Booking Terms & Conditions
Please read this before you pay a deposit. These terms govern reservations at all accommodation we operate inside uMkhuze Game Reserve — Mantuma Camp, Nhlonhlela Bush Lodge and Emshopi Campsite — and are in addition to the rules and conditions of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife as the reserve authority.
In terms of section 49 of the Consumer Protection Act, 68 of 2008, we specifically draw your attention to the following clauses, which limit our liability, place a risk on you, or require you to indemnify us. You will be asked to confirm in writing that you have read and accepted them before your booking is confirmed.
- Clause 5 — cancellation charges, including the non-refundable Advance Purchase rate.
- Clause 9 — wildlife, dangerous animals and assumption of risk.
- Clause 10 — force majeure.
1. Parties
Your accommodation contract is with Dream Hospitality Operators (Pty) Ltd (registration number 2026/269499/07), trading as uMkhuze Game Reserve ("we", "us"). We are the supplier for the purposes of the Consumer Protection Act.
Dream Hotels & Resorts (Pty) Ltd (registration number 2014/259730/07) is the management company we have appointed to operate the lodge and handle reservations in full on our behalf. Its reservations function trades as Central Reservations. When you deal with Central Reservations you are dealing with us through our appointed agent — your contract remains with Dream Hospitality Operators (Pty) Ltd, and we remain responsible to you under these terms.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is a separate entity. It is the reserve authority and provides reserve access, gate control, permits and certain on-site services. It is not a party to these terms and contracts with you directly on its own conditions.
2. Making a booking
An enquiry submitted through this website or by phone or email is a request, not a confirmed booking. A booking is confirmed only when:
- We have issued a written confirmation quoting a reservation number; and
- The required deposit has been received in our nominated account.
The lead guest must be 18 years or older and is responsible for all members of the booking party.
3. Rates & what's included
Rates are quoted in South African Rand (ZAR) and include VAT where applicable. Unless stated otherwise, rates exclude:
- Daily reserve conservation/community levies, payable to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife on entry.
- Activities (guided drives, walks).
- Food, drinks and personal expenses.
- Travel insurance.
Conservation levies and Ezemvelo fees may change without notice and are set by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
4. Deposit & payment
- Deposit: 50% of the total booking value is payable at the time of booking to confirm and secure the reservation.
- Balance: the remaining 50% is due no later than 14 days before arrival.
- Bookings made within 14 days of arrival: full payment is due immediately on confirmation.
- Advance Purchase rate (ADV 7): when you book 7 or more days before arrival, a 10% discount applies. The full discounted amount is payable immediately at booking and is non-refundable and non-changeable.
- Payment methods: EFT to our nominated account (details on the invoice). We do not accept cash deposits.
Proof of payment must be emailed to hello@mkuzegamereserve.co.za. The booking remains provisional until funds clear.
5. Cancellation & refunds
Your attention is drawn to this clause under CPA s.49. It sets out charges you will have to pay if you cancel.
Cancellations must be made in writing (email is acceptable). The following cancellation charges apply, calculated against the total booking value:
| Notice before arrival | Cancellation charge |
|---|---|
| 14 or more days | 50% of the booking value (the deposit is forfeited) |
| Less than 14 days, or no-show | 100% of the booking value |
Advance Purchase (ADV 7) rate: bookings on the Advance Purchase rate are non-refundable and non-changeable — no refund applies regardless of when you cancel.
Refunds (where due) are processed by EFT within 14 working days of receipt of the written cancellation. Bank charges and any irrecoverable third-party costs may be deducted.
5.1 Death or hospitalisation — no cancellation charge
In terms of section 17(5) of the Consumer Protection Act, no cancellation charge of any kind is payable — including on the Advance Purchase rate — where the booking is cancelled because of the death or hospitalisation of the person for whom, or for whose benefit, the booking was made. In that case the full amount paid is refunded. We may ask for reasonable supporting documentation.
5.2 Your rights under the Consumer Protection Act
Section 17 of the CPA gives you the right to cancel an advance booking, subject to a reasonable cancellation charge. The charges in this clause reflect our genuine estimate of the loss we suffer on a late cancellation, taking into account the season, the length of notice, the likelihood of reletting the accommodation at the same rate, and the general practice of the KwaZulu-Natal safari industry. Nothing in this clause limits any right you have under the CPA, and where these terms conflict with the Act, the Act prevails.
