25 Best Hotels in Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park

On the banks of the Olifants River, Satara's rustic satellite camp differs radically from the others because it really is simple, appealing to those who don't mind roughing it a bit and want to experience the true feel of the bush. There are no shops or restaurants—so bring your own food—and there's no electricity either (only lanterns). Accommodations are in basic three-bed huts with no windows (vents only); the shared bathroom facilities have running water. You must check in at Olifants, 11 km (7 miles) away.

Hidden in the northern reaches of the park, this tiny camp, the oldest of the bushveld camps, is one of Kruger's most remote destinations. Shaded by tall trees, it overlooks the dry watercourse of the Mashokwe Spruit. A raised platform provides an excellent game-viewing vantage point (don't forget to apply mosquito repellent if you sit here at dawn or dusk), and it's only a short drive to two nearby dams, which draw a huge variety of animals, from lions and elephants to zebras and hippos. The main bedroom in each fully equipped cottage has air-conditioning; elsewhere in each cottage there are ceiling fans, a microwave, and a TV.

This rest camp lies at the southern tip of the park, in a basin surrounded by rocky hills. It's known for its white rhinos, leopards, and wild dogs, but there's plenty of other game, too. A dam (often nearly dry in winter) by one side of the perimeter fence offers good game-viewing, including a close look at cruising crocodiles and munching elephants. It has thoughtful landscaping, which has left much of the indigenous vegetation intact, making for more privacy, plus an attractive pool and well-stocked grocery-curio shop, and kids can run around safely here. Accommodation options run from 65 chalets to 23 family cottages, and two guesthouses.

Close to the park gate at Crocodile Bridge, this larger-than-average, beautiful, sought-after bush camp—popular because it's close to the southern gates, and the game is usually prolific—overlooks the normally dry sands of the Biyamiti River. A private sand road over a dry riverbed takes you to the well-sited cottages, where big shade trees attract a myriad of birds and make you feel almost completely cocooned in the wilderness. Find time to sit in the hide, because the surrounding vegetation is mixed combretum woodland, which attracts healthy populations of kudu, impalas, elephants, lions, and black and white rhinos.

Situated in Kruger's southeastern corner, this award-winning small rest camp sits on the scenic Crocodile River and doubles as an entrance gate, which makes it a convenient stopover if you arrive near the park's closing time and are too late to make it to another camp. The road leading from the camp to Lower Sabie is famous for sightings of general game as well as buffalo, rhinos, cheetahs, and lions, but it's often crowded on weekends, holidays, and during school vacations. A hippo pool lies just 5 km (3 miles) away. Accommodations range from bungalows and safari tents to campsites. Two of the bungalows are geared toward travelers with disabilities.

This lodge, one of South Africa’s loveliest, is set among 14,826 acres of private concession in southwest Kruger—the park's first with game-rich traversing rights as a result—with twelve comfortable, spacious suites, each with a plunge pool and stunning views over the Biyamiti River. Had Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, author of the famous Jock of the Bushveld and his canine superstar still been alive, they would have highly approved of today’s camp, which is authentic and steeped in history. The food, service, and rangers are superb, but the game-viewing is spectacular—think night drives in Kruger. The nearby Fitzpatrick’s Camp is better for families and intergenerational trips.

Overlooking the frequently dry Letaba River, this lovely old camp sits in the middle of elephant country in the park's central section. There's excellent game-viewing on all the roads round the camp: be careful in early morning and at sundown that you don't bump into a hippo. The camp itself has a real bush feel: all the huts are thatch (ask for one overlooking the river), and the grounds are full of old trees. The restaurant and snack bar look out over the broad, sandy busy-with-game riverbed. Campsites, on the camp's perimeter, offer lots of shade for your tent or trailer.

One of the most popular camps in Kruger, Lower Sabie has tremendous views over a broad sweep of the Sabie River and sits in one of the best game-viewing areas of the park (along with Skukuza and Satara). White rhinos, lions, cheetahs, elephants, and buffalo frequently come down to the river to drink, especially in the dry winter months. Long wooden walkways curve around the restaurant and shop where you can sit and look out over the river. Ancient trees full of birds line the camp perimeter along the river (spot the dozing hippos) and there are lots of animal waterholes within a few minutes' drive. Guests have a range of options to stay in, ranging from huts and bungalows to safari tents; there is one family cottage.

Small, intimate, and ideal for backpackers and do-it-yourselfers, this camp has a good close-to-the-bush feeling. Stay in one of five very basic rondawels, or camp. There's a communal kitchen, communal freezer and an ablution block with showers. If you need supplies, a swim, or a bit more sophistication, you can head over to Berg-en-Dal, just a few kilometers away. A bonus is that you're within easy driving distance of good game areas around and toward Lower Sabie and there are also guided bush drives. Check in at Malelane Gate, from which the camp is managed.

