Lodge recommendations
 

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Closest reserves with the full range of game (Big Five etc) are Pilanesberg, Madikwe and Welgevonden/Marakele. All have a wide range of accommodation options.

Johan

Well, seeing that you're using MTBeds, you clearly know what you're doing.

IMHO, Pilanesberg does not really count - it's just a big zoo, really (much more so than any of the others including Kruger - Pilanesberg's just too small, and too overrun by tourists and locals alike. Good for a one-day self-driven tour, but not for more).

I have enjoyed the Mhondoro Lodge immensely - got in there on a deeply discounted MTBeds fare (2 people), we were early, they sent someone to pick us up at the drop-off, lovely welcome reception w/ drinks before we went off to the lodge, halfway into the 30 mins+ ride we met the "regular" vehicle who came to pick up other pax. Very nice lodge, great people, great safari experience (as per Welgevonden regs, though, the vehicles have (soft) tops).

If taking malaria precautions is not a concern, you may want to trade a 2.5 - 3 hours annoying drive to Welgevonden/Madikwe against a 4.5 hours, very relaxing drive to Kruger (the roads are much, much better). If you do Kruger, be sure to book at a private game reserve (can be part of Kruger, but must be private so Kruger rules such as no open fire, vehicle needs to have soft top do not apply). Also make sure the reserve is not fenced (much more "authentic" :o/romantic that way) - MTBeds are not a good source for these finer points, you'll have to do your own research.

Enjoy your trip!

South Africa help..
 

Thanks for the info. What is MTBeds ?
I was planning a trip with my mom to South Africa for Nov. I was trying to figure out where to go to take her on Safari. She is a rancher and pretty adventuresome and would like to see animals, nature, etc. Thanks.

MTBeds sells last minute accomodation (particularly for lodges) at a discount

my experience....
 

I am just back from Kruger.

I stayed at a private lodge in a private concession in the south of Kruger entering by the Malelane gate. Lukimbi Safari Lodge. Maximum 36 guests sharing four Land Rovers. Guests are the only ones in the area as this lodge has the exclusive use of their private concession.

The accomodation is outstanding. Rooms are well appointed. You have your own balcony to see game at the waterhole. Two showers...one indoor and the other outside. I watched elephants and Cape buffalo while having a shower after my morning game drive.

Food remarkable and wines cheap.

Not cheap but well worth every rand that I paid.

Saw the big five the first day. Was lucky to see leopard in a tree and also two males lions transiting the concession. The resident pride of lions was not on the concession at the time. Lots of white rhino but not a sight of the shy black rhino. Good views of ellies with babies. The matriarch was very protective of the young and she was aggressive. We has to be on our guard to avoid a charge. The rangers knew their stuf and I felt very safe.

Given Lwakahle's size and shape, and that the concession is a part of Kruger, I think it far more likely that it is utilized by several prides from the surrounding area. The chance that a pride's territory coincides with lines drawn by humans on a map is rather remote, unless the entire area is fenced.

I would venture to say that game lodges must be some of the safest places on earth.

Johan

Indeed.:D Most of the "concession" lodges are the safest private zoos in the world. The only true game spotting in my opinion is in the Park proper but this can be a hit or miss affair depending on the season, the place, the time and a good dose of luck. Most of the private concessions will almost guarantee sightings of the big 5 which is useful for people who are under time constraints. I've got to admit though that I've been very lucky this year so far in and have spotted all the big 5 in the lower half of the park and I'm looking forward to doing the Shingwedzi 4x4 Eco-Trail this season before crossing into Mozambique at Pafuri.

Am I missing something? Because I'm baffled by these statements. :confused: Since there are no fences between the concessions and they are part of KNP, how can they guarantee sightings or be called zoos?

Yes, they have radio contact and will share information (which often results in any worthwhile sighting being mobbed by vehicles). But I have seen the rangers at Londolozi mortified that they couldn't track down a leopard for me over several days - despite Londolozi being touted as the place for leopards. A ranger at Sabi Sabi also told me about how he had failed to produce any of the big five for a group of Italians for 2 days and was mightily relieved when he finally spotted some rhino. Hardly supports the idea of a "zoo" where animals can be produced on demand.

I guess I was confusing concessions within the park proper with those private Game Reserves adjoining the western boundary of the park. eg. Thornybush Reserve.

