Im trying to plan a trip to South Africa for Jan/Feb 2004 and cannot decide on which 2 game lodges to stay at. We want to see as many different types of animals as possible. Does anyone have any recommendations? We can afford places such as Singita, Sabi Sabi... Also how long should we spend at each place? Does staying 4 nights in Sabi Sands/Kruger area and maybe 3 nights at Phinda sound okay. Any suggestions?

Hi Lisa,<BR>I do have a suggestion for you. Last summer, my husband and I (on honeymoon) stayed at Ulusaba. We had an absolutely marvelous stay, it couldn't be beat. The care and attention to detail is TOP NOTCH.<BR><BR>Some interesting things to point out about our stay, etc. First, while we were there, we met two men who worked for a very, very popular and exclusive travel magazine. Many times a year, they go down to the area to research the private game reserves. Their thoughts:<BR>Singita is absolutely fabulous, in all ways, but not as &quot;relaxed&quot; as Londolozi or Ulusaba. We felt we could really kick our shoes off and gab around the fire with port and wine, and not have it feel stuffy. All the while we were in the most posh surroundings imaginable. <BR>Also, they were not too keen on the Sabi Sabi group of lodges, but they did mention a new reserve (very close to Johannesburg - apparently only a 3 hour drive and the cost of the transfer is included in the cost of the stay) called Sediba. they do have a web site sediba.com.<BR><BR>Ulusaba has two camps - on built high up on a mountain in the rocks, called the Rock Lodge. Stunning 360 views of the bush. The other, Safari Lodge (where we stayed) has animals walking through camp regularly. We saw a mother leopard walk right by with her cubs as we were eating dinner.<BR><BR>The guides/trackers at any of these reserves will be outstanding and will show you all that you want to see. Specifically, we were interested in the birdlife and they were keen to point everything out for us.<BR>hope this helps.<BR>

Was curious about these lodges - are any of them kid friendly? I am planning a trip (not for me), and they have a child who is about 6. Just need to make sure that he will not be completely out of place.

Thanks!

Kids over 12 are welcome at Ulusaba.

egordon132 -

Check site: www.e-gnu.com

they list most lodges/camps and I believe one of the detail pages of each lodge/camp they indicate which accommodate children.

For those lodges/camps that do allow children, most start at about age 12 as kewilliam mentions, and even at that age, they may not be allowed out on safari drives.

There may be some camps that take smaller children and do have a program (babysitting actually) to keep them busy, but you won't find many that do. Again, young children won't be allowed on safari drives. Alot of this has to do with fact that on private reserve lands the safari drives are done in &quot;open vehicles&quot; and a child could fall out - there are no seatbelts.

If looking for something for someone with children, I would recommend Kenya as they promote tours with children (w/grandparents) and the vehicles are closed with &quot;pop-tops&quot; for animal viewing.

Kenya is definitely more &quot;kid-friendly&quot; regarding safaris. I went to visit friends stationed in Kenya and their children (1 &amp; 3) were accommodated just fine on safari. In fact, they were very spoiled by all the staff