Description
Cybele’s main lodge is a charming old farmhouse with a wide veranda where guests can sip sundowners whilst looking out over the magnificent gardens. The interior is warm, inviting and furnished with antiques, original art and exquisite fabrics. Each of the suites and cottages have been individually furnished and decorated to high standards. All rooms and suites have private walled gardens with wonderful views over the mountains. The six suites have private heated pools. Other room facilities include separate lounge areas, under-floor heating, fireplaces, air-conditioning and satellite television.
Dining forms one of the focal experiences of a stay at Cybele, with a reputation for world class cuisine. Memorable dishes are complemented by a collection of the world’s finest aperitifs, wines and digestifs from an award-winning wine list. The “Spa in the Forest” offers a wide range of treatments and therapies designed to rejuvenate the body and mind. Guests can spend lazy days strolling through the extensive gardens, reading a book or sipping cocktails by the pool. Alternatively activities include walking, bush picnics, bird watching, horse riding, fishing, golf, tennis, squash, hot air ballooning and helicopter trips to Blyde River Canyon.
Accommodation
Cybele Forest Lodge and Spa offers two cottages, four luxury cottages, one courtyard suite, four paddock suites and one forest suite. All rooms and suites have private walled gardens with wonderful views over the mountains. The six suites have private heated pools. Other room facilities include separate lounge areas, under-floor heating, fireplaces, air conditioning and satellite television.
Childcare
Children over 10 years are welcome to come and stay at Cybele Forest. However, there are no specific facilities available for them.
Facilities
Facilities at the lodge include a gym, swimming pool, dining room, and a lounge area with bar, gift shop, satellite TV, CD player and stereo and a selection of books and magazines. The spa features three treatment rooms, two hydrotherapy baths, sauna, steam room and spacious showers with multiple high pressure jets.
Activities
Walks, horse riding and bird watching are all included in room rates however spa treatments are charged additionally. Other activities in the local area include helicopter trips to Blyde River Canyon, golf, tennis, squash, river rafting and hot air ballooning. You can also use Cybele Cybele as a base to explore the stunning forests, mountains, rivers, waterfalls and panoramic passes of the Mpumalanga region or to venture into the Kruger National Park for the day.
When to travel
There is no bad time to go on safari in the Kruger National Park. The experience does, however, change from month to month. In the summer months (October to March), it gets very hot. The verdant vistas are all the more spectacular because of the rains, but this means that the foliage is denser, water is more abundant and game is therefore trickier to see. There are lots of beautiful migratory birds during the summer months. While the daytime temperature in the winter months (May to September) is ideal, it does get a little chilly at night and in the early morning.
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Location and directions
White River, South Africa
Cybele is situated 420km east of Johannesburg (and 240km from Maputo, Mozambique), and can be found in the heart of Mpumalanga between White River and Hazyview. It is 40km from the Phabeni Gate into the Kruger National Park and close to the top Private Game Reserves in the Sabi Sands.
Cybele is ideally situated for exploring the magnificent highlights of Mpumalanga, including the Mac Mac Falls, God’s Window, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, the Blyde River Canyon and Pilgrim’s Rest.
How to get there
11 hour international flight to Johannesburg. The lodge is comfortably accessible by air directly from OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg) with a flying time of approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cybele is 40 minutes from Kruger Mplumalanga International Airport by car transfer.
