5 Day Two Kruger Park Lodges Safari

Guests are met in Johannesburg and assisted with check-in for a scheduled flight to Skukuza Airport in the Kruger National Park. On arrival, a lodge representative meets you for the road transfer into a private central Kruger concession where Hamiltons Tented Camp is located. The last stretch of the journey already feels like a game drive, with frequent sightings of plains game and the possibility of elephant or buffalo along the way.

After a brief orientation and time to settle into your elevated tented suite, you gather for afternoon tea before departing on your first open 4x4 safari. The drive explores riverine corridors and surrounding savanna, where a variety of antelope, giraffe and other herbivores attract predators such as lion and leopard. As the light fades, you return to camp for dinner under the stars and the sounds of the bush as your soundtrack for the night.

The day begins before sunrise with coffee and a light snack before heading out on a morning game drive. The concession combines open grassland, pockets of woodland and riverbeds, creating productive habitat for a wide range of species. Your ranger and tracker focus on recent signs such as tracks, alarm calls and vultures circling to help locate iconic animals like lion, elephant and, with luck, even leopard or rhino.

After a hearty brunch back at camp, the warmest hours of the day are spent at leisure. You can relax on your private deck, watch for wildlife moving along the riverbed below or enjoy the camp’s pool and lounge areas. Later, an afternoon safari follows different routes, increasing your chances of new sightings and varied landscapes before another atmospheric evening at Hamiltons.

An early morning game drive from Hamiltons offers a final chance to explore this central Kruger concession before breakfast. Afterwards, you depart by road through the national park, traveling south toward Lukimbi Safari Lodge. The journey itself can be very rewarding, as you traverse changing habitats and may encounter herds of elephant, buffalo or general plains game en route to the southern region.

Lukimbi Safari Lodge is set within a private concession in the southern Kruger, an area known for productive wildlife viewing and access to a wide variety of habitats. On arrival you have time to settle into your suite and take in the views before tea and an afternoon open 4x4 safari. Drives here often follow river systems and surrounding grasslands, where you can search for members of the Big Five and observe the dynamic interactions between predators and prey.

The rhythm of the day at Lukimbi follows the classic safari pattern, with a sunrise game drive when predators are often still active and herbivores are on the move to grazing areas and water. The southern Kruger is well known for strong populations of plains game, which in turn support healthy numbers of lion, leopard, hyena and other predators. Your guide interprets tracks, behavior and bird calls to build a deeper understanding of the ecosystem as you search for memorable sightings.

During the late morning and early afternoon, you can relax at the lodge, enjoy the pool and viewing decks or join an optional guided bush walk, subject to local conditions and your ranger’s advice. In the afternoon, a second open 4x4 safari explores a different sector of the concession, perhaps focusing on productive waterholes or open grasslands as the light softens for photography. The day ends with another convivial dinner and time to reflect on the diversity of the Kruger landscapes you have experienced.

Your final morning begins with one last open 4x4 safari from Lukimbi, timed for the early hours when wildlife is most active and the light is soft. It is an opportunity to search for any species that may have eluded you so far, from smaller nocturnal creatures returning to cover to large breeding herds of elephant or buffalo moving toward the river.

After breakfast back at the lodge, you depart by road for Nelspruit (Mbombela) Airport. The drive offers a last glimpse of the Lowveld’s scenery before you board a scheduled flight to Johannesburg. On arrival, your Kruger experience concludes, with the option to connect with onward travel arrangements or extend your time elsewhere in Southern Africa.