Orpen's small, cozy satellite campsite on the Timbavati River is just 3 km (2 miles) away from the Orpen Gate. It can be hot, dry, and dusty at any time of the year, but you'll feel close to the bush among thorn trees and big shady maroela (marula) trees. There are showers, a communal kitchen, and freezers for your perishables. A small hide (blind) overlooks a water hole, and there's lots of excellent game in the vicinity, including cheetahs, lions, and rhinos.

Built in the lee of a rocky kopje overlooking a dam, amid surrounding mopane woodlands, this camp in the northern section is one of Kruger's biggest. If it's hippos you're after, sit on your veranda overlooking the dam and feast your eyes on an ongoing cavalcade of these engaging giants. Constructed of rough stone, wood, and thatch, the camp blends well into the thick vegetation. Shaded wooden walkways connect public areas which overlook the dam, and the view from the open-air bar is awesome. Ask for accommodations overlooking the lake when you book. Although the area doesn't teem with game, it's a really comfortable camp to chill out in for a night if you're driving the length of the park.

In the center of Kruger, Olifants has the best setting of all the camps: high atop cliffs on a rocky ridge with panoramic views of the distant hills and the Olifants River below. A lovely thatch-sheltered terrace allows you to sit for hours with binoculars and pick out the animals below. Lions often make kills in the river valley, and elephants, buffalo, giraffes, kudu, and other game come to drink and bathe. Try to book one of the thatch rondavels overlooking the river. It's a charming old camp, graced with wonderful indigenous trees. The only drawback, particularly in summer, is there's no pool.

Don't dismiss this tiny, underappreciated rest camp on Kruger's western border in the center of the park because of its proximity to the Orpen Gate. It may not be the most attractive camp—the rooms, arranged in a rough semicircle around a large lawn, look out toward the perimeter fence, about 150 feet away—but there's a permanent waterhole where animals come to drink, and plenty of game is in the vicinity, including cheetahs, lions, and rhinos. The two-bedroom huts are a bit sparse, without bathrooms or cooking facilities (although there are good communal ones), but there are three comfortable family cottages with bathrooms and kitchenettes. And it's a blissfully quiet camp, as there are so few accommodations.

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.

It's worth visiting this lovely little camp in Kruger's far north, because it offers one of the park's best bush experiences. It's a small enclave, with tiny whitewashed thatch cottages in terraces on a hill. It's Kruger's best birding camp: at a tiny, stone birdbath just behind the barbecue site, dozens of birds come and go all day. A nature trail winds through the camp—also great for birding, as is the Punda/Pafuri road, where you can spot lots of raptors. A guided walking tour takes you to one of South Africa's most interesting archaeological sites—the stone Thulamela Ruins, dating from 1250 to 1700.

With some of the best guaranteed game-viewing in Kruger (especially on the N'wanetsi River Road, also known as S100), this large camp sits in the park's central section. The knobthorn veld surrounding the camp provides the best grazing in the park and attracts large concentrations of plains game which in turn attract predators—lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, and wild dogs. Despite its size, Satara is very appealing, possibly because of its tremendous birdlife and general layout. Cottages and two- or three-bed thatch rondavels arranged in large circles, face inward onto a central, open, grassy area. Campsites are secluded, with an excellent view of the bush, although they don't have much shade.

Towering trees provide welcome shade, as well as sheltering dozens of resident and migratory birds, which attracts droves of birders to this peaceful bushveld camp set on a lovely dam on the Letaba River. Away from the river, the riverine forest becomes mopane woodland where the beautiful roan antelope and rare sable antelope roam. Resident leopards patrol the territory, and elephants frequently browse in the mopane. Be sure to visit the huge, ancient baobab tree near the camp—shimuwini is the Shangaan word for "place of the baobab," and there are lots of baobabs in the surrounding area. Cottages have one, two, or three bedrooms.

This attractive thatch-and-stone camp sits in northern Kruger beside the Shingwedzi River. Consequently there's more game around this camp than anywhere else in the region—especially when you drive the Shingwedzi River Road early in the morning or just before the camp closes at night. Be careful you don't bump into a hippo. (You'll face a hefty fine if you get back to camp late after the gates have officially closed.) Comfortable accommodations are of two types: A and B (literally). Try for one of the A units, with an additional two-bed loft; some also have fully equipped kitchenettes.

