Top 10 Luxury Kruger National Park Lodges

By Anthony Ham

Much is made of the stellar private and community conservancies and reserves that surround Kruger National Park, and rightly so. But there are also some stunning, luxury places to stay within the boundaries of the national park. Using one of these as your Kruger base means that you will wake up every morning within one of the world’s premier wildlife destinations, a park filled with the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant). And with so much territory to explore, there are always quiet corners filled with wildlife to discover.

The accommodations below are not ranked in a specific quality order.

515 Kruger Safaris

1. Mdluli Safari Lodge

Mdluli Safari Lodge offers the best of Kruger in its location and adds layers of luxury on top

In the far southwest of Kruger National Park, Mdluli Safari Lodge is simply superb. Here you’ll sleep in wonderfully large safari tents built on stilts, which look out across the landscape from on high, cocooning you in their extraordinarily comfortable beds. The fine views extend to the restaurant and other public areas, while the swimming pool, restaurant and lounge terrace all win praise for being memorable places to relax and wonder which animal might wander past next.

And, of course, because you’re in the incredible wildlife terrain of Kruger, you can expect thrilling encounters and constant wildlife possibilities, whether at the lodge or out on the nearby trails.

10 Mdluli Tours

2. Rhino Post Safari Lodge

Rhino Post Safari Lodge is a supremely elegant Kruger lodge with consistent luxury and a top location

Rhino Post Safari Lodge is everything you could want in a Kruger base. For a start, everything here is designer cool, with the perfect mix of canvas and more permanent local building materials – you’ll feel utterly safe, but also very much a part of the wild. Sustainability is a recurring theme here, and the lodge’s decor blends seamlessly with the southwestern Kruger surroundings. Rooms come with private terraces and a fab location – an exciting wildlife encounter feels possible at all times, both at your accommodations and out on game drives in the neighboring areas. Service is also excellent.

10 Rhino Post Tours

3. Kruger Shalati – The Train on the Bridge

Kruger Shalati – The Train on the Bridge Stay in a converted train on a bridge with luxury everything and a superb location

Now here’s something really special. This place does what it says on the label – it occupies a converted train on a bridge, with sweeping Kruger views from every vantage point. There are both carriage and bridge suites, and both kinds of accommodations are luxurious and full of character. The whole place somehow manages to capture the romance of high-end rail travel without ever going anywhere. Facilities include a restaurant, lounge areas and a swimming pool.

Yes, there’s much to see when you use Kruger Shalati as a base for exploring Kruger National Park. But this innovative, stunningly conceived place will rival the park and its wildlife for your affections, because it is a destination in its own right.

Kruger Shalati Tours

4. Hoyo Hoyo Safari Lodge

Hoyo Hoyo Safari Lodge is a Kruger classic with stylish rooms, elegant public areas and fine facilities

Hoyo Hoyo Safari Lodge inhabits one of the premier wildlife areas in southern Africa, inside Kruger National Park but close to the western boundary that the park shares with the world-famous private reserves of Greater Kruger. The rooms here are large and light-filled, with soaring thatched ceilings and earth colors – you may never want to leave. Guests love the outdoor showers, the expansive wooden decks and the chance to see wildlife without ever leaving the lodge. Impeccable service, elegant public areas and a brilliant location make this one of the best Kruger National Park lodges anywhere.

Hoyo Hoyo Tours

5. Jock Safari Lodge

Jock Safari Lodge This is a high-end southern Kruger lodge with upmarket rooms, safari tents and amenities

Jock Safari Lodge, in the Skukuza region of Kruger National Park, has unusual safari tents made of canvas and bamboo. The combination helps you feel like you’re sleeping under the African stars, and the night sounds of Africa are a constant soundtrack. Other rooms are of the four-walled variety, with thoughtful elegance at the heart of every piece of safari decor.

The lodge also has what could be our favorite Kruger swimming pool, while the two-story public areas offer fine views, and you have a chance to see the Big Five every time you go out for a game drive.

Jock Tours

6. Lukimbi Safari Lodge

Lukimbi Safari Lodge This is lodge decor at its most stylish and comfortable, with excellent all-round facilities

Deep down in the light woodlands of southern Kruger, Lukimbi Safari Lodge has huge suites that seem to have leapt from the pages of a safari-style magazine. With plenty of space, gorgeous arts and crafts, and a color scheme that copies the Kruger landscape, Lukimbi is the kind of place where you’ll want to stay for as long as you can, so you get enough time to enjoy your fabulous room.

The same sense of style carries over into the public areas, and the swimming pool looks out over the landscape – watch for elephants while you swim. There’s also a spa and gym, and both indoor and outdoor dining areas.

Lukimbi Tours

7. Shishangeni Private Lodge

Shishangeni Private Lodge This exclusive lakeside lodge is in a private Kruger concession; safari trails here are never busy

In one of the few private concessions located within Kruger National Park, Shishangeni Private Lodge is swathed in wood, stone and thatch and radiates luxury in every detail. Rooms mix local building materials with a recurring feeling of light and space. The connecting decks, terraces and boardwalks take you past a superb landscape where animals are never far away and where there are rarely many safari vehicles. The swimming pool and restaurant are among the best in the national park, and the lakeside location makes you feel like you’ve been transported to Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

Shishangeni Tours

8. Naledi Game Lodge

Naledi Game Lodge This is the ideal Kruger destination: terrific suites and high-end meals in a first-class location

In a private reserve surrounded by Kruger National Park, Naledi Game Lodge has a quiet northern location and is easily among the best Kruger National Park lodges. The lodge’s four hardwood-floored suites have a quiet elegance paired with soothing earth tones and understated decor: every detail is perfectly chosen. Beyond the rooms, this is a fine-dining destination, and the location is like having a front-row seat for one wildlife spectacle after another. In fact, there are so many wildlife possibilities surrounding the lodge that it can be difficult to tear yourself away from it to explore the quiet trail beyond.

9. Kruger Untamed Satara Plains Camp

Kruger Untamed Satara Plains Camp is a May-to-September camp located in outstanding wildlife lands

Out in Kruger’s rarely visited northeast, Kruger Untamed Satara Plains Camp feels like your very own corner of wild Africa. Surrounded by trees and grasslands, occupying a small patch of land on the territory of lion prides and elephant herds, this place is wonderfully rustic. It lives here from May to September and has the authentic feel of a mobile camp, but spares no effort when it comes to making you feel comfortable.

An excellent team looks after you here, seeing the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) is always possible, and the canvas safari and dining tents are better than you’ll find in many more permanently sited camps.

Satara Plains Camp Tours

10. Kruger Untamed Tshokwane River Camp

Kruger Untamed Tshokwane River Camp This mobile camp is a winter Kruger special, with great tents and luxurious attention to detail

This winter mobile camp only opens from May to September and the staff here really know how to make you comfortable during those five months. The whole place, including all of the 15 tents, looks out over a seasonal river, the Ripape, and mixes the classic transience of a canvas safari tent with the trappings of a luxury hotel: fluffy pillows, high-end bedding, upmarket meals and an overflowing, high-quality drinks cabinet. The experience is modelled on how safaris used to be run, and you’ll quickly fall in love with what they’re trying to do here. You’ll certainly wish you stayed here longer than planned.

The location, in Kruger’s rarely visited east, also sets you up for a safari that includes the best that Kruger can offer.

Tshokwane River Camp Tours