments — a small but welcome gesture after the long drive. However, after waiting for half an hour, we had to go ask where the juice was. As we took our first sips, we were immediately called to begin the carnivore tour.

We had booked Package 3, which combines the Guided Predator Tour (Package 1) and the Lion Enrichment Walk (Package 2). The standalone prices were R750 and R1200 respectively, but we paid R1600 per person for the combined package — supposedly a discounted rate from R1950.

The Guided Predator Tour was extremely underwhelming. It featured only five animal species, no cubs, and lasted just 35 minutes, far short of the advertised 2 hours. The guide was excellent and patient, which was one of the few positives, but the experience itself did not justify the cost.

The Lion Enrichment Walk, advertised as a relaxed one-hour experience at a leisurely pace, turned out to be a rushed 30-minute walk from 4:20pm to 4:50pm. The guide recited facts in a monotone manner, making the walk feel more like a scripted photo-op than a meaningful wildlife encounter — just enough for tourists to grab some pictures and videos. Don’t expect a small group either; they pack in as many people as possible to clearly maximize income.

In total, we received just 1 hour of actual tour time, despite paying for a 3-hour experience. This is a blatant rip-off.

Final Opinion:

Ukutula Lodge is clearly a tourist trap focused on maximizing revenue at the expense of quality, transparency, and value for money. South Africa has many similar centres that cater to lions and other carnivores — many of which offer far better experiences, ethical practices, and are located at more accessible venues. Ukutula sadly did not live up to its promises.

I will not be returning."

Morphius

"We didn’t book a room here but when we booked our adventure they referred us to a personal driver that picked us up from Johannesburg. We arrived on time and started with with lunch at 1pm. The food was good and was kept us satisfied throughout the whole adventure.

We then started by looking at some small cats and then the cheetahs. We walked into the enclosure with the cheetahs who at the time would walk around us but eventually sat down and we were able to pet the cheetah which was amazing!

We then had a break and began the lion walking. Our guide was so cool and informative. Being in the presence of lions was truly an amazing experience. We walked closely behind them and took some great pictures. The guides then helped take pictures of us but the majority of fun comes from observing the lions who are a few feet away. We felt safe the whole time with our guides.

We had our last break and they showed us their research lab and how they help the lions. We continued to see more large cats they had from hyenas to white lioness and two tigers they rescued.

Overall this was totally worth it coming to South Africa. It was an amazing experience and I will never forget this."

Albert Rodriguez