Pumba Private Game Reserve hosts conferences and team-building days for up to 60 delegates, and small weddings for up to 50 guests booked on exclusive use. The reserve lies in the Highlands area of Makana Municipality, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, about 110 km from the airport at Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) along the N2. It runs two five-star lodges, Bush Lodge and Water Lodge, and groups can combine working sessions with time in the bush.
Seminars and company events
Business events are based at Msenge Bush Lodge. Its conference room seats up to 60 delegates and comes with modern audiovisual equipment and IT support, in a setting decorated in an African style. The reserve presents its conference offer as a mix of meetings and outdoor experience, which suits incentive trips, leadership retreats and small conferences looking for a change from a city hotel. Team-building tasks can be set up in the boma, an open enclosure beside the lodge that also works as a dining area in the evening. Bush Lodge has a spa and a gym that delegates can use between sessions.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings take place between April 20 and September 30 each year. The lodge must be booked on exclusive use, with a minimum stay of two nights and the wedding on the second day. Up to 50 guests attend when both lodges are reserved: the ceremony is held in the Bush Lodge conference room, sparkling wine and canapés are served in the Msenge Boma, and the reception moves to the Water Lodge dining room. A single lodge takes 24 guests at Bush Lodge or 26 at Water Lodge. At Water Lodge the ceremony can be held on the lawn when the weather allows, under a tent supplied by the couple, and the reception follows in the dining room. Each package is put together with the couple.
Rooms and capacities
The Bush Lodge Conference Room is the main working space, for up to 60 delegates. The Msenge Boma serves for team-building activities, drinks and dinners. The Water Lodge dining room hosts wedding receptions, and the Water Lodge lawn is used for outdoor ceremonies. The reserve does not publish room sizes.
Accommodation
Bush Lodge sleeps up to 22 delegates in chalets that each have a private plunge pool, among them the Msenge Chalet and the Msenge Family Chalet. Water Lodge offers the Impala Chalet, the Gemsbok Chalet and the Kudu Suite. Booking both lodges lets a larger group stay together on the reserve, and the team advises early contact because dates fill well in advance.
Catering
Meals are served in the dining rooms of the two lodges and in the boma. For weddings, the lodges serve sparkling wine and canapés after the ceremony, followed by the reception meal in the dining room. Menus are agreed with the reservations team when the event is planned.
Getting there
The reserve is about 110 km from the international airport at Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, and the drive follows the N2 national road. Most groups travel from the airport by road, either by coach or by self-drive.
