This short 3-day family-friendly Greater Kruger safari stays at Chacma Bush Camp, a small family-friendly bush camp in Maseke Game Reserve, part of Balule Private Reserve. Ideal for a quick Big Five safari in an authentic setting in Greater Kruger National Park.
__large.jpg "Greater Kruger, Balule hippo by Bernard Dupont")
On day one of this 3-Day Greater Kruger Safari at Chacma Bush Camp, a shuttle service collects you from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, or from the designated pick-up point in Pretoria. The shuttle collects passengers from OR Tambo at 07h00 before proceeding north to Pretoria, where it collects passengers joining here at 07h30. From Pretoria, you travel northeast to the Greater Kruger Park.
The shuttle transfers you to Three Bridges, near Hoedspruit, arriving at 12h30 to 13h00. Your guide then collects you from Three Bridges and takes you into the Maseke Balule Game Reserve, forming part of the Greater Kruger Park. Our excellent-value Chacma Bush Camp is nestled in 8,000 hectares of pristine African bush, mopane thicket, and undulating hills, offering an intimate and authentic lodge safari experience. Elephant, bushbuck, kudu, and other game species are frequent visitors, making every moment at the bush camp an adventure.
After a relaxed lunch, soaking up the atmosphere and unwinding on the viewing deck surrounding the sparkling pool, we head into the bush for a late-afternoon to night game drive. At dusk and dawn, temperatures are milder, and the animals are much more active, making it an ideal time to be out in the African bush. Witness the transition from day to night and the changing guard of animals that goes along with it. Your expert guide will take you in search of nocturnal predators like leopards as well as civets, porcupines, hyenas, and more.
On your return to the comfortable Chacma Bush Camp, a delicious meal awaits you. After-dinner drinks are served around a crackling campfire.
Rise early with the African dawn for a quick coffee before heading into the cool morning bush on a game drive. Maseke Balule Game Reserve shares a fenceless border with the Kruger National Park. The unfenced boundary enables the wild game to roam freely, and the game viewing 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 for your eyes to feast on. This is Big Five country (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo), and the park teems with wildlife, birds, and other creatures. We return to camp by mid-morning for a hearty breakfast.
Chacma Bush Camp is unique because of its small size and tranquil setting. Surrounded by mopane woodland, which is a haven for all sorts of game animals, the viewing deck and sparkling pool are yours to enjoy. Swim, take a stroll around camp, or just relax on the deck and enjoy the ambience of this family-friendly sanctuary.
Lunch and tea are served in the afternoon, followed by an evening-to-night Balule game drive. The combination of an experienced guide and the repeated forays into the African bush gives you an intimate view of the animals, their habits, and the environment. Your expert safari guides make sure that you get the most out of your safari experience. Expect to see any one of the Big Five or, for the very lucky, all five! There are plenty of other animals too, including giraffes, duikers, zebras, impalas, polecats, and honey badgers. No two game drives in Greater Kruger Park are the same, and every outing delivers something unexpected.
After the exhilaration of the nighttime game viewing, we return to our bush camp and enjoy a sumptuous meal. After dinner, relax and share in the age-old tradition of telling stories around the campfire.
On the final day of this Greater Kruger bush camp safari, we set off early for one last game drive into Balule Private Reserve. Then we return to camp and enjoy a hearty breakfast. After breakfast, your guide will return you to the collection point at Three Bridges in Limpopo.
The shuttle collects you at 11h45 for the transfer back to Pretoria, then OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The drop-off in Pretoria is at about 17h00 and at OR Tambo about 18h00, bringing our 3-Day Greater Kruger Safari at Chacma Bush Camp to a close.
Chacma Bush Camp is set amongst the gentle hills of the Maseke Game Reserve, forming part of Balule Private Nature Reserve. The reserve is situated within the Greater Kruger Park, sharing an unfenced border with Kruger National Park. This allows the animals to move freely between the two parks and ensures fantastic game-viewing. Chacma lies in the 8,000-hectare Maseke Game Reserve, an untamed landscape dotted with rocky outcrops along the Olifants River and varied habitats that are excellent for game drives.
Set amid Mopane woodlands, this small, family-friendly safari lodge sleeps only 10 people. The small size means that, unlike the Kruger National Park which can get quite crowded, you are sure of an authentic and intimate Greater Kruger safari experience shared with only a handful of others. Common wildlife sightings from the game viewing deck of the sparkling pool include elephants, kudus, bushbuck, and other antelopes.
See our 4-Day Chacma Bush Camp Safari: Greater Kruger Experience
See our 5-Day Chacma Bush Camp Safari: Complete Kruger & Greater Kruger Adventure
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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