There are simply no words to describe the Kapama experience. Setting - picture perfect. Rooms - exquisite. Food - great swlection, with brilliant ambience. Hospitality - pleasurable. Game drives - some of the best rangers you will ever get and the closest experiece one will ever have with African game. From the amarula on camp to pointing a black mamaba from 3 metres away - this was the most complete experience I could ever ask for. Strongly recommend 2-3 nights here.

The last stop on our South Africa Honeymoon could not have been better than a stay at Kapama Karula! It is a smaller and more intimate property with as much luxury and service a vacationer would want. More impressive is the smaller footprint Karula offers leaves the guests feeling they are much farther in the bush than you really are! The staff warmly greets each guest and sends them off in the same intimate style. Wait and bar staff are very friendly and work long hours to ensure each guest has a fantastic experience.

We flew into Eastgate Airport (HDS) from Cape Town (CPT) via Johannesburg (a non-stop is seasonally offered CPT-HDS but does not operate daily--this is highly recommended if you do not have travel plans that involve time in Gauteng Province). The Kapama Private Reserve is located directly south of the airport property and would leave most people wondering how private or intrusive having such proximity to the airport would make this experience? It was a non-factor in seeing the big 5 plus more in native environments while never hearing any aircraft in operation and it couldn't have made the journey to Kapama any easier. Save on vehicle rentals and fly in/out of Eastgate...you won't need a vehicle while at Karula.

Game drives were twice daily and our guides Moses and Petro were absolute pros. Kapama offers open top vehicles and get quite close to many species without interfering in their native habitat. This allows for easy photo opportunities without complications. This also isn't some gimmicky park where nature is over-engineered for marketing. We really required knowledgeable trackers to find the larger predators and would even go off-road to find them (sounds more dangerous than it actually is...far more exciting too). Game drives were also when housekeeping would provide excellent service without interruption to your experiences.

Meal times were positioned around game drives so you never had to choose one or the other which is very helpful. Food was always well presented and with care. You could tell the emphasis on upscale service was a point of pride for the property. A range of international guests would feel very comfortable with the level or service and care as well as dietary considerations.

Rooms were recently renovated from damaging floods so everything had a new feel. With that, we were patient with an ant intrusion that manifested over the 4 days but the staff assisted us as best they could. We were never immersed with an insect problem but if stray ants or spiders would affect you adversely, stay in the cities because no building in the bush is 100% safe. Fully stocked amenities and open floor plan makes for a pleasant accommodation while the
territorial views from the outside deck (or from inside through the floor to ceiling sliding doors/windows) offer random glimpses of game traveling in native fashion. Security is provided to the property through high walls and electric fencing so there should be no fear or predators on property. Smaller creatures, like velvet monkeys, are able to cross through the property without danger to themselves or guests making the area feel less sterile and more wild.

I would agree that visiting different reserves would offer visitors more diversity in landscape and game density (we never saw the big 5 during any same days drives but did see each at separate times) and 3 nights on property certainly was enough time, Karula is worthy of long-range planning to make bookings for this property as part of your game reserve experiences.

We visited 5 properties during this South Africa vacation and were truly impressed with the level of service and quality of experiences. Although this was ranked #2 of 5 for our trip (behind Ellerman House and above Grande Roche, The Marine Hermanus and Hilton Cape Town) the memories from here will resonate our lifetime. We would stay at this property again and would go out of our way to do so.

We had a wonderful experience! Everyone really rolled out the red carpet for us to make it one of the best experiences ever. Our guides Decklin and Herbert always went out of their way for us and would let us start game drives a little earlier and later than normal. Both of them helped to make this a great trip with both their knowledge and genuinely caring about showing us as much as possible.

The food was always excellent and the rooms were perfect. The facilities are the equivalent to a five star hotel. Everyone at Karula was so nice to us. I don’t think it could have been possible to have a better safari experience than the one that we had!

My wife and I spent three spectacular nights at Kapama Karula in mid-October '12. We also spent a night in Sabi Sands at Savanna Private Game Reserve. We loved both - I would recommend experiencing two different reserves to get a feel for the subtle difference in landscape and game density.

Our knowledgeable and personable Ranger, Andreas, and Tracker, Petro, were fantastic. We saw more animals than we ever expected to see (e.g., lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, buffalo, zebra, etc.). The vehicle was always positioned to allow guests to have a great view and was turned off as needed to reduce vehicle shake when taking pictures. Andreas knows the territory and the animals exceptionally well and was great about providing some education and background info along the way. One of the great things about staying at a private game reserve is that you're able to go off-roading, which allows you to get much closer to the animals and to have excellent, minimally obstructed vantage points - as an avid photographer, this was a major plus. We never felt like we were in a touristy environment - we rarely saw another vehicle on our game drives (Kapama is about 13,000 hectares large).

The game vehicles were outfitted with camera support pads (clamp mounts), which was great for balancing my telephoto lenses (70-200mm / 100-400mm on a 5DMII and 7D; more than enough reach given proximity to animals). The Karula team was also kind enough to fill my bean bag (SkimmerSack) with rice upon arrival (it's too heavy to travel with when it's full). It rained one evening and was partly cloudy / cloudy all other days (about 60-70 degrees most days and great light for photography). Rain ponchos and blankets are provided.

We stayed in a Suite and loved it. The room was well-appointed and included a rain shower, A/C, fan, fireplace, spacious patio area, his and her arrangements, couch, and a few stunning coffee table books - I wouldn't change anything about it. The meals and wine / beverage selection were terrific. I felt there was something for everyone. The dining team was aware of our preferences and went above and beyond to accommodate special requests.

As someone who appreciates top notch service and attention to detail, I was impressed with Karula - all aspects of our experience were looked after from start to finish. This is a highly professional team that is committed to providing a first rate experience. It's abundantly clear that they care deeply about customer service and the environment in which they operate. I would highly recommend Karula and hope that many of you will have an opportunity to experience this special game reserve.