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Kruger Safari - buffaloes by Chris Eason

5 Day Kruger Safari: Treehouse & Private Game Reserves

Tour Length5 days
Priced from pps $907 R17200 £713 834 A$1384 C$1228 NZ$1492 Full pricing info
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Summary of this Lodge Safari

  • Max. Group Size 10 Travellers
  • Starts & ends in Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Accommodation Treehouse
  • Transport Microbus / Open 4x4 Game Viewing Vehicle
  • Wildlife Big 5, Elephant, Leopards, Lions, Rhino & More
  •  See Departure Dates

Quick Itinerary Overview

The Kruger Treehouse & Private Game Reserves Safari is a top Kruger Lodge Safari – a must for travelers looking for a totally unique Big 5 African wildlife adventure.

Travel to a private game lodge inside the Balule Private Game Reserve of Greater Kruger Park. Head out on an exhilarating sunset game drive that lasts into the night. Along the way, stop for a barbecue in the heart of the African bush.

In the early morning, venture into the secluded private game reserve on a thrilling Big 5 Bush Walk with an armed game ranger. Later, embark on an exciting Big 5 game drive in the Balule Reserve, teeming with wildlife. Then transfer to the unique Kruger Treehouse Camp to stay in rustic treehouses along the pristine Klaserie River within a private game reserve. Fall asleep to the sounds of Africa's wildlife at the alternative treehouse accommodation - a truly wild African bush experience!

Spend two full days on safari in the famous Kruger National Park in an open 4x4 safari vehicle. 

End off with a morning nature walk and journey via the scenic Panorama Route back to Johannesburg where this fantastic Budget Kruger Safari comes to an end!

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Itinerary for this Tour

Kruger Safari Highlights

  • Sunset & Night Game Drive in the Big 5 Balule Private Reserve of Greater Kruger
  • Bush Braai (barbecue) at Marula Tree Boma in the Big 5 Private Game Reserve
  • Big 5 Bush Walk in Greater Kruger Private Game Reserve with armed game rangers
  • Afternoon Game Drives in the Private Big 5 Balule Reserve
  • 2 x Full-Day Kruger Safaris with a professional guide in an open safari vehicle
  • Guided Morning Nature Walk in Motlala Game Reserve
  • Scenic Panorama Route drive via Blyde River Canyon

DAY 1: Johannesburg to Greater Kruger Private Game Reserve

This unique Kruger Treehouse & Private Game Reserves 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 Private Reserve of Greater Kruger Park. Balule 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 game 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 Private Game Reserve of the Greater Kruger Park. Our sunset game drive takes us in search of the Big 5 of Africa - lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo, as well as various other wild animals.

The evening game drive, conducted in an open 4x4 Landcruiser, is an excellent introduction to our fantastic Kruger safari in South Africa’s leading wilderness areas. On the game drive, we catch 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, lion, and even elusive leopard.

We stop at a remote bush boma (open-air enclosure) for a traditional South African-style barbecue, known locally as a braai. Our delicious dinner is prepared over an open fire at Marula Tree Boma in the middle of the untamed wilderness under starry skies. After our braai, we continue our thrilling night game drive, looking out for nocturnal animals as we make our way back to the private game lodge. If we encounter any exciting wildlife action en route we stop to witness nature at play.

Back at the private game lodge we relax and swap tales of our adventures or retire to our comfortable air-conditioned chalets with en suite bathrooms. The game lodge is set in a lovely subtropical garden with water features and has electric fencing to keep out the lion, elephant, buffalo, and other wildlife found in the area.

  • Meals: Bush Barbecue in Private Game Reserve of Greater Kruger
  • Safari Activities: 4-hour Sunset & Night Game Drive in Balule Game Reserve

About Balule, Greater Kruger Park

There are no fences separating this 35000-hectare Private Game Park 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 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 parks, 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 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 much fewer vehicles on your game drives. 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 drives.

Yet another perk of staying at a private lodge is that off-road driving is permitted in this exclusive game reserve area of the Greater Kruger Park, improving your chances of spotting wildlife in the bush.

DAY 2: Greater Kruger to Treehouse Camp in Private Game Reserve

Day two of our Kruger Safari starts with an early morning coffee and some rusks (hard biscuits) before we venture into the private reserve at sunrise. We drive to a secluded part of this Big Five game reserve where we will head into the bush on foot.

