Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge — first-paint frame

Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge

A canopy lodge in the inland hills.

Wake on the cliff line above Manyoni's bushveld.

Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge stands on a clifftop in Manyoni Private Game Reserve, 23 000 hectares of bushveld in northern Zululand.

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A leopard at the edge of the bushLeopard Mountain Safari LodgeManyoni Private Game Reserve
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  • Established 1997Family-run since 1997
  • Manyoni Private Game ReserveKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
  • “Global Winner: Luxury Safari Lodge”World Luxury Hotel Awards, 2024

About Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge

Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge stands on a clifftop above the Msunduze river in Manyoni Private Game Reserve, 23 000 hectares of bushveld in northern Zululand. The Vivier family opened the lodge in 1997 with no prior hospitality experience and still runs it today. Nine stone-and-thatch suites sit along the ridge, each with a private plunge pool, a hammock, and an indoor-outdoor shower, and each looks across the valley to the Lebombo mountains.

The lodge is a founding member of the reserve, formed in 2004 when seventeen landowners dropped their fences as a release site for the WWF black rhino range expansion project. Two game drives go out daily in open vehicles. Conservation shapes the rest of the offer: guests can observe a scheduled rhino horn trimming, track Temminck's ground pangolin between April and September, and visit the Zululand Rhino Orphanage. Dinner is served on the deck or fireside in the boma.

About Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge

Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge stands on a clifftop above the Msunduze river in Manyoni Private Game Reserve, 23 000 hectares of bushveld in northern Zululand. The Vivier family opened the lodge in 1997 with no prior hospitality experience and still runs it today. Nine stone-and-thatch suites sit along the ridge, each with a private plunge pool, a hammock, and an indoor-outdoor shower, and each looks across the valley to the Lebombo mountains.

The lodge is a founding member of the reserve, formed in 2004 when seventeen landowners dropped their fences as a release site for the WWF black rhino range expansion project. Two game drives go out daily in open vehicles. Conservation shapes the rest of the offer: guests can observe a scheduled rhino horn trimming, track Temminck's ground pangolin between April and September, and visit the Zululand Rhino Orphanage. Dinner is served on the deck or fireside in the boma.

The lodge opened in 1997, built by a family that had not run a hospitality business before. Construction used stone and locally sourced materials, and local community members trained in building techniques during the project. In 2022 the family marked 25 years of operation, with Ryan and Joe Vivier leading a staff of about forty. The lodge remains family-run and belongs to the African Safari Collective alongside Makakatana Bay Lodge.

In 2003 Clive Vivier, the lodge's owner, began sharing a plan for a larger conservation area with neighbouring landowners. The following year seventeen landowners dropped their internal fences to form the Zululand Rhino Reserve, chosen as a release site for the WWF black rhino range expansion project. A founder population of black rhino arrived in 2005, lions followed in 2011, and the 23 000-hectare reserve was later renamed Manyoni Private Game Reserve.

Nine stone-and-thatch suites stand along the clifftop, each with a private plunge pool, a hammock on the deck, and an indoor and outdoor shower. The lodge runs on solar power. Days follow the safari rhythm: a morning drive, breakfast on the deck, a picnic-basket lunch, afternoon tea, a second drive, and dinner on the deck or fireside in the boma.

Conservation work in the reserve is open to guests at extra cost and on the reserve's schedule. Options include observing a rhino horn trimming, tracking Temminck's ground pangolin between April and September, joining the reserve's K9 tracking unit, and visiting the Zululand Rhino Orphanage. A per-night conservation levy funds endangered-species protection in Manyoni.

At the 2024 World Luxury Hotel Awards the lodge was named a global winner in the luxury safari lodge category. The lodge is about three and a half hours' drive from Durban and King Shaka International Airport, and two hours from Richards Bay Airport. Children from age twelve are welcome.

What’s included

  • A lodge lounge opening to the water

    All meals

    Breakfast, a picnic-basket lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner are part of the nightly rate.

  • An open safari vehicle on a sand track

    Two daily game drives

    Morning and afternoon drives with professional rangers in open vehicles carrying at most seven guests.

  • A lodge lounge opening to the water

    Selected drinks

    Soft drinks, house wines, local-brand spirits and beers, and teas and coffees; cellar wines and premium spirits are billed separately.

  • A suite interior with a bed and timber detailing

    Wi-Fi

    Wi-Fi is included in the rate; the per-night conservation levy is billed separately.

Plan your stay

Enquire

We will reply personally within four hours.

Where you stay

Nine luxury suites on the ridge above the Msunduze valley.

  • A suite interior with a bed and timber detailing
  • A pool deck beside the lodge
  • A wide view across the floodplain toward Lake St Lucia
  • The lodge lounge with low seating and natural light

Luxury suite

Sleeps 2

One of nine suites, each with a private plunge pool and an indoor outdoor shower.

Gallery

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Stories

Editorial stories are authored in Sanity and surface here once Studio entries land.

Experiences

Two daily safaris in Manyoni’s big-five country.

Open vehicle on a game drive at the edge of iSimangaliso wetlandOpen vehicle on a game drive at the edge of iSimangaliso wetland

Track the Big Five on morning and afternoon drives through Manyoni’s 23 000 hectares.

Included
The lake at sunset seen from the lodge

Watch the waterhole at dusk and the southern sky after dinner.

Included
The lodge set among the coastal forest

Walk the reserve’s ridgelines with an armed ranger after early coffee.

Extra
A wide view across the floodplain toward Lake St Lucia

Track Temminck’s ground pangolin with the reserve’s shepherd, April to September.

Extra
Wetland birds in flight over still water

Observe a scheduled rhino horn trimming beside the conservation team.

Extra

Other lodges

Makakatana Bay Lodge — first frame

Makakatana Bay Lodge

Makakatana is a private camp on Lake St Lucia, inside the iSimangaliso wetland.

Sungulwane Private Game Lodge — first frame

Sungulwane Private Game Lodge

A hilltop lodge in Zuka Private Game Reserve.

Fugitives' Drift Lodge — first frame

Fugitives' Drift Lodge

A historical estate above the Buffalo river.

Three Tree Hill — first frame

Three Tree Hill

A grassland lodge in the Spioenkop valley.

Thonga Beach Lodge — first frame

Thonga Beach Lodge

A beach lodge in the Mabibi dune forest.

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge — first frame

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

A ridge lodge on the western boundary of Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park.

Map

Manyoni Private Game Reserve, Zululand, South Africa

The lodge stands on a ridge above the Msunduze river valley, inside Manyoni Private Game Reserve in northern Zululand. The reserve covers 23 000 hectares of thornveld, rocky hills, and riverine forest. 17 landowners dropped their fences in 2004 to form one protected landscape.

Manyoni means place of birds in isiZulu, and 434 bird species are on the reserve list. Black rhino arrived in 2005 under the WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project. Lion followed in 2011, and the reserve carries the Big Five.

Common questions

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