jm6923

Good day,
I am planning a safari with my hubby next June 2024. We are looking to stay 4-5 nights and have started looking but there are so many choices in the Kruger area. I heard the southern part is more animal friendly?? We would like to stay somewhere nice but crazy expensive. I have looked into Rhino Post Safari, Nthambo and Pondoro which are semi inclusive with two drives, meals and some drinks included. This is an anniversary trip and we know we may never get back there we would really like to have a special bush dinner or a sundowner.
Any help on places to stay to see lots of animals hopefully and a relaxing stay would be greatly appreciated.

mlgb

I have been 10 days in Kruger but only in the public camps and in February. Sounds like you are trying to find out about the private camps. You may want to look at this website, I don't know that it is the official one but it has pretty good info. We went when it supposedly "isn't any good", LOL and saw everything,including a beautiful pair of leopards (they only come together when it's time to mate), baby cheetahs, all of the so called big five and a few of our friends even saw wild dogs.
https://www.krugerpark.co.za/Kruger_...ing_Guide.html

jm6923

I guess we are looking more into the private parks but I will look into the site. Thanks so much.

mlgb

Click around the various links they also describe the lodges, I'm guessing these are the ones that this website has arrangements with. As I said, I have no experience with them other than I found the basic info helpful.

https://www.krugerpark.co.za/Kruger_...n_Lodging.html

Gardyloo

It can be a bit confusing due to a variety of ownership and access factors. There are "rest camps" owned by the national park system within the original park boundaries, private lodges within "concessions" inside the original park boundaries, and numerous private lodges in private reserves that abut the national park and each other. There are no fences between the various reserves and the national park, but there are differences in the experiences offered.

Game drives (either guided or self-driving) within the park boundaries are limited to the roads; no off-roading is allowed, and no night self-driving is allowed either. In the private reserves there are no such restrictions, allowing for closer encounters with animals, observation of nocturnal species, etc. The downside is that the safari vehicles from the various lodges have limited travel rights within their respective reserves, including reciprocal "traversing" rights that might not always be advantageous. The various lodges cooperate with each other, using radios to notify other vehicles where there might be a group of lions, for example, or a leopard with a recent kill, etc. The safari drivers and guides are pretty good at making sure everyone gets a chance to view the wildlife without overcrowding a particular scene.

Accommodations vary in terms of amenities and luxuries, but most lodgings in the private reserves and in the concessions within the park itself tend to be quite luxurious, with a number of lodges often being listed among the world's most luxurious accommodations. Of course that comes at a price, and the prices can range from US$250 per person per night to well over $1000, and up. It's the same animals, however.

Of the three lodges you listed, I only have experience with Pondoro, where we stayed a couple of times some years ago. Pondoro is in (or apparently now only affiliated with) the Balule private reserve, on the northern half of the Greater Kruger complex. Pondoro is quite fabulous. The owner, Robbie Prehn, who I believe still likes to drive on some of the game drives, is the single most knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide we ever had in numerous safari stays, to the extent that on more than one occasion his wife got on the radio from the lodge and threatened him with unknown consequences if he didn't get the guests back for dinner RIGHT NOW. That sort of place. Terrific food, very comfortable lodgings...

BUT, Balule is no Sabi Sand when it comes to game viewing. Not that it isn't great, but in three stays there I think we saw one leopard, while three or four stays in the Sabi Sand reserve offered nearly daily sightings of leopards, along with the rest of the so-called "big five." Prices for lodges in the Sabi Sand reserve (farther south) tend to be considerably higher than in some of the northern reserves, with the exception of Elephant Plains lodge which offers prices comparable to the likes of Pondoro, but at a slightly reduced level of luxury. It might be worth investigating.

As for the other two lodges you've mentioned, it looks like Nthambo is in the old Klasserie reserve not far from Balule, while the Rhino Post lodge appears not to offer off-road game drives, probably a part of their agreement with the national park, as they're an in-holding. Aside from that, I can't help with the choice. Bear in mind that if you're staying in a tented camp, nighttime in June can get quite chilly.

Not sure if this helps much. You might want to visit Safaritalk - Forums - Safaritalk - for lots of trip reports.

amyb

I would second Safaritalk both for the trip reports but also for the feedback and thoughts of travelers who go there far more frequently than most of us do.

The other resource I'd consider is the Expert Africa website. I've booked with them twice now, but even if you don't book with them their website is an incredible resource for individual camp details. Very strong on the professional reviews as well as traveler reviews (and in my experience the reviews are very accurate because they only allow their clients to post reviews, not bots or plants). Well worth looking at as you do your research.

ekscrunchy

Take a look at Londolozi in the Sabi Sands. My two stays thee were among the highlights of my life. They have several camps in their reserve, at varying prices, and are known for their leopard sightings. Magical.

mlgb

There is also a public rest camp inside Kruger at Sabi Sands. I know that Fodorites only stay in private lodges, but the public camps are pretty nice and you'll meet actual South African tourists. There are sit down restaurants inside Kruger, also.

crellston

Hi mlgb, how would you say the experience in Kruger compared with the rest of South Africa?

