Does Tala Game Reserve have a pool?

Yes, this property has an outdoor pool.

Is Tala Game Reserve pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking at Tala Game Reserve?

Self parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at Tala Game Reserve?

Check-in start time: 2 PM; Check-in end time: 5 PM. After-hours check-in is not available.

Does Tala Game Reserve provide a shuttle to the airport?

Yes, there's an airport shuttle.

Where is Tala Game Reserve located?

Situated in a regional park, this lodge is within 25 mi (40 km) of Epic Karting, Scottsville Racecourse, and Golden Horse Casino. Comrades Marathon House and Pietermaritzburg Oval are also within 25 mi (40 km).

Tala Game Reserve Reviews, Deals & Photos 2025

10/10 Excellent

Richard

26 March 2025

Abundance of wildlife found close your lodge…

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

janice

16 January 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Tala Getaway

Leadwood cottages at Tala are fantastic. The cottages are huge with an incredible open plan design leading directly into nature. They are also extremely private. Everything was clean and well presented. The wildlife sightings were amazing, with minimal effort.

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023

6/10 Okay

ailsa

22 July 2019

Disliked: Cleanliness

A disappointing stay but great animal sightings.

The location is beautiful, having not been there for a few years it was not as good as it had been. Paperbark, where we stayed had amazing staff and the food was great. The accomodation could do with a good clean and paint. Looking out of the bedroom window and seeing animals right there was wonderful.Checking in and out was quite difficult. One incident involved a manager arguing with american quests about the advertised web site price and the other with guests complaining about the food in the picnic basket that cost R 600 being still frozen. Not sure if we would return. The animal sightings were great. Generally the place needs maintenance.

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

13 May 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Beautiful scenery, peaceful and a great experience

Stayed 1 night in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

19 February 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Fab staff, towels are not provided for the rock pools.

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Jason, Iowa, US

29 November 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

This was our first time staying at Tala and we had a wonderful time. Since we were traveling for work and this was a two day getaway, we did not have a car. The staff was quite accommodating, picking us up so we could meet a friend for dinner at the Aloe Restaurant even though we were staying on the other side of the reserve (thank you, Maxwell!), arranging car pickup for our return to the airport, and picking us up to return to reception for check out. The food was wonderful and the staff, particularly Teresa at Paperbark, were exceptional. The front desk was quite kind and helpful.

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

Atul

23 September 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great service, unique experience

The location and rooms were amazing. The staff were very friendly, the only issue was the lack of access to facilities and a missing TV in the room

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

Monica

13 August 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Beautiful Tala

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The staff are friendly and very helpful. We stayed in Leadwood Cottages and were impressed by the accommodation. Unfortunately, we did have some bad weather and our cottage leaked a little but the staff were quick to assist.

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Wim, Houston TX

30 July 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

great service and great people, in restaurant,reception and all others who helped us

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

2/10 Terrible

Barney

29 July 2018

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Stayed at Leadwood 3... beautiful setting and room. Although the finer detail and small touches have been missed. Being in the hotel industry I know that these are by biggest crowd pleasers. Advertised is turndown service which was not done at all.. Wifi is advertised your the room also had no internet. It is also advertised with a minibar. The only part of the mini bar we could locate we those and 5 drop milk triangles, other than that there was no fresh water or anything to drink. Biggest disgust is that soon chech I is the we were seated waiting for our key and other genetaleman walks I to check in...3 ladies facing our direction while watching a PC screen completely ignore the fact that there are paying customers needing something, when I tried to flag them down and call them out, the door was simply slid closed. Won't be back and would not recommend. I have been in the luxury hospitality industry for years no and my no means the beat but if never treated my guests in that manner.

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018

8/10 Good

NOMBUSO

5 November 2017

Overnight getaway

It was really nice and quiet however the Wi-Fi was bad,staff very aloof and unwelcoming.The duty manager was out of reach and there were creepy crawlers in room and spider con webs in the bathroom. The breakfast was substandard, I suppose because it's free.The cappuccino machine was not working and the waitresses acted as if they were doing you a favour.

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

PASCAL

19 September 2017

Liked: Staff & service

days in Tala game reserve.

Beautiful game reserve, you can watch a lot of different animals ! But the buildings are quite old and not very well maintained. The employees are very helpful. Pascal

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

nqobile

28 August 2017

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Hidden beauty

Beautiful game reserve with plenty of animals to see, friendly staff. Our room was neat and tidy, we had specifically asked for this room as it was close to the pool but to our disappointment the pool was unkept. Buffet breakfast was tasty, too bad they don't make cupaccinos. Overall we had a lovely stay.

