A friend of mine suggested to extend our business trip to Pretoria with a couple of days of private safari in Sabi Sand. "And take your wife with you!", he said. Boy, that are words that change our way of spending vacations in the future.
We were picked up with an airconditioned small van from the airport of Hoedspruit. The drive into Sabi Sand in itself is already very nice. We arrived on Saturday, so people in the villages were out on the streets and visiting markets. Lovely to see. The roads quickly became more dusty and in the end, we just drove right to the border of the Kruger national park, where Nkorho is located.
We were warmly welcomed and the daily routine of game drives, meals and bush walk were explained. Our room was lovely and roomy, with a beautiful bathroom and outdoor shower. The outdoor shower is very nice when it is 35ºC outside. There are no mosquito nets around the bed, but the doors and windows are all protected. We had no problems with mosquitos.
The central area has a lovely view over a small plain with a waterhole. This ensures lots of wildlife being in view while relaxing between drives, walks and meals. Service is very good indeed, since the rangers not only take care of you out in the bush, but also while you are in the lodge.
Food is good, certainly considering the environment that you are in. Breakfast and lunch are really special, with lots of choice with the buffet and cooked breakfast to order. Dinner is in a boma, so you really feel outside in the bush, hearing all the sounds of nature.

The safaris are primarily aimed at viewing the big 5. And you see them up close, really close. But the tracker and ranger do not just focus on that. Birds, plants, trees, everything will be explained to you, certainly when you ask for it.

All in all a very, very nice place to stay. When we drove back to Hoedspruit airport, it was the first time while being on a trip that I actually did not want to go home at all. And that sums our trip all up, I'd say.

We spent five days and nights at Nkorho Bush Lodge and got to see the BIG 5 up close! Lodge is very comfortable and is well maintained. All meals were good but breakfast was the best! The staff is friendly and courteous. Our driver and tracker (Norman) were great and took us into the bush to see the animals up close. If you are wanting a real safari experience that is affordable, I suggest that you stay here. Eventhough the rate is less, the lodge doesn't comprimise on service and delivers a great safari experience!

We have quite a lot of experience with games drives in SA and sadly to say we did not enjoy the game drives at Nkorho, although we got to see the big five. Our guide hardly communicated with us, drove very quickly without connecting with his passengers, because he wanted us "to see this sighting of a leopard as a surprise". After some reasonable feedback to him, he lashed out that he didn't mind stopping for every bok...". Later he apologized and slowed down a bit. Because you stick with the same guide for all your game drives, we were not that lucky. We got the impression two guides are competing who gets to see the "best animals" instead of tuning in with their guests needs. We also experienced the uncomfortable and unnecessary chasing of animals during two of our four gamedrives. Also take food with you, because before the morning game drive (3 hours!) you are offered the "service" of a simple coffee machine and half way the drive you get a rusk...Especially with children this is not very comfortable. The lodge is stunningly situated, that is for sure.