This Kruger Treehouse & Private Lodge Safari is one of the best budget Kruger Safaris. It's a must for travelers looking for a unique Big 5 South African wildlife safari.
Travel to a private game lodge inside the exclusive Big 5 Balule Reserve in Greater Kruger Park. Head into this Big 5 reserve on an exhilarating sunset game drive that lasts into the night, taking you in search of nocturnal wildlife. Along the way, stop for a memorable bush braai (barbecue) in the heart of the private game reserve, before continuing your game drive into the night.
In the early morning, venture into Balule on a thrilling Big 5 Bush Walk with an armed ranger. In the afternoon, embark on an exciting Big 5 game drive in this private game reserve. Next, transfer to the unique Treehouse Camp and stay in a rustic treehouse tucked away in the trees along the pristine Klaserie River in a private game reserve. Fall asleep to the sounds of African wildlife at the alternative treehouse lodge - a truly wild African bush experience!
On day three, spend a full-day game viewing in the famous Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s top game parks, in an open 4x4 safari vehicle. After a morning nature walk on the last day, journey via the breathtaking Blyde River Canyon back to Johannesburg, where this fantastic Big 5 Kruger Park Safari comes to an end!
__large.jpg "Lions in Kruger by Chris Eason")
This unique Kruger Park Safari starts in Johannesburg where you will be collected from your hotel or the Johannesburg International Airport. Leaving Johannesburg, the City Of Gold, we head east into the scenic Mpumalanga Province of South Africa, passing through the Highveld grasslands on our way to the Greater Kruger Park.
Our first overnight stay is at a Private Game Lodge in the Balule Game Reserve of Greater Kruger Park. Balule Private Reserve is famous for its abundance of birdlife and wildlife, including Africa’s Big Five.
In the afternoon there is usually time to take a refreshing dip in the lodge swimming pool, relax in the bar and enjoy the lodge’s lush garden. In the late afternoon, we embark on our first exhilarating game drive in the Balule Reserve of the Greater Kruger National Park. Our sunset game drive takes us in search of the Big Five - lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo, as well as various other wild animals.
The three-hour evening game drive, conducted in an open 4x4 Landcruiser, is an excellent introduction to our fantastic safari in South Africa’s leading wilderness areas. On the Big 5 game drive, we get to watch our first spectacular African sunset in the bush continuing our exploration into the night. Once it is dark we use spotlights to find the nocturnal wildlife in this private concession, including jackal, hyena, and lion.
We stop for a memorable bush braai (barbecue) in the heart of the private game reserve. Dinner is prepared over an open fire at the Marula Tree Boma, as the stars come out. After our relaxing braai in the wild, our thrilling game drive continues into the night. We look out for predators prowling in the darkness, maybe even encountering the elusive leopard.
Back at the private game lodge inside the game reserve we unwind and retreat to our comfortable en-suite chalets with air-conditioning. The private game lodge is set in a lovely subtropical garden with water features and has electric fencing to keep out the lions, elephants, buffalos, and other wildlife found in the game reserve.
There are no fences separating this 35000-hectare private game reserve from Kruger National Park allowing the numerous wild animals to roam freely between these wilderness areas. The Olifants River flows through the Balule Game Reserve attracting a variety of birds and animals year-round.
Balule is home to the iconic Big Five of Africa with buffalo, lion, and elephant being sighted the most regularly and sometimes even from the lodge property! Other wildlife commonly sighted in Balule Reserve includes giraffe, wildebeest, hyena, zebra, hippo, warthog, mongoose, vervet monkey, and various antelope species, such as waterbuck, steenbok, impala, and kudu.
Nocturnal animals such as civets, bushbabies, bats, hares, genets, wild cats, and porcupines can be spotted on night game drives. Some of the more elusive wild animals found in this part of Greater Kruger include cheetah, African wild dog, bat-eared fox, and badger, as well as caracal and serval cat and a variety of antelope species, such as suni, roan, and sable antelope.
The Greater Kruger Park area consists of various private game reserves, such as Balule, that share unfenced boundaries with Kruger National Park proper. Staying in a private game lodge allows you to escape the main throng of tourists, as the Balule game reserve is not open to the general public.
On this exclusive Kruger safari experience, you get a more secluded bush experience that brings you closer to nature. In the private game reserve, you travel on dirt roads encountering far fewer vehicles on your game drives. Off-road driving is also permitted. Another advantage of game viewing in the Balule private reserve is that your qualified guides communicate with each other via two-way radio, increasing the number of wildlife sightings on your game drives.
Day two of our Kruger Treehouse & Private Lodge Safari starts with an early morning coffee and some rusks (hard biscuits). Then we venture into the Balule Private Reserve at sunrise. We drive to a secluded part of this Big 5 game reserve where we will head into the African bush on foot.