6. Date changes
Subject to availability, we will try to accommodate one date change requested 14 or more days before arrival at no charge. Inside 14 days, a date change is treated as a cancellation and re-booking. Advance Purchase (ADV 7) bookings cannot be changed.
7. Check-in, check-out & gate times
- Check-in: from 14:00.
- Check-out: by 10:00.
- Reserve gate hours are set by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and change seasonally. Late arrivals outside gate hours cannot be accommodated.
8. House rules
- Pets are not permitted in the reserve.
- No driving off designated roads. Speed limit inside the reserve is 40 km/h (lower where signed).
- Quiet hours: 22:00 – 06:00.
- Open fires only in designated braai areas.
- Children remain the responsibility of accompanying adults at all times.
- Damage to camp property is for the lead guest's account.
9. Wildlife & assumption of risk
Your attention is specifically drawn to this clause under CPA s.49. It asks you to accept a risk of serious injury or death, and it limits our liability. You will be asked to confirm your acceptance of it in writing before your booking is confirmed.
9.1 The risk
uMkhuze Game Reserve is a fenced Big Five reserve, but Mantuma Camp itself is not fenced. Dangerous wild animals — including lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino, hippo and snakes — move freely through the reserve and into and through the camp, at any hour, including where you are sleeping, walking or parked.
The area is also a low-risk malaria area. Other natural hazards include flooding, fire, extreme heat, falling trees and rough roads.
9.2 What you accept
Knowing the above, you accept that you enter and remain in the reserve and camp at your own risk, and that you are responsible for your own conduct and that of everyone in your party — in particular for obeying camp and reserve rules, staying in your vehicle where required, not walking in camp after dark without an escort, and supervising children at all times.
9.3 Limits on our liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, we are not liable for injury, illness, death, loss or damage caused by wildlife, natural events, or the acts or omissions of you or your party.
This clause does not, and cannot, exclude:
- liability for our gross negligence, which section 51(1)(c)(i) of the Consumer Protection Act makes it unlawful to exclude;
- liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, to the extent that South African law does not permit its exclusion;
- liability for fraud or intentional misconduct;
- any liability of a supplier or producer under section 61 of the Consumer Protection Act;
- any other right you have that cannot lawfully be limited or waived.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. We give this clause on our own behalf only. We do not, and cannot, limit or exclude any liability of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife — its liability to you is governed by its own conditions of entry, which you accept at the gate.
We strongly recommend comprehensive travel and medical insurance, including emergency evacuation cover, for your full stay.
10. Force majeure
Your attention is drawn to this clause under CPA s.49. It limits what you can recover if events outside our control prevent your stay.
Neither party is liable for failure to perform where the failure is caused by events outside reasonable control — including natural disasters, flooding, fire, disease outbreaks, government action, civil unrest or closure of the reserve by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. Where a force-majeure event prevents your stay, we will offer reasonable alternatives such as a date change or credit, subject to recoverable third-party costs.
11. Personal information
We process your personal information in line with our Privacy Policy, as Responsible Party under POPIA. Dream Hotels & Resorts (Pty) Ltd processes it on our behalf as our Operator under a written s.20/s.21 agreement.
Certain information — such as ID or passport numbers and vehicle registration — is disclosed to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife where required for reserve access, permits or compliance. Ezemvelo is a separate Responsible Party and decides for itself how it uses that information.
12. Complaints & disputes
If something goes wrong during your stay, please let us know on the spot so we have a chance to put it right. Unresolved complaints can be escalated in writing to hello@mkuzegamereserve.co.za.
If we cannot resolve your complaint, the Consumer Protection Act gives you the right to refer it to an accredited consumer ombud, to your provincial Consumer Affairs Office, or to the National Consumer Commission (012 302 7000, complaints@thencc.org.za). Nothing in these terms requires you to go to court first.
These terms are governed by South African law; the South African courts have non-exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute.
13. Acceptance
Payment of a deposit or the full booking amount confirms that you have read, understood and accepted these Booking Terms & Conditions on behalf of all members of your party.
Separate acknowledgement (CPA s.49(3)–(4)). Before we confirm your booking, we will send you a written acknowledgement to sign or reply to, confirming that clauses 5, 9 and 10 were brought to your attention and that you had a chance to understand and accept them. Your booking is not confirmed until we have that acknowledgement. If you did not receive one, please ask us for it — do not assume it was waived.
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