To maintain the integrity of Fenella’s personal home, treasures from her collection of carpets, furniture, artworks and pottery were integrated into the new Lodge’s interior décor – many items of sentimental value to the family have become part of this haven. Blending history in the form of these precious pieces with new more modern ones, certainly had its challenges, but we feel created personal touches of interest! The concept of Nel’s Lodge was to honour her memory by attempting to fuse these diverse elements to create a restful, sophisticated but comfortable, intimate space in which our guests would be able to relax and feel at home.
This sole-use retreat is a place to unwind, relax, be indulged and make memories to last a lifetime while being at one with Nature.
The Reviews by our very first guests and a family staying recently, in conjunction with the gallery of pictures, almost say it all – but the ambience must be experienced to truly appreciate this gem in the heart of Sibuya.
Following is what the first guests had to say:
Two couples from Franschhoek were the first to open the Nel’s Lodge chapter and this is what Stuart Morton had to say…
A hilltop sanctuary where the safari starts the moment you board the boat
What a wonderful time we had at Sibuya as the first ever guests in brand new Nel’s Lodge (December 2025). Perched high on the hill with the serpentine bends of the river stretched out below, the position is really beautiful. And the lodge has been sympathetically and comfortably renovated whilst respecting the legacy of Nel, the sister of one of the owners. We had such a lovely team in the house led by Danielle and in the kitchen led by Chef Quentin, who produced delicious and (very!) copious meals. They created the best atmosphere – of being “at home” but with every care and attention afforded to us. JP our ranger was extraordinarily good and extraordinarily nice. In fact, everyone we met on the reserve was characterised by their sheer nice-ness. Extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of the bush, JP was absolutely delightful company too. As Nel’s lodge is taken as an exclusive rental JP was dedicated only to us (and it was only us in the jeep) so he kindly tailored to our wishes and interests – one of our crew was a keen birdwatcher and he went out of his way to point out more than 50 avian species to us. We had amazing sightings and were nearly always the only jeep in the middle of the herd of elephants or the pride of lions, so it felt very special. The very unusual thing about Sibuya is that you approach it by boat from (beautiful) Kenton on Sea, so your safari experience starts instantly. You can also be taken further upstream on a beautiful river excursion, particularly good for birds at low tide, or for fishing/canoeing (the river is brackish at this point so there are no crocodile or hippos). Overall, this is an intimate experience delivered by exceptional people who are to be commended for the way they looked after us from booking (Gabi on Reception is a great communicator) right through to departure (again by boat).
Come let us spoil you…
