This River cap is one of the best I ever been. The staff is amazingly well trained to work in the wild. The safari trip to Krueger park was fantastic. Highly recommend! We travelled with our daughters and it was very safe and friendly for children.

As part of a two week vacation in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana we stayed at Balule River Camp for a week. It turned out to be a one-of-a-kind experience. The lodge is situated 13 km from the main road (on a very bumpy road) next to the Balule River. The surroundings are beautiful and the wild life is literally in the lodge. Baboons are playing on the ground, crocodiles and hippos lives in the river below the lodge and a group of three elephants passed through the lodge when we were there.

Even though it turned out that we had chosen virtually the worst time you can imagine for a safari in the winter after a year of drought, we saw a lot of wild life. Most of it on the tour to the public park but also a lot of animals in the Balule area. Of the big five we only missed the leopard. Our guides, Jonathan and Edward, were fabulous at spotting the animals at a far distance and get close to them without intimidating them.

The lodge itself is intimate and well maintained. It consists of two bungalows with three rooms in each, a main house with a small pool and fitness room, a small shop and houses for the staff. The standard of the facilities are high, and both power, hot bathing water and wifi were reliable which is not always the case at safari hotels.

The food is a story in itself. We have travelled many places and eaten at many restaurants from family restaurants to Michelin restaurants, but we have very seldom got a consistently culinary experience at the level we got at Balule seven evenings in a row. Sometimes served outside in the Boma, sometimes served by the fireplace in the main room and one evening even served at the top of a hill in the bush in the light from candles and torches.

The staff was kind and spread a happy mood from early morning til late night. Jesper, the manager of the lodge, is a great host. He was very accessible and participated in all meals and facilitated a cozy atmosphere and good conversation and also managed to include our sons (13 and 20 years) in the dialogue. When we had special requests Jesper was very flexible and fast to react.

We can definitely recommend Balule River Camp.

NB: One thing we realised was that it is possible to book a stay directly at Balule bypassing the travel agencies. Then you can arrange travel and other activities yourself. The contact information is reservations@balulerivercamp.com or +27 83 677 6889.

NB: It is sometimes difficult to predict the additional costs when you plan your travel. Our experience was that if you have chosen a standard package with travel and accommodation you can add around 5% for drinks, tips, laundry etc. Extra tours are not included in that figure.

NB: It is very cold in the winter in the mornings so bring your winter clothes, if you travel when it is winter in South Africa.