This is the most luxurious place - no amount of wide angle photos could do it justice. One complete edge of the property is open to the reserve with a small wire fence between you and the animals, close enough for elephants, lions and giraffe to wander past while you're sipping a cocktail, eating dinner or taking a dip in the pool. It's beautifully spacious, with gorgeous little cubbyholes for getting cozy and watching out for animals. The pool and garden area are beautifully maintained. The whole place is decorated sumptuously, including amazing art, luxury secluded en suite outdoor showers and big spacious bedrooms. Great for large groups to book the entire property and have a true boutique, bespoke experience.
So glad we went full board, we ate lovely food, really tasty and our fussy-eating daughter was catered for really well too.
The game drives were of course the star of the show! The reserve is open to the animals of Kruger with no fences. Although the tourists in Kruger cannot come into the reserve, we could have ventured out. This means that animals flock here to escape the constant car traffic of Kruger, making the landscape rich and diverse. There are some strict rules on how many cars are allowed at each sighting - this means that the animals don't feel crowded and you don't have other cars in your photos! The guides are all in contact with each other to share information of sightings, and they're really skilled at tracking (mostly via footprints).
We saw a full range of animals and being close to a major watering hole meant plenty of big 5 activity, plus antelope, lots of vultures & birds of prey. Amazing close encounters with elephants, giraffe, and a stunning group of lions.
Gary and his wife own the lodge and he has been around the bush all his life. We felt completely at ease and safe with him, which was great for close encounters. He is so knowledgeable too!
The car has open sides so you really feel you're with the animals, not locked behind glass.
This was a truly amazing experience. All the things we didn't like about Kruger were taken out of the equation - no queues, no traffic, hardly any other cars, no animals hiding. We had full access to our own private part of Kruger and completely uninterrupted views.
Heaven!
All bookings are direct with the owner 