Lion Sands River Lodge or Narina Lodge

Old Apr 22nd, 2016, 01:22 PM
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Lion Sands River Lodge or Narina Lodge

Help! I need to make a decision this weekend. My husband and I will be traveling to Africa in July 2017. Most of the trip has been worked out except for our stay in South Africa. We our tentatively staying at Lion Sands River Lodge for 3 nights but with a Sunday departure so we can't (commercially) fly directly to Victoria Falls (our next stop). FYI: They are booked up the day before our proposed stay and the day after so we can't just adjust the itinerary by one day. Our tour company has put us in Hazyview for one night before we continue on to Victoria Falls to solve the flight issue. This seemed like a waste of time and we could use the extra time in Victoria Falls so they have found us availability at Narina Lodge which would have us leaving on Saturday. (The cost here would only be slightly higher so from a cost perspective the lodges are comparable.)

So can someone please tell me:

* What would the difference in game viewing be between the two properties? (I know Narina is actually in Kruger but it is a private concession.)
* Does Narina have both a tracker and a driver?
* The game viewing is the most important element but is one better than the other in regards to service, etc.

Which Would Be Better?
1) Lion Sands River Lodge - 3 nights
Hazyview - 1 night
Our stay ends on Sunday so there is not a direct flights to Victoria Falls. We would have to stay in Hazyview before traveling on to Victoria Falls.

2) Narina Lodge -3 nights
If we stay here we would leave on Saturday and avoid the stop in Hazyview

Any advice would very much be appreciated. Thank you.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2016, 04:15 PM
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Too many agents say to book early for reasons that aren't in the best interest of their clients. For next July little is sold out yet - "found" availability? Come on! There are a dozen lodges in Sabi Sand and they aren't all sold out. Contact Lion Sands directly and ask if they have availability the nights you are interested in. Hopefully I'm wrong. You can contact any lodges on your own to ask about availability.

Lion Sands has multiple lodges. Can you just choose another one? Here's a map of almost all of the lodges in greater Kruger. Senala and Shindzela are missing. Sabi Sand, Timbavati and Klaserie are unfenced to Kruger and highly recommended:

http://skukuzaairport.com/wp-content...Kruger-Map.pdf

To answer your question, I think you will be happier at Lion Sands. Narina is great, except they have to follow pretty strict rules - no off roading unless a very special sighting, night drives are usually not as late as on private land. With just three nights, I'd choose a lodge on a private reserve.

Service in each budget range is very similar. The lodges are all very competitive.

You could do the Hazyview stop and do a Panoramic Route private tour. It's pretty. Lots of people do it in combo with Kruger lodges by choice, not necessity.

Personally, I'd add safari nights (stay in a more affordable lodge if budget doesn't allow). It's the highlight of any Southern Africa trip. I'm not a big Victoria Falls fan - it's far and expensive for an experience during the dry season (which includes July) that isn't that great. Unless combined with Botswana and/or Zimbabwe, it doesn't make sense to me.

Does it matter that much if you get a direct flight vs a connection through JNB to VF? I'm surprised airlines take bookings 16 months out.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2016, 06:18 PM
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christabir - Thank you for your prompt response. The information you provided is greatly appreciated as is the map.

As you noted, we will be going to Victoria Falls and then on to Botswana ending in Rwanda. It's going to be a great trip so I just want to make sure it starts out that way. Thanks again.
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Old Apr 25th, 2016, 03:44 AM
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Lion Sands do take block bookings for groups so it is possible that River Lodge is already booked for the period you mention

Whilst River Lodge is in Sabi Sands (which is where most guests like to be), and Narina Lodge is just outside, Narina boasts private plunge pools at each suite, and is slightly more luxurious.
It is quite possible to stay at Narina and to request game drives/viewing into Sabi Sands, this is quite acceptable and very do'able, and in this way, you will get the best of both worlds so to speak.

I would however like to point out that there are a number of other award-winning lodges to choose from in Sabi Sands.
Along these lines, I recently wrote an article - https://www.southerndestinations.com/34048-2/

You could, amongst other, very easily look at the Singita properties, or the &Beyond lodges, Mala Mala, Londolozi, all of which are excellent options.

Sabi Sands never disappoints, I am quite sure it will be one of the highlights of your trip. I agree with Christabir, I highly recommend you stay the additional night in the bush as opposed to in Hazyview.

Happy Planning,
Debbi - Travel Guru, Southern Destinations
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Old Apr 29th, 2016, 03:02 PM
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Deborah_WH: My apologies for the late response to your post. Thank you for the information you provided (the website link you posted is great). We decided to stay at Lion Sands and then overnight in Hazyview before heading on to Victoria Falls. This will allow us to do a morning safari before we head out to Hazyview which is a big plus. Thanks again.
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Old Apr 30th, 2016, 10:12 AM
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You are most welcome globaltrrek, Sabi Sands is an absolute delight, you really can't go wrong!
We so look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful Southern Africa, safe & happy travels.
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Old May 5th, 2016, 06:24 AM
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Dear Globaltrrek

I have stayed at both Lion Sands River Lodge and Narina Lodge, both are good options. I will try and answer your questions as best as I can.

