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Notten's Bush Camp

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Traveller (1180)
Room & Suite (179)
Dining (85)
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About

#17 of 37 lodges in Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Travellers' Choice
Notten’s Bush Camp is a jewel within the heart of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in Mpumalanga, which means “the land of the rising sun” in the locally spoken language, Shangaan. Notten’s is an exclusive and private safari lodge personally run by the Notten family. This beautiful, intimate safari lodge is situated within one of South Africa’s finest natural sanctuaries the Sabi Sand Reserve and Greater Kruger National Park. It is a destination that will truly touch your heart and soul.Each private suite is elegantly styled, spacious and cooled by ceiling fans. A magical atmosphere is created with the purposeful absence of electric lighting; the ambient candlelight and lanterns capturing an enchanting spirit of romance. With splendid panoramic views, this private game lodge is the perfect place for peace and relaxation while watching animals meander past.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Pool
Free breakfast
Airport transportation
Spa
Gift shop
Mosquito net
Internet
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Special diet menus
Massage
Outdoor fireplace
Outdoor furniture
Shared lounge / TV area
Sun terrace
Private check-in / check-out
Laundry service
Ironing service
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Room features
Private balcony
Safe
Seating area
Wake-up service / alarm clock
Complimentary toiletries
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
4.0 of 5 stars
HOTEL STYLE
Great View
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Afrikaans

Location

622 Hazyview, Kruger National Park 1242 South Africa
Notten's Bush Camp
Getting there
Arathusa Safari Lodge Airport
17.2 km
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Skukuza Airport
843Reviews28Q+A100Room tips
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Southmansion wrote a review 11 Mar
Saint Louis, Missouri185 contributions147 helpful votes
Bottom line up front...book this lodge! Wow...what an incredible stay at Notten's! The customer service/experience is absolutely top notch. The rooms are beautiful and spacious. The meals are delectable. The drivers/trackers are knowledgeable and fun. Pool is gorgeous. Animals are plentiful. Everything you'd want in a bush camp experience...and then little touches from the staff around every corner to make it even more special. Highly recommend!!
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Date of stay: March 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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shuang wrote a review Jan 2024
24 contributions4 helpful votes
+1
If you are looking for a fantastic safari experience, but also wish to still enjoy modern-society comforts, Notten’s is definitely the go-to place! Safari experience is fantastic. They managed to show me the big 5 in a very short period of time. Ranger and field guide are extremely experienced. The car is also in perfect condition. It is cozy and comfortable. As Notten’s is located at the private reserve, you’ll be able to go off-road and spot animals more efficiently. Comparing to on-road at Kruger, private reserve is definitely way better! If I am going to do it again, private reserve would be the only choice to make. Stuff also treated me with their hospitality and kindness. I travel extensively (50 countries so far) but the way they demonstrate their hospitality is rare to find. They treat you like an old friend and you feel that they care about you and really want you to feel comfortable at this place. You can also feel that they are proud of what they can offer. The hotel facilities are great. Beds are super comfortable. Room is clean. Meals are well prepared. They fed me generously. After a long day in the field, sometimes you just wanna get back home and take a hot bath. What a surprise to find that they already put hot water in the bathtub! Very considerate and sweet. Last but not least, impact traveling - if you want to make a good impact on this planet while you travel, choose this place. I get to know it is one of the very few family run hotel within Sabie area. You could get the sense that the owner treat all the employees very nicely and they are willing to give the best of themselves to treat you as a guest. It feels good to support business that run like this. I have no hesitation to recommend all my friends to stay at this place. If you are looking for a place to do your safari, choose Notten’s.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip: Remember to book in advance as it might get packed. I booked mine 3 months in advance for new...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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rob g wrote a review Jan 2024
2 contributions
+1
What an outstanding lodge. We couldn’t imagine any higher level of personnal service than we received at Nottens. All the staff treated us like family. The accommodation and other facilities were excellent and the food outstanding. The rangers were incredibly knowledgable and the extra touches like sundowner drinks on the game drive made them even more memorable. Couldn’t recommend any more highly and can’t wait to return.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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labellavitachartering.com wrote a review Nov 2023
Wilmington, North Carolina1 contribution1 helpful vote
This was so much more than I expected. I was already excited to see the animals but the people at this camp were so wonderful I cried leaving. (I do not cry often!) The drivers, wait staff, room service were all spectacular. They treat you like family and will do whatever it takes to make EVERYONE happy. We saw every animal we could think of, what an experience! Now the food....OMG, 5 star! We had the most romantic night in our luxury villa. Rose peddles, champagne, dinner on the terrace, WOW. The only thing I wish I did different, was to stay longer. I will be back.
