5 Day Southern Kruger Tented Lodges Safari
Summary of this Budget Safari Package
Explore the southern region of Kruger National Park, offering excellent game viewing in the rugged African bushveld. Highlights on this tented lodge safari include:
- sunset game drive in the private wildlife concession of Kruger Park
- full day of open 4×4 game viewing in Kruger National Park proper
- visit to Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre
- morning game drive in Manyeleti Game Reserve
Stay at two value-for-money safari camps – one in a private concession of Kruger National Park and the other in the Manyeleti area of Greater Kruger. Accommodation is in comfortable tented rooms with en-suite bathrooms, air-conditioning and deck areas.
Itinerary for this Tour
Day 1: Johannesburg to Kruger National Park Concession Area – South Africa
This morning you are collected from the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at about 07:45 and transferred to Hazyview in the Mpumalanga Province. Your guide meets you in Hazyview and takes you to the nearby Kruger National Park. We head to our tented camp, located in a private concession area within Kruger Park.
In the late afternoon we set off on our first game drive in the private wildlife concession of Kruger. The concession hosts an array of wildlife species, including the Big Five – lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant, along with numerous bird species.
- Meals included: Dinner
Private Kruger Concession Area
The private concession area incorporates about 11 000 hectares of untamed bushveld inside the borders of Kruger National Park. The concession area, which is owned by the local Nkambeni community, is located near Shabeni Koppie and the Pretoriuskop Rest Camp.
Open vehicle game drives, nature walks and bush barbecues (braais) are conducted in this private concession area with traversing rights in Kruger Park. Elephants, giraffes, buffalos, baboons and various antelopes are often spotted in the area, along with other wild animals and birds.
Day 2: Kruger National Park – South Africa
Day two is set aside for game viewing in Kruger National Park. We spend a full day exploring Kruger National Park on open 4×4 game drives, encountering a diversity of wild animals and birds with the help of our expert guide. The premier safari destination in South Africa, Kruger is a world famous game viewing destination.
During our game drive we stop to have breakfast at one of the rest camps and make use of the facilities available. The Kruger camps typically feature a shop, restaurant, swimming pool, ablution facilities, picnic areas and curio shop. After breakfast, we continue our search for the wild and wonderful inhabitants of Kruger Park, stopping to watch any wildlife action that we come across.
Later we stop for lunch (own account) at one of the rest camps. You can buy snacks and light meals from the cafeteria or shop, or eat at the camp restaurant, depending on the rest camp and your preference. After lunch we make our way out of the park, game viewing as we go. We are sure to encounter some large mammals, as Kruger hosts plenty of Africa’s classical big game species, from giraffe and zebra to lion, buffalo and elephant.
Tonight we dine at the tented camp and relax around the campfire in the open-air boma.
- Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner
About Kruger National Park
South Africa’s flagship national park and one of Africa’s best game parks, Kruger National Park is a world-renowned safari destination. The national park covers a massive 19485 km² of unspoilt wilderness in northeastern South Africa – an area similar to the size of Wales or Israel.
Kruger boasts healthy populations of the Big Five, making it a top Big Five game viewing destination. Due to its large scale and geographical location this park incorporates several biomes, hosting an unusually high diversity of animals, plants and other creatures. Some 147 mammal species, 507 bird species and 114 reptile species have been recorded in Kruger Park. Large mammals include hippopotamus, cheetah, hyena, giraffe, zebra, African wild dog and numerous antelope species.
Day 3: Kruger Concession to Manyeleti Game Reserve – South Africa
Today we transfer to our next tented camp, looking out for wildlife as we drive through Kruger Park.
The first part of our drive takes us south through the national park, to Satara and Skukuza rest camps, offering excellent game viewing en route. During this leg of the journey we stop to photograph wildlife and watch the interesting animal interactions that we encounter.
On the last section of our drive, from the Orpen Gate of Kruger Park to Manyeleti Game Reserve, we transfer directly to the lodge without stopping. We may, however, spot wildlife in passing!