Named for the nearby Lebombo mountain range, the breathtakingly beautiful Singita Lebombo—winner of numerous international accolades and eco-driven in concept—hangs on the edge of a cliff (inspired by eagle nests) with wooden walkways that connect the aptly named "lofts" (suites) seamlessly fusing the outdoor and indoor areas. Organic materials—wood, cane, cotton, and linen—are daringly juxtaposed with steel and glass. Service and food are superb and a cooking class (where local community members are trained) at the on-site culinary school (for a donation of R1,000) is not to be missed. Twice-daily game drives (dawn and late afternoon) in an open vehicle are led by a highly experienced and knowledgeable ranger. You can also take a bush nature walk or camp out under the stars. Among the privately operated areas within the boundaries of the park is the 37,000-acre N'wanetsi Concession in the park's extreme northeast. Here two lodges, Singita Lebombo and Singita Sweni, are located at the confluence of the N'wanetsi and Sweni rivers (not to be confused with their sister Singita camps in Sabi Sand private reserve). The area was once the base for the park's foot and horse patrols, and until the building of the lodges, it had never been traversed by vehicles. Today it's home to the Big Five as well as zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, hippos, hundreds of bird species, and varied flora. A carbon-neutral levy has also been automatically included in every booking.

More intimate than its sister camp, Lebombo, but still smack in the middle of the 'Land of Lions', Sweni is built on wooden stilts with six huge river-facing suites glassed on three sides, wooden on the other. At night khaki floor-to-ceiling drapes divide the living area from the bedroom, with its king-size bed and its cascade of ceramic beads. Brown netting lampshades, cream mohair throws, and brown leather furniture enhance the natural feel and contrast boldly with the gleam of stainless steel in the living room and bathroom. You can relax in a wooden rocking chair on your large reed-shaded deck and watch game, or spend the night under the stars on a comfy, mosquito-net-draped mattress. The pool suite is more plush with its own bathing deck. 

Remote and lovely, Sirheni lies on the edge of the Sirheni Dam in an isolated wilderness area in Kruger's far north; it's a long drive to get here but well worth the effort, because there's permanent water and game—including lions and white rhinos—even in the dry winter months. Try to spot the resident leopard, which often drinks at the dam in the evening. You can watch the sun setting over the magnificent bush from one of two secluded viewing platforms at either end of the camp, but be sure to smother yourself with mosquito repellent.

Skukuza is highly popular because it lies in an area teeming with game, including lions, cheetahs, and hyenas, and sits on a bank of the crocodile-filled Sabie River, with good views of dozing hippos, elephants, and grazing waterbuck. More like a small town than a rest camp, it has a gas station, police station, airport, post office, car-rental agency, grocery store, and library. Visit the museum and education center to learn something about the park's history and ecology. Even if you don't stay here, it's worth a visit to stroll along the banks of the Sabie River to spot game and birds. If you can book one of the guesthouses (pricey but worth it), you'll have exclusivity and privacy. Don't forget to visit the newly restored train restaurant for a bite to eat. The Kruger Station has a deli, great coffee, a cinema and regular wine tastings.

On the banks of the normally dry N'waswitsontso River in Kruger's central section, this peaceful camp in the middle of a wide, open valley has excellent game-viewing. Grassy plains and mixed woodlands provide an ideal habitat for herds of impalas, zebras, and wildebeests, as well as lions, cheetahs, and elephants. You can take a break from your vehicle and watch birds and game from a couple of raised viewing platforms inside the perimeter fence. The cottages are well equipped and comfortable, with cane furniture and airy verandas.

Kruger's first tented camp, close to the Orpen Gate, is superbly sited on the banks of the frequently dry Tamboti River, among huge trees. Communal facilities make it a bit like an upscale campsite; nevertheless, it's one of Kruger's most popular camps, so book well ahead. From your tent you may well see elephants digging in the riverbed for water just beyond the barely visible electrified fence. Each of the walk-in, permanent tents has its own deck overlooking the river. When you book, ask for a tent in the deep shade of large riverine trees—worth it in the midsummer heat. All kitchen, washing, and toilet facilities are in two shared central blocks.

This camp is very rustic, with no electricity (personal generators are not allowed) and solar-heated water. It's 7 km (4 miles) south of Mopani Rest Camp. Although the camp itself has some lovely ancient trees, basically it's in the middle of a swath of mopane woodland that doesn't offer much in the way of a variety of game. However, you should see elephants and large herds of buffalo. If you're an ardent camper, you'll enjoy the intimate bush experience, and if you're a birder, you'll be in seventh heaven: look out for the endangered southern ground hornbill. Guests are required to report to Mopani camp for check-in at least an hour before the gate closes.