The four-hour guided Bush Walk is a truly thrilling experience that will get your adrenaline pumping as you walk among the Big 5 of Africa and other untamed wildlife. Your qualified guide will be armed to ensure your safety while you follow big game species on this unforgettable wildlife experience. Your guide will be able to tell you more about the fauna and flora in this remote wilderness area as you move through the bush at your own pace.
After the thrill of walking in private Big 5 reserve territory, we return to the safari lodge with hearty appetites to enjoy a tasty brunch. In the afternoon we head back into the bush on an afternoon game drive in the Balule Private Reserve of the Greater Kruger Park, teeming with wildlife. After our Big 5 game drive, we depart from the Private Game Lodge making our way to our next stop – a unique Treehouse Camp.
The Treehouse Camp offers a refreshing alternative to the standard safari accommodation, as you stay in intriguing treehouses in an unspoiled bush setting!
Today we travel to Kruger National Park’s Orpen Gate, where we transfer to a specially designed game-viewing vehicle.
This custom-built safari vehicle is open-sided allowing for the best visibility game viewing, as well as immersing you in the smells and sounds of the African bush! In addition to not having windows, the safari vehicle is also elevated to maximize your photographic opportunities in Kruger Park.
The region of Kruger National Park that we explore boasts one of the highest concentrations of lions in Africa, as well as numerous other predators. Kruger’s Orpen-Satara-Nwanedzi area consists of open grassy plains that attract large populations of grazers, including big herds of zebra, giraffe, and various kinds of antelopes. The abundance of grazers in this area of course explains the high concentration of predators too!
On our game viewing drive, we will stop regularly to watch wildlife and rest at Kruger camps and picnic spots, as well as places of archeological or historical interest.
At the end of our full-day Kruger Safari, we return to our charming treehouse lodge rated as excellent value-for-money by Getaway travel magazine.
Accommodation at the Treehouse Camp is in rustic thatched treehouses tucked away in the trees along the pristine perennial Klaserie River or overlooking the camp’s floodlit waterhole visited by buffalo and other wildlife. Ten of the cabins are set on stilts in the bush and have en-suite bathrooms. Two of the charming units are up in the trees, with private ablutions on the ground.
These elevated treehouses are built out of wood, reed, and thatch reducing the environmental impact on the dense bush surroundings. The treehouse accommodation is basic, but the cabins are fitted with electric fans, beds, and mosquito nets, and include linen, towels, and soap to ensure that you are comfortable.
Each treehouse features a wooden viewing deck and immerses you in nature the same way that camping does, but with an added charm. During the winter (about April to October) nights can get chilly, so extra blankets and hot water bottles are available to keep you snug, even though you are as close to nature as you can get, without camping. At night you can listen to the sounds of wild animals from the safety of your treehouse, a truly African bush experience!
The world-renowned Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s best safari destinations and South Africa’s premier game reserve. Covering nearly 2 million hectares of untamed African bush the variety of habitats in Kruger Park are home to an unrivaled diversity of plants and animals.
Kruger is the top travel destination in South Africa, offering superb game viewing, including massive populations of Africa’s iconic Big Five - elephant, rhino, leopard, lion, and buffalo. This vast wilderness area is inhabited by a staggering 147 mammal species and 517 bird species, as well as a variety of other wild animals and 336 tree species. South Africa's flagship national park, Kruger Park is considered a world leader in advanced environmental policies and wildlife management practices.
On the last day of this outstanding Kruger Treehouse & Private Lodge Safari, we get up early and set off into the bush on foot (weather permitting).
The short bush walk gives you the chance to get a closer look at signs of wildlife activity and the smaller creatures and plants that are often overlooked on game drives. This early morning walk is an excellent opportunity to discover more about the remarkable details of the bush, learning about the fascinating flora and fauna of the private reserve. Your experienced ranger will point out animal tracks and droppings that you encounter on the walk, as well as birds and insects inhabiting the game reserve.
Returning from our guided morning walk we enjoy breakfast before departing from the enchanting treehouse camp. We travel through the beautiful Panorama Route on our way back to Johannesburg pausing to admire the Three Rondawels and impressive Blyde River Canyon.
In the late afternoon, we arrive in Johannesburg bringing the unforgettable wildlife adventure of this Kruger Park Safari to an end.
Please note that as a result of sustained fuel price increases a fuel subsidy has been added to this Kruger Park Safari. Hopefully, this will be a temporary measure to be discontinued should fuel prices drop. The small fuel subsidy ensures that the excellent quality of this Kruger Safari is maintained. To see the cost of the fuel subsidy, please view the full tour pricing.
Please note that we offer a convenient pre and post tour lodge accommodation for before and after this Big 5 Kruger Safari, which can be added to your tour booking upon request. The 4-star lodge accommodation is located 10-15 minutes from the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Follow the link for information on rates.
This tour does take children.
While children from 6 years of age are accepted on this safari, there is a minimum age restriction of 16 years on the bush walk activities.
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