Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Originally a private retreat of the Brink family since 1978, Chitwa Chitwa was transformed by Charl into an oasis of conservation and harmony. Chitwa Chitwa is an exquisite balance between unbridled luxury and environmental harmony. Each of the 6 individually decorated suites open onto a private lake-view deck with its own private plunge pool. The Charlsy suite is a superb solution for families and friends travelling together! It consists of 2 inter-leading en-suite rooms, joined by a living area. A spacious, common lake view deck with a swimming pool. The 2 bedroom Chitwa house offers guests the exclusive option of a private safari vehicle and butler service. Enjoy delicious meals, either served by us or a private chef who can cook up delights in Chitwa house's fully equipped kitchen. The most thrilling and eagerly anticipated part of any stay with us is undoubtedly the Chitwa Chitwa safari experience with qualified game rangers and trackers.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Modern
Languages Spoken
English, Afrikaans, Dutch
Location
Gowrie Main, Kruger National Park 1200 South Africa
We spent the last four days of our honeymoon at Chitwa Chitwa where we were treated to a number of unforgettable safaris.
Safari: Our Guide (Dylan) and Tracker (Ranson) were fantastic and exceeded our expectations. Both were incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining throughout, teaching us about the animals, environment and keeping us safe. We saw leopards, lions, hyenas, elephants, rhinos, hippos, water buffalo - the entire lot! Such an incredible experience.
Location: Chitwa Chitwa is a private game lodge located within the Sabi Sands game reserve. The hotel is accessible via its own private airstrip or by a 2h car transfer from Hoedspruit Airport. While the drive offered a unique glimpse into life in the nearby villages, much of the roads from Hoedspruit are unpaved and littered with potholes, making the flight transfer a better option.
Property: The lodge is absolutely stunning and is decorated beautifully. But the highlight is the viewing deck outside where you can see countless animals making their way over across the watering hole. We were also treated to a dinner behind the lodge with a campfire and buffet, which was a surprise and a real treat. The lodge offers a spa where we enjoyed two massages by the talented Brenda as well as a small gym room.
Rooms: Each of the (enormous!) rooms are uniquely decorated to a very high standard and have their own private pool with views of the watering hole where you can enjoy your own backyard safari!
Service: The service was excellent across the board and the staff did everything to make our visit memorable and special, including decorating our room with candles and petals for a special romantic evening. A huge thank you to the entire team but especially GM Nico, our waitress Tronic, spa therapist Brenda, barman Nelson and of course Dylan and Ranson.
Areas for improvement: Given the luxury branding of the lodge, we were a bit disappointed with the quality of the food on offer and were expecting more given how expensive it was to stay there. We were also hoping to have a bit more in the way of activities during the safari breaks and were let down by the gym having no air conditioning, rendering it unusable.
Overall an excellent and unforgettable experience - thank you to everyone!
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Date of stay: February 2022
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip:Â The rooms are all different but best to ask for one with an unblocked view of the watering hole.
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.