1. There really is not much difference in the game viewing, you are correct that Narina is actually in KNP however both are in the Lion Sands concession, which lay adjacent to each other; therefore you won’t experience a difference in ecosystem/game viewing. At Narina they can access the actual Kruger Park tar roads should they hear of sightings in that area (at which point they put the top on the vehicle as per park rules). They have both trekkers and guides at both lodges – comparatively not much difference between the two properties.
2. It is the same portfolio – guiding, service etc. is all on a par. Both are contemporary in look and feel etc.

Have you considered switching things up a bit by doing something like the Panoramic route while staying in Hazyview? I’m not sure what the rest of your itinerary looks like, or what you are doing once you have travelled to the falls? But this part of South Africa offers quite a bit in terms of scenic beauty and it is sometimes nice to switch things up a bit and not game drive every day. You would still have your morning activity at Lion Sands and could do the panoramic route on route to Hazyview. The following day you could perhaps visit some attractions in the area, like the elephant whispers program offered by Seasons in Africa? Just throwing out some options to consider. Either way, I don’t think you can go wrong with the Lion Sands portfolio, it really depends on where your preferences lie for this trip. I hope this information helps.

Have a great trip – Marguerite Smit, travel consultant at Travel Beyond.
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Old May 5th, 2016, 06:37 AM
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Hi Globalttrek - what properties are you staying at in Botswana and Victoria Falls?

A few things to keep in mind when using the non-stop flight from Nelspruit/MQP to Livingstone/LVI:
-The flight leaves Nelspruit in the late morning and you miss most, if not all, of your morning game drive to get to the airport in time. I realize you are now considering a night in Hazyview which I still think is avoidable.
-The flight lands in Zambia so if you are going to the Zimbabwe side of the Falls you have another process to go through and do that. It takes about two hours from the time you land to get over the border.

Since nothing can possibly be set in stone now (despite what the agent may be telling you), if you want to make sure the trip is as logistically sound as possible, you can write here the names of the lodges you are staying at and the overall date range you have to work with and I would be happy to suggest a most sensible order for the trip. For example, the flight to Kigali leaves at 830am from Jo'burg so you must be there the night before unless you fly via Nairobi. I have been to most of the upscale lodges int the Sabi Sands, Botswana and all but one upscale lodge in the Virunga Mountains (Rwanda).

Also, what weekend are you at Lion Sands? I can look at their online availability and let you know what it really shows.

Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond
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Old May 5th, 2016, 06:47 AM
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Dear Globaltrrek,

I'm so glad you've chosen the Sabi Sands/Greater Kruger Region for you safari portion of the trip. It's one of the best areas in Southern Africa for Big 5 game viewing!

I personally loved Lion Sands Narina during my visit last December. The game viewing at Lions Sands River Lodge and Lion Sands Narina is very comparable as they are only separated by an imaginary border between the Sabi Sands and Kruger National Park. There is no fence that divides them so you could potentially see the same animals at River Lodge one day and at Narina the next. Additionally, the terrain is very similar. July is a great time to be there as most of the vegetation/grass will be dead, thus allowing a longer line of sight and less places for the animals to hide. In just one night (two game drives) at Lion Sands Narina we saw 4 of the Big 5.

When it comes to the style of the two properties, I actually prefer Narina, although I really like them both. Narina is colorful, homey, and warm feeling. River Lodge is very modern, with lots of white and grey colors. If you take a look at their website photos, I think you'll see what I mean. Different styles for different preferences!

If it's important for you to avoid the night in Hazyview then I would definitely recommend staying at Narina.

One of the main reasons for the cost difference between Narina and River Lodge is that Narina's rooms have private plunge pools outside each room. At River Lodge they have two different pools in the main areas instead of private plunge pools.

Hope this helps! Enjoy your trip!

Best,

Kayla Torgerson
Travel Consultant - Travel Beyond
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Old May 5th, 2016, 07:06 AM
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While at Narina, consider requesting a night under the stars! They offer a sleep out opportunity where you sleep on a proper bed, on a platform in the middle of the private concession a short drive away from the camp. It will just be you and the wilderness! It's a truly amazing experience and Lion Sands does a great job in setting everything up so you still have all of the basic amenities (proper bed, toilet, snacks and drinks, mosquito netting, etc). There is an additional cost involved and its recommended that you book it in advance.

Best,

Kayla Torgerson
Safari Consultant - Travel Beyond
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