Overview:
This concise 3-Day Greater Kruger Safari to Balule Nature Reserve offers an excellent introduction to the excitement of safari experiences in Africa.
Discover the Greater Kruger National Park with open 4×4 game drives led by expert and enthusiastic guides. Participate in early morning and afternoon game drives that extend into the night, utilizing a flashlight to locate nocturnal wildlife. Relish evening refreshments in the wilderness, and during intervals between game drives, take a swim in the splash pool while seeing wildlife at the camp’s bustling waterhole.
Accommodation consists of walk-in safari tents, each including an own patio and an open-air bathroom for hot showers beneath the stars. The tented camp is modest yet enchanting, providing an authentic African bush experience with the excitement of residing in an unfenced safari camp within Greater Kruger Park, where wildlife wanders freely.
Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: Johannesburg to Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
A morning transport from OR Tambo International Airport marks the commencement of this 3-Day Greater Kruger Safari to Balule Nature Reserve. A climate-controlled bus transports you from Johannesburg to the Three Bridges restaurant in Limpopo. The travel lasts around six hours, after which a guide from the tented safari resort will meet you upon arrival. Here, you embark on an open game-viewing vehicle and enter the Greater Kruger National Park, where you will get your initial chance to observe wildlife in the bush.
Establish yourself in your residence over the forthcoming days and relish lunch at the shaded campsite. The lodge’s waterhole draws several animals and birds, so remain vigilant for guests. The tented lodge is situated in an unfenced safari camp within a private game reserve that is part of Greater Kruger, which shares open borders with Kruger National Park.
As the day begins to cool, we embark on an open safari vehicle to explore the varied fauna inhabiting this terrain of rocky outcrops, rolling hills, and the winding Olifants River. In addition to the Big Five (elephant, leopard, lion, buffalo, and rhinoceros), this large game reserve hosts giraffes, zebras, hippopotamuses, wild dogs, remarkable avian species, and several other fauna. As the sun sets, we celebrate our wildlife excursions with sundowners in the wilderness. Subsequently, we return to the tented camp, employing a spotlight to seek for the nocturnal fauna of Greater Kruger Park.
Upon returning to the tented safari lodge, you may rejuvenate with a hot shower in your private open-air bathroom or enjoy a brief swim in the splash pool prior to proceeding to the boma for supper beneath the stars. This evening, you will drift into slumber accompanied by the sounds of the African savanna from your cozy bed.
Included meals: Midday Meal & Evening Meal
Included Activities: Evening safari with refreshments at sunset
Day 2: Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
Awaken to the melodious chirping of birds and the anticipation of an exhilarating safari in South Africa. On the second day of our Greater Kruger Safari, we will explore the bush via open 4×4 game drives.
After consuming coffee or tea and fresh fruit, we embark on the safari vehicle for a three-hour game drive. This is an opportune moment to observe animals congregating along the Olifants River to satiate their early morning hunger. The river hosts numerous hippos and crocodiles, in addition to attracting a variety of birds.
Our game drive leads us into the Maseke Game Reserve portion of Balule Nature Reserve. This section of Greater Kruger Park is renowned for its exceptional lion observations and plentiful elephant population. Your expert guide escorts you to the premier locations for photography and scenic enjoyment. This private game reserve creates an impression that your car and the wildlife are the sole occupants of this African wilderness. Wildlife observation is a demanding endeavor, prompting us to pause for tea or coffee and small refreshments before resuming our pursuit.
Following our invigorating morning drive, we return to the tented safari camp for a delectable full breakfast and several hours of repose and leisure. Rejuvenate in the splash pool, locate a comfortable area adjacent to the waterhole to unwind and see any wildlife, or rest in your individual tented accommodation. A modest luncheon is provided at the safari lodge prior to our return to the bushveld for additional wildlife observation. Our 4×4 safari expedition seeks the animals that inhabits Greater Kruger Park.
