15 Best Hotels in Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park, South Africa

You'll feel as if you've stepped back in time at this camp because rooms are strategically clustered around the original 1920s homestead, which, with its colonial furniture, historic memorabilia, and wraparound verandah, makes you feel like a family guest the moment you arrive. The lodge was named after renowned cattle farmer turned conservationist, Harry Kirkman, who first lived here one hundred years ago, and who can be seen in the old photographs found about the lodge. Interiors have crafted out light and airy communal spaces for guests to mingle. Seek out a cocktail Paul's Pub (and slide your sightings into the tally board) or settle down with a glass of sherry in front of a blazing log fire. There's game galore in Sabi Sand (the size of New Jersey), which has the highest density of leopards in the world. Kirkman's is ideal for families and family reunions.

If you want to make the most of the viewpoints along the Panorama Route (and get the best photographs), this old-school holiday resort with campsites, self-catering chalets, and a restaurant, is your best bet. Don't expect oodles of personality, you're here for the location---epic views all to yourself (ask for directions to World's End). There are also horse rides and mini-golf. 

Dulini Moya Lodge comprises six stone-and-thatch bungalows for a maximum of just 12 guests in prime game-viewing territory. Ancient ebony trees shade each explorer-glam room, where a brass-edged writing desk invites you to record sightings, and floor-to-ceiling glass windows to your private pool prompt yet another swim before the afternoon activity. A high-ceilinged, thatched hangout completes this classic safari stay, where classic leather armchairs and deep sofas paired with vintage finds furnish the elegantly airy main area. There's also ample space to stretch your legs on the lawns or explore the artworks secreted into the indigenous garden. Dinners in the exceptionally stocked wine cellar are a delight. Children over the age of eight are welcome. 

One of Sabi Sand's oldest lodges, Dulini River Lodge scores 10 out of 10 for its gorgeous location—one of the best in the whole reserve—with lush green lawns sweeping down to the Sand River. Game-viewing is so superb that you'd be unlucky not to spot the Big Five. The experienced rangers and staff, some of whom have been at the lodge for years, will look after you in a friendly, unfussy way. Children 8 years and older are welcome, and this is the best family option in the Dulini Collection. Your roomy, air-conditioned suite (try to sleep with the windows open, so you don't miss that lion roaring or hyena whooping) is decorated in soft earth colors and has its own heated plunge pool. The South African wine list is very impressive and showcases some very fine wines.  

This delightful, value-priced camp owned and operated by Honeyguide is situated on both sides of a riverbed within Manyeleti Private Game Reserve. Simply designed and built of corrugated iron and wood, the large public areas overlook green lawns leading to the pool and outside bar. There's a private space in front of each of the 12 platform tents (all with modern conveniences and en suite bathrooms) to chill out and take in the sights and sounds of the surrounding bush. As part of the Children's Safari activities, kids can make clay footprints, learn about the little bugs and critters they see on their guided walks, play soccer, swim, relax in the playroom, and then dig into a special kids' menu.

Overlooking the Sabie River with quick access to Kruger National Park, this sprawling hotel is large but has excellent good-value accommodations in a prime location. Tastefully decorated comfortable rooms with tiled floors in a gray, russet, and white palette come with all mod-cons, including a workstation and free Wi-Fi, and have floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto greenery. The panoramic infinity pool (where you'll likely spend most of your time) is set below towering riverine trees, with cocktails and simple toasted sandwiches on the café menu. Eat, drink, and swim with elephants and waterbuck antelope tiptoeing across the view. Don't miss a massage in an open-air spa sala—it's an excellent bang for your buck.

This friendly camp has 10 stone-and-thatch individual chalets set amid thick riverine bush; some chalets are linked by interconnecting skywalks, which is great for families or groups traveling together (children six years and older are welcome). Decorated in warm, comforting earth tones, each chalet has its own wooden viewing deck and plunge pool. Old family photographs decorate the walls and tables in the public areas, reminding you of Londolozi's decades-old history. Relax on the huge thatched dining and viewing deck that juts out over a quiet backwater of the Sand River, and watch the mammals and birds go by. Or join a group yoga class under the African sky.

Londolozi's largest camp, centered on a thatched A-frame lodge that houses a dining room, sitting areas, and a lounge, has been around for decades and is the very soul and center of Londolozi. Meals are served on a broad wooden deck that juts over the riverbed and under an ancient jackalberry tree. The thatch rondavels, which were the Varty family's original hunting camp, now do duty as a library, a wine cellar, and an interpretive center, where you can listen to history and ecotourism talks—don't miss the Londolozi leopard presentation. If you're looking for romance, have a private dinner on your veranda and go for a moonlight dip in your own plunge pool. In suites, the pool leads right to the riverbed. All rooms are decorated in African ethnic chic—in creams and browns and with the ubiquitous historic family photographs and documents—and have great bushveld views. Families are welcome (children must be over six), and the fascinating kids' programs should turn any couch potato into an instant wannabe ranger. Then there's the unique Healing House wellness center on-site. This is no typical spa massage parlor, but a holistic all-in-one retreat including wilderness walking and ancient forms of sound therapy.