Response from Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge GM, General Manager at Chitwa Chitwa
Responded 16 Feb 2022
Dear Anastasia, thank you so much for your kind and lovely words. We appreciate it that you took the time to provide feedback and the individual points that you have provided review on will definitely be shared with every member of our team. The feedback that you provide us is what makes it possible for us as a lodge to improve and make it better for your next stay with us. We are very pleased that you had a great time with us as we really wanted you to leave happy and impressed. We would like to let you know that we have recently employed a new head chef that has fine dining experience at corporations commensurate to that of the best in the world. We are certainly going to improve drastically in this regard and offer the great dining quality and experience that we have always done in the past. We are stepping up after Covid and hope to have you back with us and experience the top level of dining that we know how to offer. Our gym is being equipped with air conditioning and we are working with the local village that we support through the Chitwa Trust for the safest way to get our guests visiting them and experiencing the truly unforgettable African Village that it is. We are ever sharpening up and will be at our highest level that we know to operate at. Of this we have no doubts and confidently express our optimism for our future. We really appreciate it that you took the time out to share your valued experience with us. We loved having you and we look forward to having you with us again in the near future. Best regards, Chitwa Chitwa Game Lodge team
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This lodge was excellent, although I had a few problems to start with. There were only two usable plugs in my room so the manager had to set me up with a connection. There were too many steep steps in my room which were dangerous when you woke in the middle of the night and needed to go to the bathroom. The lodge doesn’t have the little touches that many other lodges have offered, such as hand sanitisers when eating on a game drive, or asking what you would like as a sundowner! [I checked before we left the lodge!] Or perhaps a welcome back from staff with a cool towel to refresh after game drives. If anything happens to you during the night there is apparently no number to ring. The pool area is rather stark – they could do with making it more user friendly. Sunbeds, easy chairs etc. It would be good to have notepads in your room and a decent pen too. I do not appreciate being bounced into evenings out and about. It would be good to be warned of dinners away from base so we can take suitable gear/mosie protection when departing on afternoon safaris. Dinners away from the lodge did not attract. I thought we would have had a boma dinner, but no such a luck. I thought the dinner on the airstrip was awful! Hornbills spoilt my room by constantly flying into my window and then pecking at it. They completely ruined my time in my room. Room Service menus for snacks would be great. The minibar only had miniatures of gin, whisky, etc but no wine. Yes, you could ask for it, but it should be in the minibar on arrival. We did have an excellent guide and tracker [Steven and Beth] and we had the most incredible sightings - lions with a buffalo 'kill'; lions and cubs, one tiny cub; two or three leopards, one with two cubs. Chitwa is not easy to get to - we had a long and uncomfortable drive from Nelspruit to get there, and another long drive to Skukuza to fly back to Jo'burg.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Response from Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge GM, General Manager at Chitwa Chitwa
Responded 04 May 2021
Thank you very much for your review, just to let you know we have addressed the points that you have mentioned and we thank you so much for the feedback as it helps us to actively improve for our guests . Please keep safe!
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We Stayed in the Chitwa House for three nights and the whole experience was fabulous ! The loge can accommodate 22 guests and there were plenty of staff that took care of us all in a very friendly and familiar way. Upon arrival we were welcomed with cold towels and from then on the stay was nothing but pure luxury! The lodge is beautiful, blending in with nature and located by a lake with 20 hippos. Service is exceptional, rooms spacious with private pool, food is fantastic and served in different locations, sometimes in the bush (elegant bar, lanterns, barbecue, white linen table cloths). The highlight was of course the safari, our guide Surprise was excellent, both extremely knowledgeable and hilarious - always telling us a lot of about the animals and their behavior with a big smile . He took us to the Big Fives and many more animals, birds, insects and was not satisfied until we were in the middle of an elephant heard or lion pride. He showed us how to eat termites and how to use plans for sunscreen . The stay at Chitwa Chitwa is a memory of a life time! I truly recommend this experience and will be back one day!
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
We stayed at Chitwa Chitwa for the safari experience of our trip and we had an amazing time. The 2 people that made our trip a memorable one were Stevan & Beth!!!!! I literally was gutted to leave them when the time came. Stevan and Beth are extremely knowledgeable and also very passionate about what they do! We learned a lot from them both but we also thoroughly enjoyed their company, jokes, banter and rather fun sun downers! They truly were the highlight of our trip. The lodge itself is beautiful and is located right by a large watering hole, which is great because you can see all kinds of animals coming to drink from this hole. There are tons of hippos so be ready to be serenaded by hippos all day and night. We had the furthest room at the lodge and it was quite thrilling walking to the room in the evenings with an escort ofcourse! The room was spacious and we barely used 3/4's of the room. It had a plunge pool that was quite chilly even in this crazy heat but it was also quite refreshing for a quick dip to cool off in the heat. The staff were all so pleasant and always willing to help. The food was also delicious and the chef always did make me whatever I wanted to eat even if it wasn't on the menu due to my allergies. However, the only negative thing I would have to say that I experienced twice was the fact that I was asked if I had any allergies, prior to arrival and upon arrival and it was noted in the register and also in our booking. When my food arrived at lunch and dinner on the first day there, the peppers I am allergic to were used as garnish in both meals and that to me was probably not intentional but probably just a lack of communication. With that said, I will say the chefs were more than happy to make me whatever I wanted to eat so it didn't really dampen my spirits, however I just wanted to point that out so that maybe this can be avoided in the future. Overall, a fantastic stay at a beautiful lodge with beautiful people! Stevan and Beth we miss you!.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Rooms
Service
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.