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Date of stay: September 2023
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Please don't forget to tip well. They truly work non stop and always have a smile.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
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Doug M wrote a review Oct 2023
Ottawa, Canada29 contributions2 helpful votes
We relied on a local travel agency to pick the sarari camp, and they suggested Notten's. We had some trouble getting there because of a flooded bridge, and missed the beginning of the afternoon drive. But they told us to have our lunch and then catch up to the truck later. That worked well, and we were able to enjoy a full lunch, and be comfortable for the game watching. That drive we saw four of the Big 5! We only missed out on lions, due to the long grass. We returned to the lodge for a wonderful supper with our truck mates, and a comfortable bed. Early start after after coffee the next morning, and another wonderful drive, with our driver Jeff. We spent two nights at Notten's and never did see lions. But as we were transferring to the airport ( and avoiding flooded roads), our truck mates forwarded photos of the lions they saw just after our car left! Moral of the story: stay 3 nights or more!
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Date of stay: February 2023
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Plan for 3 nights, because the morning drive after the 2nd night is missed if you're heading for...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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westonc wrote a review Sept 2023
Gonubie, South Africa904 contributions95 helpful votes
+1
In celebration of our 30th wedding anniversary, my wife and I decided once again to go on safari in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, and this time to stay at Notten’s Bush Camp. Our suite with a comfortable king size bed was extremely spacious and clean, with a relaxing lounge area, en-suite bathroom with an indoor and outdoor shower. Our suite had its own large private wooden deck with beautiful views of the bush. Notten’s has appealing facilities, including a lounge, library, bar, and a lovely rustic open plan dining/deck area, also with spectacular views of the bush. Both my wife and I had full body massages at the Spa, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Although the only pool was the secluded private spa pool, a large pool with a large undercover area was being built and was almost complete. Jan the “manager” and chef was brilliant, ensuring that everything was handled perfectly, going out of her way to ensure a memorable stay. The staff were also very attentive, efficient, and friendly, to ensure that we were well looked after at all times. The food was superb, and our specific dietary needs were well catered for. A special mention must be made of the tomato and carrot soup, the chicken salad, the beef fillet with pepper sauce, and the pear with red wine, all of which were absolutely divine. A real treat and surprise was that for our anniversary, Jan arranged a scrumptious lemon cake which was presented to us at lunch by the staff who also sang for us. A special turndown with bubble bath, candles and champagne was also arranged. The tasty braai/barbeque that was arranged for one of our evening meals, in the open-air boma with a roaring fire in the centre, with lanterns and candlelight adding to the ambiance, was also a great experience. Our ranger Thomas was extremely professional, knowledgeable, and entertaining. During our stay we shared our game vehicle with a couple from America and another couple from the United Kingdom, who were excellent company, and we had lots of fun and shared many laughs. The refreshments and drinks provided on the game drives were enjoyable. We had fantastic sightings and saw plenty game, including leopard, lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, cheetah, wild dog, hyena, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, baboon, monkey, warthog, dwarf and white-tailed mongoose, squirrel, crocodile, chameleon, and vulture. We also saw lots of antelope, including, kudu, nyala, waterbuck, impala, bushbuck, and steenbok. Besides being fortunate to observe the “big five” on our game drives, we were lucky to experience a cheetah kill involving an impala. We also went on a walking safari which was fascinating, whereby we learnt more about the flora and fauna of the area. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and had an incredible safari at Notten’s and definitely hope to be back again.
