Travel Butlers African Safari Blog.

We are delighted to announce a  Notten’s Bush Camp Special Offer for December 08 & January 09.

Notten’s is one of the best-kept secrets of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. This friendly and informal family-run lodge offers a unique blend of luxury and comfort, balanced with the sheer simplicity and natural atmosphere of the bush.  This is Africa how you have imagined it, and is right in the heart of the best big-5 game viewing area in South Africa.

The special offer rate of R2500 per person per night is a discount of R600 per person on the usual published rate, and means that a couple staying 3 nights would save R3600 (approx £250!) on the usual published price.  This is a great offer and makes the idea of getting away from the cold wet Northern Hemisphere winter seem all the more appealing!

The Times is reporting that British model Katie Price, also known as Jordan, and singer Peter André have  renewed their wedding vows at the Thornybush Game Lodge near the Great Kruger Park.

Nic Griffin, chief executive of the Thornybush Group, said the couple appeared very much in love:  “They basically wanted to crush the rumours that they are separating. I can vouch for the fact that they are madly in love.

“Katie loved it here. The bush did something to her … half an hour after they got off their plane I could see her start to relax. She was a changed lady.”

The couple and their entourage of seven flew to Thornybush in a private jet two weeks ago. They then jetted to Cape Town, where they spent time at the Grootbos Nature Reserve just outside Gansbaai.

Day visitors to the Kruger National Park will again be able to book ahead of time to secure their entrance to South Africa’s most well known National Park.

Visitors who wish to use this facility should be advised that advanced bookings can be made no less than one day prior to date of arrival at the Kruger National Park and that using this facility will come at a minimal and non-refundable cost per person of R20 per adult and R10 per child entering the Park. This fee will be payable (in advance) by all who wish to make a day visitor booking in advance. Guests with day visitor bookings will also be expected to arrive at the booked gate by not later than 1 pm on the date of booking, after which time the booking lapses. Advanced day-visitor bookings will only constitute 60% of the gate’s day visitor quota, with 40% being kept open for visitors to enter on a first-come first-served basis. The gate quotas are limits per gate on the number of day visitors that the area and infrastructure adjacent to each gate is able to support to ensure a good visitor experience.

We are delighted to be able to offer Lion Sands River Lodge for the incredible price of only R2500 per person per night for guests who are able to travel between now and 30th April this year.

This special short notice deal represents a saving of R1780 (42%!) per person per night vs the published rate of R4280, and the rate includes accommodation, meals, and 2 game drives each day.

Lion Sands River Lodge is one of the best know lodges in the world-renowned Sabi Sand Reserve on the western side of the Greater Kruger Park, and boasts a fantastic location right on the Sabie river with some of the best game viewing in the reserve.

The rooms have just been refurbished in the last 12 months, and with the rand now very weak vs other major currencies this offer really does represent amazing value for overseas visitors.

The Lowveld area around the Kruger Park is often overlooked by visitors focused on getting to their safari, however there are many interesting attractions including scenic drives, animal rehabiliation and welfare centres, and cultural attractions that make staying a few days in the area very worthwhile if your schedule allows time for it.

The small village of Hazyview is an ideal place to base yourself for a couple of days to explore the surrounding area, and nearby attractions include:

The Panarama Route Drive along the Drakensberg Escarpment which takes in a number of geological and scenic highlights including The Blyde River Canyon,  Bourke’s Luck Potholes, The Three Rondavels,  and God’s Window. 

The Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, which specialises in raptors (vultures and eagles) but also has many other rescued animals, and the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Foundation (also known as the Hoesdpruit Cheetah Project) which specialises in cheetah but again also has a number of other interesting species. Both places will try and realease animals back into the wild where possible, and the animals which cannot be released for any reason are cared for and used as part of educational programs.

The traditional villages of Shangana - home to families who invite guests to experience their culture and way of life.

The Kruger Park…the Numbi gate into Kruger is only 15km away, and many people who stay at one of Kruger’s excellent safari lodges will also fancy visiting the areas of the park that are open to self-drive visitors. Staying in Hazyview is an alternative to staying at one of SANParks restcamps in the park.

There many other activities including quadbiking, white water rafting, and balloon flights, and a few days in this beautiful area is really well worth the time if you are interested in finding out a bit more about this part of South Africa.

Following on from last weeks listing of top lodges for families in malaria free areas, today we are having a look at our most popular lodges for families in the Greater Kruger area.

The first point to bear in mind when looking at family lodges in the Kruger area is that the average age of children staying at lodges in this area tends to be higher than for lodges in malaria free areas.  There are two reasons for this: firstly, many parents are reluctant to take younger children to a low risk malaria area,  and secondly many of the lodges will have a minimum age of  8 or so and do not tend to run the sort of children’s progams that are offered by many lodges in the Eastern Cape and Madikwe.

The Greater Kruger area is South Africa’s leading safari destination, and for those parents travelling with slightly older children and who are happy to visit an area where it is necessary to take anti-malaria precautions, these lodges all offer an excellent safari experience. The full listing is: 

1 ) Notten’s Bush Camp
2 ) Chitwa Chitwa Game Lodge
3 ) Inyati Private Game Reserve
4 ) Exeter Dulini Private Game Lodge
5 ) Jock Safari Lodge
6 ) Bongani Mountain Camp
7 ) MalaMala Main Camp
8 ) Savanna Private Game Reserve
9 ) Jackalberry Lodge
10 ) Elephant Plains Game Lodge

This listing is ranked on the number of nights children under 12 have spent at each lodge based on recent bookings made by Travel Butlers.

After a period where the weather over much of South Africa was cool , wet and blustery,  and there was severe flooding in some areas such as the Garden Route, it appears that normal service has been resumed just in time for the Christmas and New Year peak.

Cape Town is due to enjoy clear skies and temperatures with highs of around 25°C for the next couple of days with this rising to a blistering 35°C on Saturday. 

On the Garden Route the picture is milder (22°C - 26°C for the next three days), but again no rain is forecast, and in Kruger the outlook is 26c for today and Saturday, and 29°C for tomorrow (Friday).

You can find more weather forecasts on our South Africa Climate and Weather Forecasts page.

We have recently updated the information for the Rhino Walking Safaris concession in the southern part of the Kruger Park (access via Paul Kruger Gate).

Rhino Post Safari Lodge offers fully inclusive rates including accommodation, meals, teas & coffees and game drives with optional safari walks also offered.

Rhino Plains Camp rates are fully inclusive of accommodation, meals, cold drinks, house wine and beers, teas & coffees and safari activities (primarily walking safaris).

The lodges are both in a very game rich part of the park, and most guests choose to split their stay between the two camps as this gives the best mixture of game drives from Rhino Post Camp (where you will get to see more of the reserve and have the chance to get closer to preditors which cannot be approched on foot) and walking safaris from Rhino Plains Camp (tracking Rhinos on foot is an unforgettable experience).