Kruger National Park Lodges

Although we didn't visit Kruger, in 2019 we traveled to the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa and stayed at Thanda Safari - Private Game Reserve (https://thanda.com/thanda-safari). Adjacent is the larger Phinda Private Game Reserve (https://www.andbeyond.com/destinations/africa/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/phinda-private-game-reserve) - which we also visited but didn't go on safari. We were there 3 nights for an annual corporate meeting and neither reserve was large enough for the group; therefore, company executives were spread out over both. We flew into Durban, SA and then took a motor coach approximately 3 hours north to the reserves. It was a fabulous experience!

These private game reserves are approximately 50-60 square miles respectively and fenced. So you have a curated experience where the guides know where the animals are and you get a different show each day. You are not necessarily supposed to know you're on a guided tour but it doesn't seem like it and it really doesn't matter because it's great and you're seeing the animals in their natural habitat with no barriers/protection. Imagine being withing 10-20 feet of 12-15 adult lions (during the day after they have eaten) or within 50 feet of a herd of elephants. In other words, in a private reserve you're pretty much guaranteed to see the animals and get close.  

Kruger Natural Park is free range to the animals and about 7500 square miles in size. It is my understanding that the number of animals and herd size is much larger than at private reserves; however, it is more difficult for guides to locate and show you the animals. So the quality and experience of your resort/guides is important to maximizing your Kruger experience. Enjoy your safari!!!

In 2022 I did a self drive and stayed in the park camps for 3 nights. This was in the June-July timeframe. These are not the fancy private safari lodges that normally cost hundreds of $ per person per day. These camps have different types of accommodations- small cabins, or tents, etc. The cost was about $100/night for 2. I spent 2 nights at Oliphants camp and 1 night at Lower Sabie. If you go to the S Africa NP websites you can see all the types of accommodation that they have with detailed descriptions if your intent is to do a self drive

Highly recommend Notten’s in Sabie Sands. Moderate price range. Excellent food and service