King's Camp is a small, welcoming "oasis" in the midst of the seclusion of the Timbavati Game Reserve adjacent to Kruger Park. We didn't know what to expect. Would we be roughing it at this remote location? Quite to the contrary, we had all the amenities necessary to feel pampered if not down right spoiled. Gourmet food and open bar......check! Friendly and efficient staff.....check! Spacious, well appointed room with private pool.....check! Hot bubble bath surrounded by lit candles on returning from our evening safari.....check! Wifi.....check! Big five sightings.....check! Rare white lions sighting.....check! Knowledgable, personable guide and tracker.....check! Let me pause in my accolades about King's Camp and tell you the best part of this whole experience. That would be Patrick, our guide. We had never met anyone quite like him. He knew everything about everything from the largest mammal to the smallest insect and respected every living creature's intrinsic value. On the rare occasions that we had to search for a while for an animal sighting, Patrick would keep it interesting by giving a dissertation on what lived in a little hole in the ground that we found. Or when following a female leopard leaving her "calling card" on various trees we were thoroughly informed about this animal behavior. I could go on and on but let us suffice to say Patrick is the best guide on the planet!

Our Party:
There were 6 in our party, 3 teenager girls, Gran and my partner & I. On arrival at Kings Camp we were told we'd been upgraded to the separate Waterbuck Private Villa which is just wonderful. We had our own butler called Mandla, chef called Jobida and dedicated Safari driver called Colbert and tracker Sunny Boy plus a team of support staff who worked behind the scenes. The welcome by all the staff and management was exceptional and being a relatively small Lodge the service is friendly and welcoming.

Accommodation and Grounds:
The Villa had three main very large double bedrooms and a separate outbuilding bedroom which slept another two but we didn't need this. My partner and I took the upper room in the main Villa which was huge and consisted of large double bed and sitting area overlooking the grounds and beyond into the African bush. The girls and Gran took the ample bedrooms on the lower ground.

The Villa is set in lovely well kept grounds with its own small swimming pool which is good enough to cool off from the hot African sun. Ample shade from trees and parasols and you don't have to compete for the sunbeds or places to sit. Not that the main Kings Camp Lodge was full anyway. We took a look around to explore the place where we should have been staying and although everything is to the same high standard as our Villa it was just nice to have everything 'just for us'.

Food and service:
Were just amazing with a wide variety of food available all freshly cooked and prepared. Jobida would prepare something special for those with fussy tastes given a bit of notice. Breakfast was typically served outside under the trees and overlooking the dry river bed where you can sometimes see the wild life passing. Dinner was also served here one night but they varied the location from inside the Villa in the main dining room to a specially built open BBQ area

Safari:
There were two trips per day; 6 am and 4 pm each lasting 3 hours. Colbert and Sunny Boy did a fantastic job of seeking out the wild life and it wasn't long before we saw the majority of the big 5. Indeed the only animal that eluded us was the Cheetah but this is rarely seen by anyone. Colbert managed to get us very close to Elephant, Lion, Water Buffalo, Giraffe, Zebra, Rhino which allowed us all to get some amazing photos. You feel even closer to the animals as the Safari is in an Open Sided and Open roof Land Rover which is capable of going anywhere...and it did much to our excitement ! All well under control and professional as was Colberts knowledge which made the whole experience one to remember for life.

Thank you everyone for making our first Safari such a memorable experience.

We had a fantastic 3-night stay at Kings. The lodge is extremely luxurious, and our room was of a very high standard. We enjoyed being able to relax on the sofas in the living area, and the twin outdoor-showers are a nice touch. The staff made us feel very welcome and were always helpful.

The game viewing was exceptional, particularly the leopard and wild dog sightings, which were better than we've seen at other lodges in South Africa. The food was very good (though not quite good as the food we enjoyed at some other safari lodges). As an added bonus, the lodge is a very quick transfer from/to Hoedspruit airport.

Brilliant,magical words just cant describe Kings Camp,great game drives,wonderful food,friendly staff,this was our first visit to Kruger and it will last with us forever.Virgin holidays where excellent service was first class, the meet and greet was perfect they make sure you were settled and let you get on with your holiday they were always there if you need them.Fantastic holiday five star