Tonight we settle in at our second tented lodge next to the private Manyeleti Game Reserve, bordering on Kruger National Park.
- Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner
About Manyeleti Game Reserve
The 23 000 hectare Manyeleti Private Game Reserve lies between the prestigious Timbavati and Sabi Sands private game reserves of Greater Kruger Park. The reserve shares unfenced borders with Kruger National Park, but is not open to the public, providing an exclusive and uncrowded safari experience.
The word Manyeleti translates from Shangaan as ‘Place of the Stars’ which befits this comparatively undeveloped wilderness area. Manyeleti is owned and run by the local community of Mnisi, featuring very few lodges and maintaining low visitor numbers.
The park is known for its excellent leopard sightings, as well as regular sightings of the rest of the Big Five – lion, rhino, elephant and buffalo.
Day 4: Moholoholo & Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre
On day four we visit two acclaimed wildlife centres near Blyde River Canyon, in the Limpopo Province.
At Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre we get up close to various animals that have been rescued from across the country. Sick, injured and orphaned animals are treated at the centre and released back into the wild when possible. In cases where the rescued animals cannot be released they stay on at Moholoholo, where they play an important role in wildlife conservation. We get to see lion, leopard, lynx, honey badger and African wild dog at close range. We will also see the elusive serval, as the centre runs a highly successful serval breeding program.
We also visit the nearby Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, a well known wildlife conservation centre hosting a variety of rare, endangered and vulnerable species. The sanctuary runs successful breeding, research and conservation education programs, as well as rehabilitating rescued animals. Cheetahs are one of the key species at the centre, being bred and rehabilitated for release into the wild. In addition to cheetahs the sanctuary is home to buffalo, elephant, rhino, leopard, African wild dog, lion and serval. Bird species include the endangered Cape vulture and ground hornbill.
Our visits offer valuable insight into the species that are being cared for, treated and bred at the wildlife centres, at the same time enabling us to get a closer look at these fascinating creatures. At about 15:00 we return to our tented lodge in Manyeleti.
- Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner
Day 5: Manyeleti Game Reserve to Johannesburg – South Africa
On our final morning, we are up early for one last game drive in the Lowveld of Limpopo. We head into the Manyeleti Game Reserve, watching for animals and birds beginning to stir in the bush.
Then it is time to pack up and say farewell to the African bushveld, transferring to Hazyview where the shuttle collects you. The shuttle takes you back to OR Tambo in Johannesburg, bringing your unforgettable Southern Kruger Safari to a close.
- Meals included: Breakfast
Kruger Concession Tented Camp
This permanent tented camp is situated in the Nkambeni Private Concession, accessed via Numbi Gate, and falls within the borders of Kruger National Park.
Accommodation is in en-suite tented rooms raised on wooden platforms with deck areas. The luxury timber and canvas suites have been designed to have a low environmental impact on the natural surroundings. Each permanent tent features air-conditioning and is fitted with comfortable beds, basic furniture, tea and coffee stations and mosquito nets. The en-suite bathrooms are fitted with indoor and outdoor showers, a toilet and a basin.
The tented camp has a big swimming pool with deck chairs beside it. From the pool area, hippos, other wildlife and birds are often spotted at the nearby dam. The main lodge facilities include a bar and lounge area, a curio shop, a spacious restaurant with an outdoor dining deck and open-air boma areas.
Tented Camp at Manyeleti Reserve
In the Manyeleti area, we stay at one of two camps, located on a community-owned concession at the entrance to Manyeleti Game Reserve. The Mnisi tribe owns the land and many of the local community members work at the safari camps.
Both camps feature outdoor boma areas for dining under the stars and relaxing around the campfire at night. Accommodation is in comfortable tented rooms with en-suite bathrooms (shower, basin and toilet). There is a spacious dining and lounge area with wooden decks and a bar, set beside the swimming pool and deck chairs.
These twenty canvas and timber structures are designed to provide more comfort than camping, whilst still immersing you in the African bush.
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