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Date of stay: October 2022
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Paul N wrote a review Sept 2023
4 contributions3 helpful votes
My wife and I have been together for 38 years and it has been both our lifetime ambitions to visit Africa and go on a safari. So in December 2022, we arranged through a UK based luxury travel company a 2 week trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe. The trip included a 4 night stay at Notten's bush camp in the Sabi Sand game reserve between Saturday 16th September and Wednesday 20th September 2023. I am struggling to find the right superlatives to describe our stay and experiences at this absolutely amazing venue located right in the middle of the African bush. We arrived just after lunch on our first day but we were still provided with a really delicious and plentiful meal which we ate whilst looking over an unbelievable vista where we could see a variety of wildlife including elephants, warthogs, baboons and wildebeests wandering past to a local watering hole. There was just time after our meal to get changed in our beautiful suite with a view over the African bush into our 'safari gear' before heading off on our first of seven game drives. Open top land cruisers provide the transport which are expertly driven by local guides. Our guide for all our game drives was simply a magician and had an uncanny ability to find wildlife almost at will. Within 10 minutes of our first drive he stopped along side one of the literally thousands of small bushes where two magnificent male Lions were enjoying their long afternoon nap! As Lions are one of my obsessions, if we had not seen any other wildlife throughout the whole of the visit I would still have been overjoyed at getting so close to these two boys! However little did I know that this experience was just the aperitif. On this very first game drive and when the bush was enveloped in complete darkness, our magician of a guide not only spotted a chameleon on a bush but then picked out a female leopard crouching behind some bushes eyeing up a herd of impala for her early evening dinner! The leopard was also only 50m from Nottens! Throughout the next 6 game drives we went into sensory overdrive as we had encounters with a one eyed tough old Lion and his pride of four gorgeous lionesses, a group of 4 and another group of 6 white rhinos, a pack of African painted wolves, a beautiful young female leopard, an amazing family of giraffes, a huge herd of feeding elephants of all ages, two adolescent bull elephants one of which nearly sat on my lap in the jeep, a herd of over 200 buffalo, one absolutely magnificent and huge 50 year old bull elephant, a hippo family, a bull rhino taking a mud bath, countless types of antelopes, herds of wildebeests and zebras, a python high in a tree (thankfully), numerous species of birds including several eagles and vultures and to cap it all a mother rhino taking her one month old baby to a watering hole! We encountered the painted wolves on two other occasions. On the second occasion we witnessed a hunt of a duiker and arrived and at the kill site just as the pack were arguing over the spoils. The morning game drives started at 6:15am so it meant an early get up time of 5:30am but it was well worth it! On returning after the 3 hour drive we were treated to an enormous African bush breakfast before retiring to our suite to catch up on some sleep. Lunch is served at 2pm and the afternoon drive commences at 3:30pm. There is also an option of a morning bush walk after breakfast but neither I or my wife had the energy reserves to go on one. A superbly cooked dinner is served around 7:30pm in the candlelit and atmospheric dining area where the days drives experiences can be shared with the other guests. The whole ambience around Notten's is one of complete relaxation where the staff really make it their mission to ensure your stay is as enjoyable as possible. My wife certainly appreciated arriving back at our suite after the afternoon drive to find a hot bath waiting for her. This once in a lifetime trip into the African bush has actually not become once in a lifetime as my wife and I are already planning to return Notten's in 2024!