This vacation was one of those that we will always remember. The resort itself was fabulous with well appointed rooms that were very spacious and included a deck with a plunge pool overlooking a big water pond. We could see elephants, hippos, wart hogs, etc. coming to the pond to cool off. The service was top notch, the staff always there to help with anything you needed and you would never go hungry.
The highlight of our stay was the Game Drives (safaris). Steven, our guide/driver, and Beth, our tracker, did an amazing job to make sure we saw as many animals up close and personal. And we saw them all-elephants, giraffes, lions, a leopard, wart hogs, African buffalo, impalas, etc., etc.
I would highly recommend Chitwa Chitwa for a fabulous vacation!
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip 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.
Response from Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge GM, General Manager at Chitwa Chitwa
Responded 04 May 2021
Thank you so much for your review, we are very happy to hear that you though the service was great and that you recommend the lodge!
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My wife and I stayed here for 4 nights in early September 2022 for our Honeymoon, and we were extraordinarily sad to leave.
Right from stepping off the bumpy 20 minute bush plane ride, we were made to feel welcome and at ease by our guide for the next few days, Deon. The rooms are incredible, spacious, clean, private, and have an excellent view of the watering hole, where you can spot Hippos, Elephants, Giraffes, Crocs, and various types of antelope.
The food was excellent - no matter where it was (the brai in the bush being a personal favourite) and the staff were all very attentive and looked after us well. Deon, and our spotter, Moses were incredible. Deon, took a lot of photos on his high-powered camera that he shared with us after the trip, while Moses could spot anything (particular highlights were spotting a bush baby hiding in a tree during a pitch black evening drive, and an Ostrich that must have been a good few miles away, and appeared to us as a moving black dot through some fairly powerful binoculars).
The whole experience was unreal, and we left with, genuinely, a very heavy heart even though we still had another two weeks exploring Southern Africa - would highly recommend.
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Date of stay: September 2022
Value
Location
Service
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.
Response from Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge GM, General Manager at Chitwa Chitwa
Responded 23 Nov 2022
Dear Alex, thank you very much for your truly special review of us on Tripadvisor. We loved having you and everybody also spoke of how lovely guests you were. Thank you so much for your feedback on Deon and Moses, they do make a formidable duo in the field. We are very pleased that you enjoyed our bush dining experiences including the food, and we appreciate that you shared this kind feedback. This feedback means the world to us, it truly does. We look forward to having you back with us soon and it was a great pleasure for our team to host you. Warm regards, Your Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge family
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There are not enough accolades to describe my experience at Chitwa Chitwa! I spent 4 nights here with a group of friends and we stayed in the Chitwa House.
Lodging: the grounds are stunning. The main lodge and most rooms overlook a large body of water teaming with hippos and crocs. Every species of animal visits at some time during the day to take a drink of water and they are all on display for you. The common areas are elegantly decorated but yet appropriate to a safari lodge. The Chitwa house is huge with a living/dining space connecting two massive suites. The bathrooms are incredible. The mattresses, linens and furniture remind you that this is luxury.
Food: the breakfast is amazing! I wanted to take home some of the granola. Each of the lunches and dinners was equally delicious. The staff plans several experience driven dinners including a bush BBQ and a boma dinner. Really incredible food. The cocktails and wine are great too!
Experience/Safari: the safari drives were the highlight of this trip! We almost saw the entire big 5 on our first drive. Our amazing guide Surprise and tracker Rolph ensured we had UP CLOSE encounters with all of the animals. They really made our trip. Surprise was so engaging and quite funny. Sabi Sands is teaming with wildlife and you get to see it all. We even got to witness two male lions take down a buffalo.