We pause for sundowners as the sun sets over the savannah. As night descends, we seek nocturnal critters in the darkness, utilizing our spotlight while returning to camp. A delectable dinner, a warm shower, and a tranquil evening by the campfire are forthcoming. It is then time to retire to your cozy tent for another night enveloped by wild nature.
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Included Activities: Morning and Afternoon Game Drives in the Greater Kruger National Park
Day 3: Greater Kruger National Park to Johannesburg, South Africa
On the third day of our Greater Kruger Safari, we rise early for an additional game drive in Balule Nature Reserve. Depart at dawn to observe the animals and birds during their peak activity. With fortune, you may encounter one or several of the renowned Big 5 animals.
We travel to a functioning waterhole where we take a break for coffee in the wilderness. The wildlife reserve encompasses a variety of habitats across its diverse terrain, including rocky hills, meadows, and riverine bush. Be vigilant for klipspringer, sable antelope, waterbuck, and kudu, among others. During your prior game drives, your knowledgeable guide imparts insights and expertise while you explore.
Our concluding game drive culminates at the tented camp, where we indulge in a substantial breakfast. Your guide will then transport you back to Three Bridges, where your return shuttle transfer is ready. The 3-Day Greater Kruger Safari to Balule Nature Reserve concludes at OR Tambo this afternoon.
Concerning Balule Nature Reserve
This trip examines Balule Nature Reserve, the site of our tented camp. The northern section of Balule is designated as Maseke Game Reserve. Maseke, spanning roughly 9,000 hectares, is a component of the Greater Kruger Park, comprised of privately owned game reserves. The landscape is undulating, featuring notable mountain ridges and rocky outcrops, rendering it a compelling spot for animal observation drives. The Olifants River flows through the reserve, drawing wildlife to its banks. All private reserves in Greater Kruger possess unrestricted boundaries with one another and with Kruger National Park, resulting in an expansive environment inhabited by a diverse array of species, including the Big Five. Expansive plains draw wildebeest and zebra, whilst elephant herds congregate in forests of towering mopane trees. Rocky outcrops serve as habitats for rare klipspringer antelope, baboon troops, and dassies, attracting leopards. A diversified region that offers an intriguing and exhilarating safari experience.
Concerning the Tented Safari Lodge in Greater Kruger Park
Our safari camp, situated in Maseke (Balule Nature Reserve), provides basic tented lodging in a natural setting. The tented camp offers an authentic African bush experience with fundamental amenities. It is an unenclosed wilderness campsite where wildlife can traverse freely. The camp overlooks an illuminated waterhole frequented by fauna and avian species, both day and night. This is the perfect location to connect with nature and engage with the African bush.
The camp amenities comprise a little splash pool, hammocks, and a shaded lounge area with a thatched roof situated on a platform. Meals are frequently served outdoors, either in the lantern-lit boma by the campfire or in the planted garden beneath the shaded trees. A cash bar is provided for beverages. Professional guides provide nature walks when time permits, stipulating that participation is limited to those aged sixteen and older. If you cannot endure separation from the outside world, Wi-Fi is accessible at the camp.
Guests are housed in four Meru-style tents equipped with electricity. Each unit features a private bathroom and a modest covered patio space. The patios feature two comfortable handcrafted seats and provide a view of the waterhole. These are walk-in tents constructed from canvas, designed in the typical African safari style. Each tent features a separate open-air bathroom, allowing for a hot shower beneath the stars. The restrooms are equipped with sinks and flush toilets, along with towels and toiletries supplied. The tents feature two windows equipped with mosquito netting to permit airflow while preventing insect entry. The tents are equipped with robust mattresses adorned with high-quality linens, along with essential furnishings like as side tables, bedside lights, baggage racks, and mats.
Greater Kruger Safari Shuttle Transfers will provide collection and drop-off services at OR Tambo International Airport (Bus Terminal Building). Transportation to and from this designated site is excluded from the tour cost.
Collection schedules for the inaugural day:
07:30 OR Tambo International Airport Drop-off times on the final day:
17:30 – 18:00 OR Tambo International Airport