The four-hour Bush Walk is a truly thrilling experience that will get your adrenaline pumping as you walk among the Big Five and other untamed wildlife. Your qualified guide will be armed to ensure your safety while you follow big game 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 Big 5 territory, we return to the private game 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 private game 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 standard Kruger safari accommodation, immersing you in the unspoiled bush like camping, but with added charm and comfort! Settle in and enjoy dinner around the campfire at the charming private camp.

  • Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
  • Safari Activities: Morning Bush Walk & Afternoon Game Drive in Balule Reserve

DAY 3 & 4: Full-day Kruger Safari - South Africa

On day 3 and 4, our Kruger Treehouse & Private Game Reserves Safari takes us into Kruger National Park. After breakfast, we head to the Orpen Gate of Kruger in a specially designed game-viewing vehicle for our first full-day Kruger Safari.

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 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 a full day of game viewing inside the vast Kruger Park, we return to our charming Treehouse Camp rated as excellent value-for-money by Getaway travel magazine.

  • Meals: Breakfast & Dinner (x2)
  • Safari Activities: Full-day Kruger Safari (x2)

About Kruger National Park, South Africa

The world-renowned Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s best safari destinations and the premier game reserve in South Africa. 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 South Africa’s top travel destination 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.

DAY 5: Kruger Treehouse & Private Game Reserve to Johannesburg

On the last day of this outstanding Kruger Safari, we get up early and set off into the wilderness on foot (weather permitting).

This guided nature walk gives you the chance to get a closer look at the signs of wildlife activity and the smaller creatures and plants that are often overlooked on game drives. The short 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 game reserve. Your experienced game ranger will point out animal tracks and droppings that you encounter on the walk, as well as birds and insects inhabiting the reserve.

Returning from the nature walk we enjoy breakfast before departing from the enchanting treehouse camp. We travel through the beautiful Panorama Route, one of the most scenic parts of South Africa, 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 Treehouse & Private Game Reserves Safari to an end.

  • Meals: Breakfast
  • Safari Activities: Morning Bush Walk & Panorama Route Highlights

About the Private Game Lodge in Greater Kruger

The game lodge this Kruger Treehouse & Private Game Reserves Safari stays at is situated in a Big 5 game reserve that forms part of Balule Private Reserve of Greater Kruger Park. This affordable game lodge is close to Kruger National Park proper, offering easy access to the national park at great rates.

It is a backpacker-style game lodge, with basic amenities and simple rooms. On this Budget Kruger Safari, accommodation is in one of the 18 thatched chalets with en-suite bathrooms (shower, toilet, and basin) and air-conditioning. There are tea and coffee stations in the chalets. The chalet windows are fitted with mosquito mesh and the beds feature mosquito nets.

This budget lodge is set in a lush garden with a swimming pool and an open-air boma. At the nearby waterhole, a variety of animals and birds can be spotted. Electric fencing also ensures the safety of guests but does not keep out the vervet monkeys that are regular visitors, along with birds.

About the Kruger Treehouse Camp

Accommodation at the Treehouse Camp is in simple thatched treehouses nestled in the trees along the perennial Klaserie River or overlooking the camp’s floodlit waterhole visited by buffalo and other wildlife.

These basic treehouses are built out of wood, reed, and thatch reducing the environmental impact on the untamed bush surroundings. The treehouse accommodation is a step up from camping, offering a back-to-nature experience with a difference. The cabins are fitted with electric fans, beds, and mosquito nets, and linen, towels, and soap are included to ensure that you are comfortable. Part of the charm of the treehouses is that they are rustic, which means that winter nights (about April to October) can get chilly, but extra blankets and hot water bottles are available to keep you cozy.

Most of the treehouses are raised on stilts, set on the ground in the gallery forest, and feature en-suite bathrooms. Two of the units are up in the trees or set in tree branches, featuring private ablutions on the ground below.

Listen to the sounds of wild animals at night from the safety of your treehouse and its viewing deck - a truly African bush experience! The secure treehouses blend into the bush, getting you as close to unspoiled nature as you can without having to camp.

Pre and Post Tour Lodge Rates

Please note that we offer convenient pre and post-tour lodge accommodation for before and after this 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 more information on rates.

Child Policy

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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  • Game drives
  • Bush walks
  • Accommodation (linen, towels and soap provided)
  • Night game drive
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This Kruger Safari departs daily on Request.

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