This was a once in a lifetime trip! You will not regret spending your safari with the team at Chitwa. You may even come home to a leopard on your terrace like we did.
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â Ask for a room that has direct views of the dam/water
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.
Response from Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge GM, General Manager at Chitwa Chitwa
Responded 15 Mar 2022
Dear John, thank you for your review we appreciate it very much. We loved having you and your friends with us and are so pleased that you saw all the animals that you did, even at your private villa! Your comments help us tremendously in growing as a lodge and business as a whole, so we are very grateful that you took the time to share your comments on TripAdvisor. The water in front of the lodge is unique and arguably one the most beautiful bodies of water in the entire Sabi Sand Game Reserve, and we are so pleased that you enjoyed it. We have shared your kind feedback with the respective members of our team and they will be very grateful to see you again. All the very best to you and your friends and family, and we hope to see you soon. Warmest regards, Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge manager and team
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We spent five days at Chitwa Chitwa. We went out in an open jeep at 5.00 in the morning and 5.00 in the afternoon each day and saw a huge number of animals, including the Big 5. Best for me was following two leopards, one with cubs, and one with her teenage offspring. Food at Chitwa was excellent (and abundant!) Accommodation was fab and the staff were smiley and efficient. Considering this place is purely for safari, we had dinner in a different location each night, we stopped for sundowners in the bush each evening, and our ranger took us out on a walking safari one day where we tracked lion and elephant. Wonderful.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip 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.
Response from Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge GM, General Manager at Chitwa Chitwa
Responded 04 May 2021
Thank you very much for your review Nanelle, it is so nice to hear that you saw the leopards with the cub in company!
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An exceptional stay for an exceptional birthday milestone. I used a travel agency to book my stay at Chitwa Chitwa and so I really did not have any first hand knowledge of who or what I might be experiencing in terms of guest service. Well, from the moment I arrived, someone opened my door and that kind of caring service continued throughout my stay. First time in South Africa and first time on safari, so this was a very different experience for me. I appreciated the attention to detail of my massively expansive room. It was luxurious, feminine, and beautiful with lovely touches of animal print. I had an even larger outdoor patio with a plunge poll where I would just sit and watch the animals. Admittedly, the food was not my favorite. It was good, but basic and as a foodie who loves luxury travel, I'd expected a food spread that matched the decor and service. The bar and spa staff were so kind to me and the game driver (I forget his name) would even come to my room to walk me back to the main building/lobby. Everyone was so thoughtful. The twice daily game drives were great. Because of the remote location and poor internet (which was fine and expected by the way), I wish that there were more activities like yoga, craft cocktail making, a cooking class, something local, a visit to a local school, or something to help add a little more color to the day. All and all, would definitely return and this time with family!
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Date of stay: December 2021
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â I stayed in the last hut, and the hippos slept under it most nights. It was loud, but what a cool...
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.
Response from Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge GM, General Manager at Chitwa Chitwa
Responded 23 Nov 2022
Dear The Travel Life thank you very much for taking the time to review us on Tripadvisor. We appreciate it very much and we are so pleased that you enjoyed our guest service and your first time in South Africa! We appreciate your wonderful comments on the room and the members of our team. Again we thank you for your constructive feedback on the entire experience including safari’s and the food, as this is what allows to grow from strength to strength and ultimately improve for your next visit to us. We have the Dixie village tour that you should try out on your next visit to us and we will definitely make notes of your constructive comments. We loved having you and we look forward to having you back with us soon! Warm regards, Your Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge family
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The room was lovely and well equipped. The setting overlooking the waterhole is superb. From my deck, I regularly saw an array of wildlife including hippos, buffalo, elephants, impala, nyala, terrapin, crocodile and an array of birdlife. It really is a superb setting.
The guide and tracker were excellent and we had some exceptional sightings.
The stories in the room at night are a nice touch. And it was lovely to be offered the option of having lunch in the room.
However, to move to the bad, in my view the staff need better training in anticipating guests’ needs and in what is appropriate/inappropriate behaviour.
