We spent 2 nights at the Kapama Lodge and loved every moment. We brought our three kids, ages 7, 9 and 12. We were greeted with refreshing tropical drinks and shown to our rooms. They really make kids feel welcome here. They created a special room with three twin beds, each with a treat bag. Our room had a very comfortable bed and a patio that was frequented by beautiful birds each afternoon.

All the staff were 10/10 from room service to the dining room! Food quality was fantastic, especially breakfast with made-to-order omelettes, fresh juices and fruit and homemade baking.

Our kids jumped up of bed at 5am, excited for the day ahead. We saw all the Big 5 in those two days. Our guide and tracker (John and Give) were very knowledgable, as well as outgoing and fun. We learned amazing facts about each animal, as well as learning which plants are poisionous or could even be used as a toothbrush. We also saw giraffes, zebras, warthogs, impala and all sorts of birds and lizards.

We'll never forget when a lion approached our vehicle and actually smelled our tracker. Looking into those firey orange eyes was unforgettable. It's now been two weeks and we're still waking up to dreams of elephants emerging from the brush and encountering water buffalo.

We have heard from many other travellers that they travelled to Kruger National Park and only saw 2 of the Big 5. Travelling all the way from Canada we were thrilled by this authentic experience and that our kids got to see so much wildlife is a very natural setting. You'll never want to go to a zoo again.

Also lovely swimming pool for cooling off in the afternoons. Highly recommend the Kapama!

Stayed here for a couple of nights in January 2012 . Lodge is very well equipped and a very short distance from the airport , where we were met by the rangers in there Landcruisers.
The food here was excellent , drinks were good also , the rooms were of a good size and standard and the Spa area looked great , but never got the chance to try it out.

Day starts around 5.00 with an early morning call , tea served around 5.30 and off on morning drive around 6.00 ish . Great time of the day to see the wildlife , got real up close and personal and took some great shots . Normally back at the lodge for around 9 , rest of day spent chilling , having lunch , high tea served mid afternoon then back out again around 4.00 for another 3 hours .

Managed to see 4 out of the big 5 , the Leopard eluded the best efforts of our ranger . Also saw loads of giraffe , large deer , hippo ,warthog etc. Had a really relaxing couple of days in decent surroundings with staff who seemed very willing to help and answer any queries .

This lodge is perfect for families, couples and friends looking for comfort, good food and game. The spa was really the highlight for our group, it was beautiful and just what we needed after adventures in Zambia. The breakfast was fabulous. The other meals were sufficient. The biggest flaw is the fact the drinks are not included in the 'all inclusive price'. Other reviewers have mentioned this too. If this were alcoholic beverages only it would be slightly understandable but for a resort of this calibre to not offer water for free is ridiculous. You can get the drinks and tea that were on offer with breakfast for free but otherwise youre out of luck. On the game drives if you want water it's 10r a pop. Additionally we were there over the new year and there was an african band which was fabulous but there wasnt even a small iPod doc speaker for the guests to keep the energy up while the band was on break. This was mentioned to the manager on duty who explained it was a game lodge, sorry but it's also new years eve, a small section should have been cordoned off for people to enjoy themselves. All that was needed was a small speaker. People took to playing music on iPhones. I believe the hotel is ranked 5 stars, the drink issue needs to be addressed, just raise the overall price if you must. I would recommend this hotel though even just for the spa and the game drives, but with a strong warning about the drinks and that there may be better all around options.

Our stay was a study in contrasts. The rooms are nice but noisy when others were around. The click of shoes and clack of cleaning carts penetrated the room making sleep impossible.

The food was top, top, quality but had a samey taste. On day one, I thought the food was fantastic and worried about fitting into my clothes, by week's end. However, by day three, I was skipping meals and dreaming of busting out for some excellent SA curry dishes.

The hotel staff was nice but, didn't welcome requests. The cleaning staff did their job wonderfully but seemed hostile and I'm not sure why. The restaurant staff was wonderful and a credit to quality dining.

As to game drives our guide, Maggie and tracker, Caswell were outstanding. As mentioned in other reviews the preserve is 13,000 hectares or 32,000 acres. Kapama has procedures in place that give the illusion of a much larger space. Only the fact that there are few animals of each type ruins the illusion.

For me the biggest problem with Kapama's procedures is they don't take into account the guest's length of stay. On day 3 we were saddled with people who were only there for one day. So we had to stop for every bird and turtle for their experience when we just wanted to focus on certain animals.

I recommend the River Lodge. All in all a very nice place. If not getting a bargain bothers you then pass otherwise enjoy.