The Klaserie Fence in Balule Reserve only came down two years ago and there are some lodges adjacent the KNP which don't have access to the park proper. There's plenty of landowner politics with regard to transversing rights.

The fences haven't always been down, and I haven't been to a private concession since 2003, instead enjoying the SanParks accommodations within Kruger.

That should be changing now for me, as the wonderful in-laws now sharehold a lodge within Balule which allows 3 week long visits per year with a private game viewing vehicle:D

What I meant by the zoo comments is that in certain private reserves eg, Sabi Sand as a good example, animals have been so conditioned to the approach of vehicles as to totally ignore them and with the sheer number of game drives from all the lodges and radio coordination with report back to all lodges amongst the guides there is a better chance of spotting game at a closer range in a smaller area than you would in the KNP proper. In fact it is all but guaranteed that you will see 4 of the big 5 (Leopard excluded) during a 3 day stay at a private lodge in Sabi Sand, Manyeleti, or Timbavati. Not so on a self-drive in the park left to your own devices.

The concessions in the KNP are having trouble living up to their guests' expectations. They market themselves as private lodges and make much of the fact that they are located within the boundaries of the national park. However, this also means they are subject to stringent SANParks rules and regulations. With the exception of Singita Lebombo, they have very limited road networks, which means that the blocks are very big, and animals therefore that much more difficult to track and locate. That's why one regularly sees the concessions' game viewing vehicles on the public road network in the KNP. If I were paying R 7,000+ per night at say Tinga, I wouldn't be too pleased!

I have not been to all of the concessions (yet. still working on it), but I would venture to say that they are better suited to walking than driving. Pafuri/Makuleke is an exception because of its sheer size, which makes a certain amount of driving unavoidable, and Singita Lebombo has 132 km of roads, but the rest . . . Unfortunately, only Plains Camp currently offers real walks (as opposed to the 45 minute amble on a full stomach in the heat of day that all private lodges offer, with a greater or lesser degree of reluctance). Pafuri offers walking trails too, but their trails camp has yet to be built.

In sum, anybody short on time looking for a big & hairy / fangs & claws experience is best advised to select a lodge on private land, where the chances having them lined up are much greater. Prefer to stretch your legs? Try the SANParks trails or a lodge that does real walks.

For those who know their stuff the challenge of spotting the animals yourself on a self-drive in Kruger is an option, but I gave up on that some years ago, when the number of motorized morons exceeded my tolerance level.

Johan

Very insightful post - I certainly agree with your statement regarding private concessions in the Park itself (was quite disappointed with Jock's Safari Lodge back in 2005).

Do you find that this applies largely to the southern half of the Park or to the whole thing? (I'm thinking about checking out the north next time).

BTW, does everyone agree that the new layout of MTBEDS sucks? :td:

Indeed. Very true. I think the trick here for those who do want to self drive is to try & avoid the park during South African school holiday periods which are different from those in the Northern Hemisphere as well as other peak times such as public holidays, weekends and most definitely over Xmas and Easter holidays. There have been times off peak season when I've seen hardly any vehicles.
The Northern part of the park will almost certainly have fewer day visitors than the Southern areas in part because of the distances and the prevailing slow speed limits.

Interesting reading on private concessions.

As I stated above, I recently spent three days at Lukimbi Lodge.

I did not feel that I was in a zoo-like experience.

I enjoyed the solitude of the game drives and particularly enjoyed the fact that we (three Land Rovers dispersed over the concession) had the exclusive run of the concession. We did not have to compete with the multitude of vehicles that I previously experienced in Sabi Sands.

To each his/her own safari experience.

I can only speak for myself, but when I'm using the word "zoo" in connection with an SA safari experience, what I mean is that there is a significant aspect of "make-believe" to the whole thing. Granted, Kruger is as close as it gets to the "real thing", but it still takes a lot of human intervention to maintain a proper balance in the park and, after all, there IS a fence. I'm using the word "zoo" to differentiate Kruger and other venues from "true" wilderness, something that you won't find in SA IMO and probably not at too many places anyway. Mind you, I'm all for a "touristy" element in my safaris, I appreciate the luxury and have never even been to a safari outside SA (and my next one will be in SA again). I don't see anything offensive (only realistic) in using "zoo" in that sense, and I can't see anybody attempting to "talk down" your experience, OR Kruger.