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Karongwe is a small fenced private game reserve located to the west of the Kruger National Park and Greater Kruger. Within its 9,000 hectares are a handful of high-quality camps and lodges, which can often be better value than those situated within the private reserves of Greater Kruger. The Big Five are all present, as well as cheetah, together with more than 350 species of birds. As Karongwe is fenced, it means the habitat is more managed, which can be good for finding animals. Wildlife viewing is good year-round, as the animals are not free to migrate.
Although Karongwe is pricier than the self-catering rest camps set within the Kruger National Park, its all-inclusive lodges are slightly more affordable than most comparably upmarket properties in the private reserves of Greater Kruger. It is a good choice if this is your very first safari and you want to tick off the Big Five. More experienced safari-goers may find the nature of the smaller, fenced reserve a little more
My favourite Karongwe experience is spending time in their underground photographic hide, situated at a waterhole. It is just magical to sit there quietly for a couple of hours, never knowing what will enter stage right or stage left. Even if it’s just birds and small animals, it is so special watching them at eye-level (and I don’t even have a camera). I saw monkeys, impala, warthogs and eland … of course it was the day after my visit that the lions turned up! The photographic hide is most productive during the Dry season (approx. June to October), and needs to be booked through your Karongwe lodge.
Although Karongwe is pricier than the self-catering rest camps set within the Kruger National Park, its all-inclusive lodges are slightly more affordable than most comparably upmarket properties in the private reserves of Greater Kruger. It is a good choice if this is your very first safari and you want to tick off the Big Five. More experienced safari-goers may find the nature of the smaller, fenced reserve a little more
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limiting.My favourite Karongwe experience is spending time in their underground photographic hide, situated at a waterhole. It is just magical to sit there quietly for a couple of hours, never knowing what will enter stage right or stage left. Even if it’s just birds and small animals, it is so special watching them at eye-level (and I don’t even have a camera). I saw monkeys, impala, warthogs and eland … of course it was the day after my visit that the lions turned up! The photographic hide is most productive during the Dry season (approx. June to October), and needs to be booked through your Karongwe lodge.