Set in Kruger National Park's fertile south (near the Numbi Gate), this attractive tented camp—think enormous infinity pool overlooking a waterhole—has partnered with the local Mdluli Community (some 45,000 people that live adjacent to the park) to help them earn back 2,100 acres of land inside the borders of the iconic Kruger that was seized by the government in 1967. If you're not on a game drive in the morning, each capacious and contemporary en suite tent has a deck and swing seat for lapping up the bushveld view with a mug in hand (ask for a unit directly overlooking the Kruger as some are obscured by other tents). There are four disability-friendly tents, and the entire lodge is wheelchair accessible. Daily drives can be done either in your own vehicle on public roads or pre-booked with safari guides, where you'll traverse quiet, private roads—a luxury in this game-rich, tourist-filled southern section of the park.

Guests return again and again to this classic safari lodge with its timeless Out of Africa ambience. A massive, double-sided fireplace dominates the lodge, opening onto a lounge filled with elegant comfy sofas and chairs on one side and a dining room on the other. Dinner at Ngala is quite formal (kids on their best behavior, please!); it's served in a reed-enclosed boma or a tree-filled courtyard lighted by lanterns with crystal and silver. Comfortably furnished air-conditioned guest cottages, in mopane shrubveld with no views, comprise two rooms, each with its own thatch verandah. However, you can easily make up for the lack of room view with an overnight stay at the luxurious andBeyond Ngala Treehouse (can be added on to any stay at andBeyond Ngala Safari Lodge or andBeyond Ngala Tented Camp). The remote off-the-grid sanctuary soars 39 feet into the air offering sublime birds-eye scenery. There's a full bathroom with an outdoor shower and two sleeping areas—one covered and weatherproofed, the other an open-sky sleep-out platform for the outstanding star-gazing.

This large, nostalgically old-fashioned camp, close to the Numbi Gate in southwest Kruger, makes a good overnight stop or touring base. The rocky kopjes and steep ridges that characterize the surrounding landscape provide ideal habitat for mountain reedbuck and klipspringers—antelope not always easily seen elsewhere in the park. The area's sourveld—so named because its vegetation is less sweet and attractive to herbivores than other kinds of vegetation—also attracts browsers like giraffes and kudu, as well as white rhinos, lions, and wild dogs. There's not a lot of privacy in the camp—accommodations (rondavels, bungalows, cottages, and guesthouses) tend to overlook each other—but there is some shade, plus a great swimming pool set into the rock. Some great-value accommodation in the huts if you're willing to share communal bathrooms and outdoor kitchen facilities.

Bush Lodge overlooks a busy waterhole (lions are frequent visitors) and the dry course of the Msuthlu River. The thatch, open-sided dining area, observation deck, and pool all have magnificent views of game at the waterhole. Thatch suites are connected by walkways that weave between manicured lawns and beneath enormous shade trees where owls and fruit bats call at night. All have a deck overlooking the dry river course (where you may well see an elephant padding along) and outdoor and indoor showers. Roomy, comfortable chalets are Africa-themed, each with a personal wooden deck.

Sabi Sabi's delightful little camp is tucked away in the bushveld on the banks of the Msuthlu River and combines spaciousness with a sense of intimacy. At night glowing oil lanterns lead you along a wooden walkway to your comfortable thatch-roof room or suite decorated in earthy tones of brown, cream, and white. After your action-packed morning game drive—during which you'll see game galore—and your delicious brunch, relax on your secluded wooden deck with plunge pool overlooking the bush, or go active and take a guided game walk with your armed ranger. In the evening dine out under the stars—if you're a city slicker, you may never have seen such bright ones.

Built of local Sabie stone, this charming bed-and-breakfast is the perfect base for exploring Mpumalanga's scenic attractions. The guest rooms (some wheelchair-friendly) are all animal-themed and attractively furnished with comfy beds, colorful bedspreads and soft furnishings, a minibar-refrigerator, and tea and coffee making facilities. A hearty English breakfast, served in the breakfast room or on the patio, is part of the deal. Guests have free use of the garden, guest lounge, swimming pool, and patio. Barbecue facilities are available, and by special arrangement a complete evening braai (barbecue) for guests in the boma (outdoor eating area) can be arranged.

If you're looking for mega-opulence in traditional safari style, then this breathtakingly luxurious lodge is for you. From the moment you walk into the main lounge with its genuine antique furniture, leather chairs gleaming with the polish of years of use, old photographs and paintings, mounted game trophies, and hand-carved doors and windows, you'll be transported to Old Africa at its best. Your room gives exactly the same feel—beautiful antiques, a claw-foot bathtub, a four-poster bed, and a dressing room big enough to swing a leopard by the tail. Write in your journal at the antique desk or laze on your deck next to your private plunge pool and soak up the stunning views. The variety of interleading room suites makes this a top choice for intergenerational family safaris.