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Skukuza Restcamp - Kruger National Park: Traveler Reviews

2.0 of 5
Kruger National Park, Nelspruit, 1350, Kruger National Park, South Africa
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Skukuza Restcamp - Kruger National Park
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241 reviews from our community

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Traveler rating
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Sydney, Australia
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
5 hotel reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
“up close and personal”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed February 16, 2013

Driving on South African roads is scary - lane hopping, kamizake drivers who travel at 140-160kms and all of their cars apparently have broken indicators - or are rarely used! The trip from Pretioria to Kruger, about 4-5 hours drive, was therefore unsettling. As the car approached the causeway to the Paul Kruger entrance gate - southern park, there were hippos in a pool 20 metres away and a lone elephant wading in the shallows of the river a hundred metres away. Welcome to Kruger National Park.
Another 45 minutes and I arrived at Skukuza. It's the largest of the rest camps with large facilities - reception, post office and further in to the 'camp' - shops, restaurants and a take away food outlet.
The accommodation is varied from large houses for large parties of guests, to (predominantly) huts and campsites. The thatched roofed, circular huts vary in size and the ones on the Sabie river have views of the river where you can hear the hippos making lots of noise. The beds are comfortable and the bathroom (although sized for very tall, very big people) is fine. Air conditioning, cable TV, fans, bedside lights, a safe and screens make the interior confortable. The terraced, tiled, outdoor kitchen and bbq is adequate and the fridge is caged to prevent baboon raids!
I was initially put off by the prospect of sharing the camp with up to a thousand others, plus the bus loads of visitors however the layout of the camp meant that it was never very crowded.
The real value of staying in the park (apart from not having to pay the exharbitant fees of adjacent private reserves) is that the drives and walks start hours before the park gates open and you get first viewing of the game at dawn. The thought of a 4am start was daunting but after the sun came up (an hour later) we saw - up close- a pride of lions, giraffes, baboons, differnet types of birdlife, many impala and even some kudu.
On another occaision, a drive alongside the Sabie river to Lower Sabie camp brought me close to herds of elephants. Amazing personal experience. I think one of them recognised me - it winked!
Another plus for using the national parks and staying there is that the whole enterprise was, unlike most tourist venture experienced in the 'new' South Africa, not only staffed by black South Africans but the management appeared to be in their hands too and the service was friendly and professional.
I wish I was able to explore more of the 300kms of park but with limited time (3 days) I think I did well to have chosen the southern park and Skukuza.

Room Tip: Post your mail in a town or city. My cards took a long time to arrive overseas.
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  • Stayed November 2012, traveled solo
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask mlt00 about Skukuza Restcamp - Kruger National Park
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Pune
Senior Contributor
31 reviews 31 reviews
9 hotel reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
“resourceful”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed February 11, 2013

you can get all your camping supplies here, no need to carry anything. best to pick up ingredients here and cook your own food as the take away and restaurant food is awful. the riverside is lovely - we saw a happy hippo snorting and floating away!

  • Stayed February 2013, traveled with friends
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Ananya_Roy about Skukuza Restcamp - Kruger National Park
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Durban, South Africa
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
6 hotel reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Real Value”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 21, 2013

We spend one night here 22 December 2012. We camped. The site was clean and the facilities good. I checked out the chalets for next time. A reAL BARGAIN. The ffod on sight is no good so buy out of the park before you arrieve

Room Tip: Check out the Pool
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  • Stayed December 2012, traveled with family
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Rod D about Skukuza Restcamp - Kruger National Park
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Abuja, Nigeria
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
12 hotel reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
“Good if you know what to expect”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed January 17, 2013

For sure if luxury is what you look for during a safari, this is not the place. Very basic but comfortable and clean bungalow, the main shop offers you all what you may need form food and drinks to clothes and gadgets, also with some souvenirs. Was not so busy, but have to say that we decided to spend there New Year, so many people left on 30th December. Restaurant is acceptable, not too much variety but food was tasty and staff helpful.

  • Stayed December 2012, traveled with family
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask AbelardoC about Skukuza Restcamp - Kruger National Park
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
London, United Kingdom
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
3 hotel reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Oh dear!”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed January 16, 2013

This was my first trip to the Krugar, stayed two nights at Skukuza (2 at Pretoriaskop and 3 at Ollifants) but I was with people who have been 12 times in the last 15 years and they report how things have changed.

Skukuza is the main flagship camp but it is being let go to rack and ruin. It wasn't possible to complain about the service because there wasn't any!!! The cafe is dirty with tables not cleared so they attract wasps in the extreme heat, the staff on the till where you order your food are sullen and unhelpful, too busy shouting at friends and colleagues to listen to an order. As a result we waited for toasted sandwiches for over half an hour and then only 2 out of 3 arrived. Finally had to chase the third and had we not refused to move until they cooked the bloody thing we would still be there now - there were three people complaining in the queue in front of us and one poor man had had to abandon his order as he was booked onto a trip and he had to go without every seeing his sandwich. Everywhere things are falling to pieces, if it isn't lights out, it's no locks on loo doors. The shop is badly organised even if it is large and is badly laid out and untidy and is put to shame by the shop at Ollifants and others.

The huts are clean and yes, they are very old fashioned but they are serviced perfectly well and our AC worked, shower very good and the only thing wrong was no light bulb in the sitting area. As long as you aren't planning to sit in the hut all day it is quite adequate. However, that is not the case in the restaurant. The menu is exactly the same in every camp for both lunch and supper and consits of burgers, toasted sandwiches, wraps a couple of salads and that's about it and in Skukuza the cooking of even that is dreadful. The thing to do is to bring your own food and cook yourself. The other disappointment is the Railway Station restaurant which used to produce really lovely food I am told, we had one meal there and that was one too many. I had pizza which was so loaded with cheese is was completely ruined (and I love cheese), I could only eat half, the other dishes were spare ribs which were very aveage indeed and a burger - little else to choose from. Once again, service not very good but polite, no air conditioning so it was very hot, no music, just a huge telly with the local football, a real waste of a wonderful location all because the management is simply not making the most of such an assett. All this is down to bad management in the last couple of years - the worry has to be if they are allowing the facilities to fall apart will they do the same with the safety aspect and before we know where we are, somebody will be attacked in the camp because an animal has got through the boundary wire!

If you take my advice, avoid Skukuza like the pest!

Room Tip: All the rooms are very basic, the camps were built in the 1930s but ours was clean. When you get yo...
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  • Stayed January 2013, traveled with friends
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 2
Ask bjksurrey58 about Skukuza Restcamp - Kruger National Park
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

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Additional Information about Skukuza Restcamp - Kruger National Park

Also Known As:
Skukuza Restcamp - Kruger National Park Hotel
Skukuza Restcamp - Kruger National Park Hotel Kruger National Park
Skukuza Restcamp Kruger National Park
Address: Kruger National Park, Nelspruit, 1350, Kruger National Park, South Africa
Region: South Africa > Kruger National Park
Amenities:
Free Parking Restaurant
Hotel Style:
#1 Best Value Hotels in Kruger National Park
Price Range: $
Hotel Class:2 star (2*)
Official Description (provided by the hotel):
Skukuza is the Kruger National Park's largest rest camp and administrative headquarters. It is situated on the southern banks of the Sabie River. The myriad of birds and wild game in the area is easily spotted by going on bush walks and game drives. ... more   less 

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