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I did Kruger and LOVED it. We stayed at lion sands hotel, which was wonderful. Highly recommend.
What company did you use to do the safari and how many nights were you there?
I would recommend a lodge in the Sabi sands game reserve, right next to Kruger. There is no fence between them anymore, so you get the same animals wondering through. It’s all private, so guides can drive off-road to track wildlife (Kruger, as a national park, must day on roads), which makes a huge difference in what you see. I highly recommend Londolozi, but it’s not cheap
Sabi Sands! I’ve been to both sabi and Kruger and sabi sands is a much better experience. As D1 said, it’s private- different rules for game drives. I stayed at Earth Lodge...but toured all of the Sabi Sabi Properties and they were all great (though Bush Lodge has a lot of kids so would avoid that...unless your bringing kids). 3 nights is plenty in my opinion. My close friend owns a small travel company that specializes in Africa travel and gets good rates at the lodges/hotels (cheaper than what they advertise on their websites) 😎
https://www.crafttravelgroup.com/best-africa-tour-package-safari
Awesome. Thanks!
I just got back today from a 2.5 week trip to South Africa and a Zimbabwe. It was amazing. Definitely do Sabi sands if you’re doing South Africa. The lodges can be super pricey (we stayed at Londolozi, which was the nicest place I’ve ever stayed), but there are cheaper options as well (check out Nottens). Trust me when I say that Sabi Sands is unparalleled. The guides can go off road and you’ll be within a few steps of amazing animals everyday. This isn’t possible in Kruger or any other places that I’m aware of.
That said, if you want to save money, Zimbabwe is a good option. We stayed at the Hide in Hwange and really liked it. I think it was < $500/night. We saw the big 5, painted dogs, hundreds of elephants and tons of other animals. It was a first class place.
When you boom safari, be sure company can go off-road. It’s critical because it’s no fun to fly all the way there and only see the animals from afar.
Proceed with caution driving in Cape Town, especially at night. Uber is super cheap and safe. Definitely have someone arrange winery tours for you.
Kruger was awesome
Went to Madikwe (Botswana border) and stayed at Makanyane and had a great few days/nights including a night at their open air tent structure.
http://www.sanctuaryretreats.com/luxury-safari-south-africa-makanyane
Also went to Madikwe and stayed at morokuru and it was the most amazing thing I have ever done. The hospitality is off the charts.
Agree with D1 - way better to be in the game reserve. I also stayed at Londolozi (Granite Suites) for 6 nights. It was beyond phenomenal. I think 4 is the minimum to really experience the camp and the park.
FYI if you want any cheaper options then it’s possible to stay outside the park (e.g Hazyview) and take drives into the park. It’s not quite the same magic when you’re eating dinner etc seeing crazy animals but it is a LOT cheaper
Thanks. I'm trying to only spend around $500 total per night so this is helpful.
So for Kruger you have two options - you drive it yourself and stay wherever you want/camp or stay at a private lodge, where the rates will include full board and twice daily game drives. Kruger in general is very popular and thus very crowded, so just be aware that it is unlikely that you will be in this magical wilderness with just you and the animals, instead it will be you and 10 other trucks all staring at the same 2 lions. Not to say it’s not worth it, but just to set expectations. Reserves in Botswana and Namibia will be much less crowded if that interests you. I’ve also been to game reserves near Umhlamga in KwaZulu-Natal that are lesser known and thus less crowded and cheaper. In general though a luxury safari resort is going to run you $1K+ a night with much more basic ones being in the $500 range. I did a self service camping safari once that was dirt cheap but I was in college so don’t know if I could do that now
Lol, I did a camping safari, I think the whole 3 weeks cost me $1,200