We were only able to stay at Pumba for one night due to a limited budget, but the 24 hours there made for an unforgettable experience that will be remembered for many years to come.
From the moment you arrive the staff go the extra mile starting with a warm welcome, drinks and refreshments before showing you to your accommodation.
The rooms are spacious and clean while outside we had a large impressive veranda overlooking the lake. The outdoor shower was a favourite to use in the warm sunshine and gave you a feeling of truly living in the wild. We were allocated a time for our game drive which gave us a few hours to relax and enjoy our surroundings, spotting gifaffe and other game across the lake.
We were given a personal guide on our game drive who went out of his way to ensure we saw as much wildlife as possible. Starting as 5.30pm, the drive lasted way past 8pm meaning we could experience the park at dusk including seeing a family of white lions waking up for the night ahead!
Also given a second drive at the break of dawn that lasted another two hours which enabled us to see a family of elephants, two male lions and the giraffe, all up close.
The food was exceptional, with a mouthwatering choice of meals on the menu that didn't disappoint.
Our sheets hadn't been changed so had to phone the reception though credit to them they did come straight away and change them. There was also a dead spider which hadn't been removed which shows the place wasn't cleaned thoroughly enough. The outdoor private dipping pool was also dirty despite the best efforts of the management to say otherwise...put it this way you wouldn't go in it.
I just feel that Pumba is still in its early days but charging Shamwari prices given they still have a way to go before the game levels are up there with the best of game reserves in South Africa. There is a slight tinge of being amateur at this kind of experience.
I like the idea of a night in the wilderness and the fact that a ranger has to take you to your room as the animals can and do come up to the lodges.
It is great and worth a visit though I can't help thinking it doesn't justify the high prices just yet.

There is so much I could write about our terrific time at Pumba; however thinking about you, the reader, I'll try to distil it into some simple thoughts:

Service: Fantastic - we felt so welcome and nothing was too much trouble. Every one of the staff felt it was their mission to ensure we had the best possible time.

Food: Perfect - there is so much to eat and drink and the quality and variety is excellent.

Rooms: Beautiful - we stayed in both the Water Lodge and the Bush Lodge. Both lodges are lovely; our preference was the Bush Lodge but you won't go wrong with either.

Safari: Outstanding - bear in mind this is a private reserve, so you're not completely in the wild. The rangers are really knowledgeable and work together to ensure you see as many animals as possible. The trucks are not full of people so you get a far more personal experience. We also took the opportunity on our last day to go for a walk with the rangers. This allowed us to get a little closer to the flora and fauna.

We had a great couple of days at Pumba. It is a beautiful setting and the staff are very attentive. There is a huge disparity between the quality of the guides and this can have an effect on your time but all in all highly recommended.

This place is amazing. We were in the bush lodge for three night and the room was so beautiful- we visited the water lodge and it was fun to have a meal over there, but we preferred our room to the room we saw at the water lodge. Our guide (Justin) was so fun and knowledgeable and made each game drive really special. We were paired with another young couple for our game drives and it was really fun getting to know them. One morning we decided to do a game walk instead of a game drive and it was a neat experience- I would recommend. The food was really good and the service was the best we'd ever experienced. The game drives were amazing and we saw all of the big five except leopards, plus lots of other animals. It was only about 1.5 hours from Port Elizabeth and easy to find (there is a long dirt road that leads up to the entrance- at first we thought maybe we were lost, but we weren't- just keep going). We thought it was worth every penny, and actually a great value when you think about the cost of paying for food, great accommodations and game drives with a ranger. I did a lot of research before choosing this place and it seemed like the best deal with the best reviews and it exceeded all our expectations (which were really high). Maybe the coolest experience of our lives- go!