This 5-day Kruger and Greater Kruger safari is the most complete option in our Chacma Bush Camp safari collection, giving you extra time for Big Five game-viewing in the Greater Kruger National Park. This itinerary offers the best balance of wildlife viewing and relaxing at family-friendly Chacma Bush Camp in the Maseke Balule Game Reserve of the Greater Kruger.
On the first morning of this 5-Day Greater Kruger Safari at Chacma Bush Camp, our shuttle picks you up from the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, or from the designated starting point in Pretoria. The shuttle first collects passengers from OR Tambo at 07h00, then proceeds north to Pretoria to collect any additional guests at 07h30. From Pretoria, we travel northeast to the Greater Kruger Park safari region of South Africa.
The shuttle transfers you to Three Bridges, near Hoedspruit, to arrive at 12h30 to 13h00. Then, your safari guide from the lodge collects you from Three Bridges and takes you to the Maseke Balule Game Reserve in Greater Kruger Park.
Chacma Bush Camp is set within an 8,000-hectare wildlife management area, called Maseke Game Reserve, forming part of the Balule Private Nature Reserve. The intimate camp is surrounded by undulating hills with rocky ridges and mopane thickets where animals roam. You can expect to see elephants, bushbuck, kudu, and other wild animals from the comfort of the deck area that surrounds the swimming pool.
After a relaxed lunch, soaking up the atmosphere of the bush camp, we embark on a late afternoon to night game drive. The night air comes alive with the sound of the African bush as your guide takes you in search of nocturnal predators like leopards as well as civets, porcupines, hyenas, and more. We return to Chacma Bush Camp for a delicious meal followed by drinks around the cozy campfire.
The next three days of this complete Greater Kruger safari follow the same rhythm, offering a balance between leisure time at the bush camp and game viewing in open 4x4 vehicles. Rise early with the African sun for a quick snack and a coffee before heading into the cool morning bush on a game drive. Sharing unfenced borders with the Kruger National Park and teeming with wildlife, the game viewing in Balule Private Reserve is exceptional. One of Africa's largest reserves, the Kruger National Park boasts over 150 mammal species, over 500 birds, and many reptiles, plants, and trees to marvel at. We return mid-morning for a hearty breakfast.
The tranquil and intimate setting of the bush camp, surrounded by mopane woodland, is all yours to enjoy. Take advantage of the sparkling pool, go for a stroll around camp or just relax on the deck and soak in the ambience of this family-friendly retreat. A tall koppie (hill) serves as the backdrop to Chacma Bush Camp, and the vistas from up here are awe-inspiring.
Lunch is served in the afternoon, and later we depart for an afternoon-to-evening game drive. Exploring over a few days gives you a more intimate knowledge of the movements and rhythms of the animals and the bush. Your expert safari guides are there to make sure that you get the most out of your bush camp safari experience. The cooler times of day, early mornings, and late afternoon to evenings are the times of most activity in the bush. Expect to see any of the Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo - or with some luck, all five! In addition to the iconic Big Five, you'll come across all sorts of other wild animals from giraffe to duiker, zebras to impala and hyenas to honey badgers and wild dogs. Every outing is unique, and you never know what is hiding in the grass nearby.
After the exhilaration of the game-viewing, we return to Chacma Bush Camp to relax and eat a sumptuous meal. After dinner, take part in the age-old tradition of sharing stories around the campfire. Flames leap and jump, lions roar in the distance, and a blanket of stars stretches overhead.
On the final day of this 5-Day Kruger Safari, we wake early and take one last game drive in the world-renowned Kruger Park. Returning to Chacma Bush Camp for the last time, we enjoy a hearty breakfast prepared by the lodge staff. Full and satisfied, it is time to say goodbye to the game-rich South African bush.
Your safari guide transfers you back to the collection point at Three Bridges, where the shuttle collects you at 11h45. From there, the shuttle returns to Pretoria and then to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Guests are dropped off in Pretoria at about 17h00 and at OR Tambo International at about 18h00, bringing our 5-Day Greater Kruger Safari at Chacma Bush Camp to a close.
This excellent-value 5-day Greater Kruger Safari stays at Chacma Bush Camp, set in the undulating hills of the Maseke Balule Game Reserve. As part of the Greater Kruger Park, this private game reserve shares unfenced borders with the Kruger National Park, allowing wildlife to move freely between the two protected areas. Chacma Bush Camp is located near the Olifants River, and the surroundings boast a variety of habitats for animals, birds, and small creatures.
Fringed by mopane woodlands, this family-friendly Greater Kruger bush camp sleeps only 10 people. The small size and remote location ensure a personal and intimate African safari experience ideal for small groups and families with children. Common animal sightings from the game viewing deck beside the sparkling pool include elephants, kudu, bushbuck, and other antelopes.
See our 3-Day Greater Kruger Safari at Chacma Bush Camp
See our 4-Day Chacma Bush Camp Safari: Greater Kruger Experience
Pick-up and drop-off are at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and a designated point in Pretoria. For more details and times, please enquire. Transport to and from these set locations is not included in the tour price.
Collection times on the first day:
Drop-off times on the last day:
Please note that we offer convenient pre- and post-tour lodge accommodation for before and after your Greater Kruger Safari at Chacma Bush Camp, 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. View pre- or post-safari lodge rates.
If you are looking for an excellent-value Kruger National Park safari, this 4-Day Kruger National Park Safari spends four days exclusively game-viewing within the Kruger National Park.
This tour does take children.
Children of all ages are welcome.
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