The service was a little disappointing. I regularly had to ask for things that should have automatically been provided (replace used coffee sachets, replace minibar items or items sought for the room when finished, offer a refill when a glass sits empty at the bar or at sundowners etc).
Bird poo accumulated on the outdoor loungers because they were not cleaned each day.
People working in the bar rang the room in the middle of break times for matters that could easily be addressed in advance or were already known. Once I was in the bath and once I was wakened from my nap so the disturbances were not welcome.
Twice my breakfast arrived cold so I eventually asked them to cover it so it would arrive hot.
When requested, the things were provided or remedied but the point of good service is that needs should be anticipated.
I had two staff encounters that made me feel uncomfortable.
Early in my stay while I was part of a small captive audience, a guest pontificated about a controversial issue. Rather than gently defusing a controversial subject that a guest had initiated (which most safari staff are skilled at), the staff member made it worse by spouting what I consider to be ill-informed misinformation (well outside his expertise).
And near the end of my stay, a staff member brought an item to my room then remained to ask me to leave money for his studies! In many years of safaris I have never experienced such brazen behaviour.
A guest drew my attention to Chitwa Chitwa’s tipping guidance as it significantly exceeded her travel agent’s guidance. In my opinion, Chitwa Chitwa’s tipping guidance is well out of line with guidance from numerous respected sources. Various reputable sources ask guests not to over-tip for reasons explained on their websites. The issue of tipping is fraught enough for guests. It is unhelpful for a camp to provide tipping guidance that vastly exceeds agents’ advice.
However, despite a number of unfortunate issues I had a good time at Chitwa Chitwa because the setting for the camp overlooking the abundant waterhole is so magical.
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
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.
Response from Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge GM, General Manager at Chitwa Chitwa
Responded 26 Jul 2023
Dear Tapata, Thank you for taking the time to provide a detailed and comprehensive review of your experience at our Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the superb setting, the wildlife sightings from your deck, the efforts of our guide and tracker, and the unique touches like storytelling and in-room dining. However, we deeply regret to hear about the issues you faced during your stay and the instances where our service did not meet your expectations. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience or discomfort caused. Your feedback is invaluable and gives us an opportunity to improve and make our guests' experiences better. We absolutely agree that anticipating guest needs is a crucial part of our service, and it appears we fell short of those expectations. We have taken note of the specific concerns you raised about the cleaning of outdoor loungers, replacing used items in the room, and disturbances during your break times. We will ensure these are addressed with the housekeeping and bar staff to prevent such inconveniences in the future. We are also sorry to hear about the uncomfortable encounters you had with our staff members. We assure you that it is not representative of the level of service we strive to provide, and we have addressed this matter promptly and appropriately. Regarding the tipping guidance, we hear your concerns and will reconsider our policies to align better with respected industry standards. We understand that tipping can be a sensitive issue, and we appreciate your feedback on this. Despite the unfortunate issues, we are glad that you still had a good time at Chitwa Chitwa and found the setting magical. We value your feedback and hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back and provide you with an improved experience in the future. Kind regards, Your Chitwa Chitwa Private Game Lodge Family
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Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa53 contributions
Hi there,
Thank you for your question. Yes, we have recently added a binocular to each of our safari vehicles, for your use.
We remain available for any assistance.
Best regards,
Chitwa Chitwa Management
Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa53 contributions
We definitely try to give you the safari experience as best we can, even if it means going out during times of light rain and as you are comfortable with of course.
Hairdryer worked just fine for me. I'm planning to go back in 2021 and the one thing I will def take is "my own shampoo and Conditioner". Their's made my hair very frizzy. I'm not the only person who didn't like their hair products.
Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa53 contributions
Thank you for your question dear sir/madam.
I am the marketing manager of Chitwa Chitwa.
To answer your question:
Both lodges are beautiful and have unique features. Chitwa Chitwa however, has the largest perennial waterhole right in front of the lodge so water all year round is guaranteed. In June/July which is winter and know for dry rivers and watering holes we always have animals drinking.
There are more places to choose from in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
chitwa chitwa private game reserve hotel sabi sand game reserve
LOCATION
South AfricaKruger National ParkSabi Sand Game Reserve
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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