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

6/10 Okay

Claudette, Durban

13 January 2016

Liked: Cleanliness

Tala

Overall stay was good. Food was average. Breakfast was good however we did not enjoy all the food for dinner. For the prices of the dinners I expected far superior food. We ordered steak which was over cooked and not medium as requested and the lamb shank was the smallest lamb shank i have ever seen. The General Manager was present all the time in the dininigroom talking to guests. Would have loved to have comfortable chairs in the room we stayed in which was Paperback number 1. Unfortunately there is a factory not far from where we were and made a terrrible noise early in the morning even on the Sunday. Great rock pool and picnic area and we did a self drive around the reserve and this was fantastic.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

6 January 2016

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Fantastic stay,a must to do. Lots to see, and the restaurant and staff are very nice

10/10 Excellent

Rinal, Durban

2 December 2015

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Looking forward to another stay at Tala :)

On the first night our fireplace was not even lit and it was so cold. Unfortunately the electrical fire place was tricky to put on. The second night we called from around 18h30 to get the fireplace put on and only after two phone calls and way after 20h00 someone had come to start the fire. Other than that it was an amazing experience. The hotel was great with a absolutely stunning views. The staff were so friendly and always had a smile on their face. The food was so delicious. We enjoyed holiday our looking forward to plan our next one at Tala. Well done guys

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

29 September 2015

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Short but so sweet. We spotted 5 rhinos and 8 Gira

We stayed in the FigTree Lodge - it was so spacious and comfortable. Restaurant food was good and the staff most helpful and understanding.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

13 August 2015

Liked: Cleanliness

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Dont expect too much and you will enjoy it

Great game drive. Very informative guide - Milton. Air con didn't work in the room we stayed in and bath towels were very old and tatty. Sliding / Door coming out of restaurant onto verandah needs repair or replacing. Evening meal was satisfactory, but service in restaurant was average. There seemed to be a shortage of staff on duty. Both in reception and in restaurant?

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

8 July 2015

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort

An overall beautiful stay. However there is much needed to improve this venue. 1. A refurbishment of certain areas 2. I would expect to be met at my room by someone with some explanation of the venue. 3. Little or nothing to do once been on the game drive. (Perhaps a television in the room) An entertainment area perhaps. Pool Table, Table Tennis maybe. Staff are friendly, breakfast and dinner were good. Game Drive was superb.

8/10 Good

Kamani, Verulam

24 June 2015

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Tala Game Reserve

Game drive was the highlight of the stay, guide was really knowledgeable. Tala needs to have TV's in their rooms, its a must as there is very little you can do with regard to activities. We stayed in Leadwood two and it was neat and comfortable. Staff were friendly and welcoming. will recommend Leadwood one as it was on the lake.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

20 March 2015

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Disappointed @ Tala

Attended a conference. Aircon in a room of 50 people didn't work. I stayed over and albeit that the room was fairly clean at face value, all the furniture, curtains, carpets etc need a serious upgrade. There were no hangers in the room and I had to ask for a 2-point plug for their hairdryer. The gardens are untidy. The service in the restaurant is slow. No filter coffee, only instant. I think the staff do their best they can with what they have but I will definitely not stay here again or recommend it to anyone else.

10/10 Excellent

Nessah

30 June 2014

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort

Time of my life

Tala Private Game Reserve far exceeded my expectations. Our room in the Leadwood cottages was a dream come true. We saw rhino, hippo, giraffe and other game. i would highly recommend it for a quick get away or a longer stay. Thank you so much. Vanessa, Pennington

10/10 Excellent

Thomas, california

17 June 2014

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

lost reservation

Good finish to a rocky start. When I arrived to check in, my confirmed reservation was nowhere to be found and the rooms were all booked out due to a wedding on the property. The original front desk person was not overly helpful, however she did get some assistance and they were eventually able to get me into a room. A little stressful, as the entire area was booked solid due to the Comrades marathon, which I was running as well. Other than the lost reservation, the place was great.

10/10 Excellent

Diane Brown, australia

25 May 2014

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Parents loved it!

My husband and i spent a couple of days at tala in the beginning of our relationship and had a great time. We live in Australia now and it's expensive to send presents all the time so i thought I would Get my parents a weekend away as a combined Mother's Day / birthday present! My parents absolutely loved it and could not stop raving about it! They said everything was amazing and would recommend it :)

6/10 Okay

Caleb, London

28 April 2014

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Out of the way

We booked this game reserve as we were attending a wedding near by so it was perfect for us. However, it advertised wifi (which didn't work), a mini bar and safe. There was no safe or minibar in our room either. The receptionist explained that they don't need safes here as there has never been a break in. Whatever, still shouldn't advertise it. There was no minibar in our room either so we complained. They very kindly upgraded us to a lovely place that had a minibar and fridge. However, booking in and checking out was a bit stressful as they thought we hadn't paid. Even though I went through the Hotels.com website and had the printed acknowlegement of payment. Lastly, a tip. Hire a 4x4 as it is bush roads.

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