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Date of stay: September 2023
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: Just immerse yourself in the whole experience
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Odyssey65370547961 wrote a review Sept 2023
1 contribution1 helpful vote
It’s hard to do Notten’s justice in words. We stayed for for 4 nights and wished we could have stayed longer. What a fantastic lodge! We have been lucky enough to stay in a few private reserves in Southern Africa and Notten’s is by far one of the best. The staff are all so friendly and it’s clear it’s a family orientated business with some staff having been there for 30+ years. The rooms are very spacious with excellent facilities and views. The communal area had stunning views of wildlife. The food was excellent with a great variety serviced across breakfast to dinner. The team catered for dietary requirements very well. Our guide Thulani was exceptional and very knowledgable. Not only did we learn a lot about the animals and the bush, but we had a lot of fun doing it. All the staff, guides and trackers were amazing. Outside of driving we had the option of relaxing by the pool in the afternoons, having spa treatments or experiencing the bush on foot with Tiniyko and Ben - highly recommend! We cannot recommend this place enough. Thank you for making our honeymoon so special! Serk & Zoë
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Date of stay: September 2023
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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roeboy wrote a review Aug 2023
Glasgow, United Kingdom394 contributions150 helpful votes
+1
My wife and I enjoyed a memorable 4 night stay at Notten's in June this year and found it the perfect safari experience to end our 3 week trip on a real high. Having stayed at 3 lodges prior to arriving at Notten’s, we had been fortunate to have a wonderful time at each. However, Notten's somewhat unsurprisingly and yet all so subtly, offered an elevated experience throughout. Without going into great detail and spoiling the surprises in store for prospective guests reading this, suffice to say, guests want for nothing and are privy to personalised, slick service throughout but one which manages to exude and retain an air of genuine air of warmth throughout. The game drives were spectacular at times with Leopard sightings particularly prominent. However and without downplaying this aspect, there was a degree of expectation around the sightings being fruitful given Notten’s location, the area of its sole traverse and the fact it also shares a large portion of Sabi Sabi's traverse. What I will say is that the game viewing certainly lived up to our expectations with us spotting 6 of the magnificent 7 over 8 drives with only the enigmatic Wild Dogs eluding us despite best efforts made. Two separate cheetah sightings, the first of our trip were the undoubted highlight for us. What we did not expect or fully appreciate until we experienced it in person was the ambience of the camp yes during the day but by goodness especially in the evenings when the camp is quite incredibly lit throughout by cleverly placed and positioned candles and paraffin lanterns. I genuinely cannot imagine a more magical, romantic out of Africa setting is I tried and it was this, along with the warmth and excellence of its staff that will stay long in the memory of how I will recall our first ever Notten's experience. Having experienced a safari at Notten’s, I can easily now understand why they receive such a high rate of return guests for all facets and walks of life. Once you have experienced Notten’s of an evening, it is difficult to not crave a repeat of the wonderful ambience it creates for guests to experience. Add in the unpretentious nature of the camp itself, its staff, the facilities, accommodation and game viewing then you have what is for me, the perfect mix. For our relatively modest safari budget, Notten’s is priced higher than we would normally be comfortable stretching to as part of our 3 week trips to the bush. However, as annual safari pilgrimage seekers, there is no doubt we will soon once again blow the budget and return to Notten’s for a second stay. It is simply too good to miss out.
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Date of stay: June 2023
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Jacqueline wrote a review Aug 2023
Chicago, Illinois12 contributions2 helpful votes
This felt like a home away from home in the best way possible! The Nottens family is incredibly warm and welcoming and the whole camp has a classic safari aesthetic (love the oil lamps and candles at night) but enough modern luxury for those of us who still might want WiFi. Plus a great spa if you need a massage after a long flight/day in the bush! Our guide Thomas had been with Nottens for 39 years (as of this review) and it clearly showed - he was incredibly knowledgeable and informative, and we saw all of the big 5 including a once-in-a-lifetime evening with leopardess Golonyi. Thank you to the team at Nottens!
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: The nyalas and other animal friends may walk right into camp to "meet" you!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Not the right property for you?
There are more places to choose from in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
notten`s bush camp hotel sabi sand game reserve
LOCATION
South AfricaKruger National ParkSabi Sand Game Reserve
NUMBER OF ROOMS
8
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NOTTEN'S BUSH CAMP - Lodge Reviews & Price Comparison (Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa) - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Notten's Bush Camp
What are some of the property amenities at Notten's Bush Camp?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free breakfast, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
What food & drink options are available at Notten's Bush Camp?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Notten's Bush Camp?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Notten's Bush Camp?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does Notten's Bush Camp have airport transportation?
Yes, Notten's Bush Camp offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Notten's Bush Camp?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English and Afrikaans.