Safari lodges are permanent accommodation located within or near wildlife areas, offering a comfortable base for game drives and other safari activities. These lodges vary widely in style and price, from simple, functional properties to high-end luxury lodges.
This category focuses on the classic lodge-style safari experience, typically with fixed structures rather than tented accommodation.
Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge was the first private safari lodge in Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park, Africa's oldest proclaimed game reserve. This Big 5 park is celebrated for its rhino conservation success, protecting both white and black rhino, and is home to an incredible variety of wildlife, from nyala antelope to over 340 bird species.
Shishangeni Private Game Lodge is situated deep in the heart of the famous Kruger National Park, South Africa - a wildlife reserve that offers some of the greatest game viewing experiences in Africa. Surrounded by the unspoilt beauty of the African bushveld, the lodge provides guests with luxury accommodation, as well as excellent open vehicle game drives with expert guides.
Madikwe River Lodge is the original safari lodge in the Big 5, malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve. Each wooden en-suite chalet has a private deck overlooking the Marico River and is set amongst lush, riverine bush. The lodge is family-friendly and has an excellent position in one of the best regions of Madikwe from a game-viewing viewing point-of-view.
Tau Game Lodge (Tau meaning 'lion' in Tswana) is in the far north-western corner of the malaria-free, Big 5 Madikwe Game Reserve. The vegetation here is less dense Kalahari-thornveld, easier for game spotting. The main lodge and luxury safari chalets all look out over the vast waterhole where a pageant of wildlife comes to drink at all hours of the day and night.
Very iconic and somewhat quirky, The Ark in Aberdare National Park was built to resemble Noah's creation. It overlooks a floodlit waterhole and salt lick which attracts a wealth of wildlife, especially herds of elephant. There are viewing areas on four different levels as well as a bunker right next to the waterhole where you can watch and photograph the animals so close you can almost touch them, yet remain unseen.
Basecamp Masai Mara is an affordable tented, riverside, safari eco-camp located in the dense tropical forest foliage along the Talek River right on the doorstep to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Home to the highest density of wildlife in the world, the Maasai Mara is renowned for superb Big Five game viewing and the spectacular annual Wildebeest Migration.
Elephant Plains Game Lodge is situated on the banks of the dry Manyeleti river overlooking a permanent waterhole in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve within the Greater Kruger National Park. This affordable 4-star lodge is an excellent safari destination offering prime game viewing and perfect photographic opportunities.
Umlani Bushcamp provides a rustic bush experience that will give you a unique safari in the Timbavati Private Reserve. It offers simplistic luxury and 'getting away from it all’. The camp operates without electricity, wifi and air conditioning: allowing you to simply soak up the sounds, scents and sights of the surrounding bush.
Robins Camp offers affordable accommodation and great game-viewing opportunities inside Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. Located in the northern basalt region of the park in an area frequented by enormous buffalo herds, Robins Camp is a two-hour drive or 20-minute flight from Victoria Falls.
nThambo Tree Camp is a rustic, eco-friendly camp in the Klaserie Private Game Reserve, offering a unique bush experience, with comfortable treehouse-style tented accommodation. The camp offers a combination of game drives and walking safaris conducted by qualified rangers.
Located in Klaserie Private Nature Reserve within the Greater Kruger, Xanatseni Private Camp has five thatched luxury en-suite rooms with open views of a waterhole and the surrounding bushveld. For families and small groups, there is the option of booking the Tseni Suite, a two-bedroom family suite that comes with a private safari guide and exclusive use of a game viewing vehicle.
Experience the essence of African wildlife in the pristine and secluded Balule Game Reserve which shares an unfenced border with the Kruger National Park. Greenfire Game Lodge allows you to enjoy excellent game viewing by vehicle or on foot, accompanied by expert, professional guides with a vast knowledge of the wild animals, birds and bush of Africa.
Mohlabetsi Safari Lodge in the Balule Game Reserve within the Greater Kruger National Park is affordable and intimate and offers comfortable accommodation in African-style thatched rondavels and family units. The lodge has beautiful lawns and giant trees and overlooks the bush and a distant waterhole.
Ku Sungula Safari Lodge offers affordable, cosy rondavel accommodation inside game-rich Balule Private Game Reserve, a large, private nature reserve that shares unfenced borders with the Greater Kruger Conservancy. Ku Sungula's main terrace and swimming pool look out over a waterhole that is often frequented by the wildlife that passes through Balule.
Overlooking the Tarangire River which never dries up Tarangire Safari Lodge offers visitors breathtaking views of beautiful landscapes and a wide array of animals from its deck, thatched tents and bungalows. Sit on the veranda at sunset and watch elephants come down to drink, their babies splashing and playing. Pure, African bliss.
Situated a few hundred metres from the southern rim of the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, Rhino Lodge offers comfortable accommodation and friendly staff. While not on the rim of the crater itself, the lodge has beautiful surroundings and provides easy access to the road into the crater. Here, one can marvel at Ngorongoro's concentration of wildlife, including the Big Five, and breathtaking scenery.
Namushasha is one of those special places that leaves you wishing you could stay longer and once you have, wanting to return. The viewing decks and all of the chalets look out over the remote Kwando River, where hippo, elephant, buffalo and a multitude of birds gather. This riverside lodge emerges as the highlight of many a safari in the Caprivi region.
Why not chat to one of our safari experts who can answer all your questions and help you design your dream trip to Africa.