We loved our time in SA pre pandemic and did a pretty comprehensive road trip around the country but not Kruger (I think there was a massive drought there when we were there in 2019). We will likely have surplus airmiles left after next year's trip back to Mexico and are looking at options. We would only be looking at self drive staying in SanPark lodges. Worth exploring do you think?

mlgb

We actually went in February of 2019, IIRC there had been a relative drought before that with the rains late in arriving, but they did start when we were there. Our conditions were good for wildlife viewing since the grass was fairly short , with animals concentrated around remaining water. We did not need to arrange the Kruger lodging, driving or transfers. It was part of a fundraiser and a massive bargain. This past year's verion has the canned descriptions of the camps: https://www.rockjumperbirding.com/to...hallenge-2023/

I think it's worth exploring for you, since you don't mind the driving. But weren't you reluctant to do malaria prophylaxis ? I think it's normally recommended. There are not only the rest camp buildings which were mostly bungalows, but also camping sites inside the rest areas, with cooking facilities in the individual units (I managed to blow a fuse one night by trying to make toast).

crellston

Thanks mlgb. Had a quick look at that link which looks intriguing! Will have a longer look later.

Certainly don’t mind the driving, I think we clocked up some 2k miles on the last trip there. Though next time I would definitely pay more for an SUV for the extra comfort and a higher viewing platform. I do try to avoid malarial areas if possible as I contracted it once and the two weeks in hospital was a pain but it turned out I was allergic to the treatment which was much worse than the disease. When we do visit these areas I just spray and cover up ( though that never seems to work for me!) so I take a treatment course with me just in case (Malarone I think as it doesn’t contain the problem ingredient for me) . I believe different regions have different treatment regimes so I will check which is the recommended one for Kruger.

mlgb

I did take Malarone, no issues. Not that many mosquitoes but then it had been dry until we were in the north. Punda Maria was my favorite camp

If you can find a used Tinkers or Honeyguide they are a good resource. Wish I'd had one before the trip.

bendivertx

We just spent two weeks in South Africa and spent the last few days in the Greater Kruger area. You definitely want to be on a private game reserve for the best experience as they are less crowded, more carefully managed, and the guides can take you off-road. Sabi Sands is widely considered outstanding and definitely the best place to see leopards but it is on the more expensive end of things. Londolozzi in particular, which was mentioned above, is reportedly phenomenal in every aspect, including price. Beyond the reach of even many one percenters but a "spend it if you got it" destination for sure. In our case, we wanted 5-star but something less extravagantly priced. We found a place called Moditlo River Lodge in the Moditlo Wildlife Estate, which is located a short ways west (I think) of Kruger NP in the Blue Canyon Conservancy, a conglomeration of continuous private reserves that took down their respective fences and merged several years ago. We thought it was fantastic and I would highly recommend it. It is very reasonably priced but very high end, with a wonderful staff, wonderful food, and great wildlife. Only things we wanted to see but did not were leopards and African painted dogs, but we did see a few rarities such as a honey badger and a pangolin, which was very cool. One neat aspect of Moditlo is that the area around the rooms (which are individual casitas along a long boardwalk along the river's edge (which is dry in winter) is not fenced, so you get wildlife on the property. We regularly had kudu and nyala grazing on our front porch and along the boardwalk, and even encountered a bull elephant blocking the boardwalk while walking back to our room one night (for that reason you have to be accompanied by a staff person when going to and from your room after dark). They also have great birds if you are into birding, and Jonnu, their new guest relations manager, is working hard to make it more of a birding destination. Take a look at their website for more info. I can assure you you would not be disappointed.

Also worth noting - Moditlo is only about 30 minutes from the Hoedspruit airport, so it's very easy to get to.

janisj

ooh -- just explored Moditlo River Lodge's website. Their rates seem extraordinarily affordable.

bendivertx

Yes they really are. We went there after having spent four nights at a 5-Star-Plus exclusive use property in Madikwe Game Reserve (in NW SA, along border with Botswana) called Morukuru, a Relaix and Chateau property and one of only half a dozen or so 5-Star-Plus rated properties in all of SA. That place was next level in terms of luxury and service. As the trip planner for our extended family, I was nervous that Moditlo would be a bit of a letdown, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was not. Everyone in our group of 10 was very happy with Moditlo. That is not to say it’s on the level of Morukuru - the level of personal service and luxury there is the stuff of dreams. But Moditlo did not suffer by comparison. We were all quite happy there and for the money, it is an absolute bargain. If you have any questions about it let me know and I’ll be happy to answer.

janisj

Thanks - I may just do that -- have to finish planning a late Nov/early Dec London trip first. But then I have to get serious about SA. Thinking maybe Aug/Sept next year. What I noticed was even the solo rates were reasonable -- relatively small single supplement. Plus they include the transfers from/to the airport.