Kurhula Wildlife Lodge
Parsons Nature Reserve, plot no 25, Kruger National Park 1380 South Africa
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#82 of 208 hotels in Kruger National Park
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Kurhula Wildlife Lodge is situated on the banks of the always flowing Olifants River in Balule, Parsons Nature Reserve. Balule Private Nature Reserve borders the Kruger Nation Park. It offers 4 double rooms all with a view on the river. A 12 km dirt road (4x2 or 4x4 car recommended) leads you from the main gate at the R40 in 30 to 45 minutes to the lodge. Most of the fences between the Kruger Park and bordering private nature reserves have been removed so animals can move around freely. From the lodge you can access the Kruger Park for a day trip via the Phalaborwa or Orpen gate. Game drives and bush walks are offered by the lodge.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Free breakfast
Darts
Walking tours
Mosquito net
Outdoor furniture
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Pool with view
Outdoor pool
Bar / lounge
Complimentary Instant Coffee
Complimentary tea
Complimentary welcome drink
Outdoor dining area
Special diet menus
Wine / champagne
Sun deck
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun umbrellas
First aid kit
Laundry service
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Room features
Allergy-free room
Blackout curtains
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Safe
Coffee / tea maker
Extra long beds
Walk-in shower
Wardrobe / wardrobe
Bottled water
Private bathrooms
Tile / marble floor
Refrigerator
Kitchenware
Complimentary toiletries
Hair dryer
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Room types
Landmark view
Pool view
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish, Afrikaans and 2 more
Location
Parsons Nature Reserve, plot no 25, Kruger National Park 1380 South Africa
Getting there
See all nearby hotels
383Reviews22Q+A29Room tips
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We visited the lodge just before our stay in Krugerpark. Everything was organized very well. The breakfast was good; dinner was super. We also enjoyed the game drives (great guide). Staff was very friendly.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2020
Value
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Location
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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.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
My wife and I stayed at Phakamani River Lodge (formerly Kurhula) in late December 2019. Francois and Dee were perfect hosts. Food was great. The rooms and pool are beautiful and it was very hot so the air-conditioning was soooo welcome. The property is in a private reserve where we saw a leopard, lots of giraffe, zebra, impala, bucs, monkeys and warthogs. The game drives were great! We learned a lot from Francois and he did a great job tracking the animals down. We also did the day trip to Kruger which I would highly recommend - although it is a very long day. Would definitely recommend Phakamani to anyone.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
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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.
Helpful
+1
We were staying in October 219 and even the lodge undergoing a transition of owners our days were amazing, surely the best part of our trip to South Africa. Special thanks to Chef Nadya who even made birthday cake for me. And we also love the games made with François.
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Date of stay: October 2019
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.
Helpful
Excellent located lodge. Beatifull setting with view of river and wildlife in garden. Very friendly and hel-fulltime owners and staff. From the deck outside your room you have a great view of the river and surroundings. The road to the lodge is a adventure in its self, lots of wildlife but minimal a SUV needed. The only criticism I van give are the leaking and noisy taps.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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.
Helpful
Response from KimVM, Owner at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge
Responded 31 Dec 2019
Thank you for your review. We are glad to read that you had a good time in Kurhula. Regarding the taps, we will look into that straight away.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Very nice place, beautiful view, wild nature, very nice and clean rooms, good diner and nice hosts. Minor comments: a bit long track to reach the lodge (but fully compensated by the wild nature), and indeed, the price is not the cheapest... Thanks & Best regards. Marc.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: November 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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.
Helpful
Response from KimVM, Owner at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge
Responded 31 Dec 2019
Dear Marc, Thank you for your review. The road will always be a famous one and part of the total experience. We are glad you enjoyed your stay with us.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
Just got back from 2 weeks in South Africa, and this was the best lodge we stayed in - gutted we could only stay for 2 nights. Francois and Dee are amazing hosts and the chef (can’t remember her name) cooked delicious food... we were obsessed with the peppermint crisp! The game drives were great, we had a family of lions surround the vehicle! We also learned a lot from Francois and he did a great job tracking the animals down. This was also the best game drives we had around the Kruger area. Would 100% recommend and hopefully we can visit again soon 😊
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Date of stay: November 2019Trip 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.
Helpful
Response from KimVM, Owner at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge
Responded 20 Nov 2019
Thank you for your lovely review. We are happy to hear that you had a great time with our management at our little paradise at the river.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We absolutely LOVED our stay at Kurhula. Everything about this place is amazing- the hosts, the food, the incredible location right on the river, the game drives.... We loved every single minute. Great value for money too. We stayed 3 nights and my only regret is that we didn’t stay longer!
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Date of stay: October 2019Trip 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.
Helpful
Response from KimVM, Owner at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge
Responded 20 Nov 2019
Thank you so much for your great review. The bush is very dry at the moment,but gives us amazing sightings. We are glad you enjoyed your stay with us.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed at the kurkula lodge too short. It is very beautiful there. You see many animals at the place just when you lay at the pool. The rooms are good. The food is very delicious and the atmosphere is incredible. You meet many new people. The place runs under new owners, they are also very friendly and helpful! We did some game drives with Francois (one of the owners), and he knows his job! Thank you so much, we are happy to come back!
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Date of stay: November 2019Trip 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.
Helpful
Response from KimVM, Owner at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge
Responded 20 Nov 2019
Thank you for you review. We are so happy to hear that our management couple Dee and Francois are doing so well. They will lease our place from the 1st of January 2020 for 5 years, so will then be in charge of the place. Know that the new name will become Phakamani.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
François and Dee are very friendly hosts. The location is awesome with elephants walking in the garden. Also very good food! The only thing is that it’s quite far from the Kruger gates with a long sandy road. So prepare for long travel distances if you want to visit the park
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: October 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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.
Helpful
Response from KimVM, Owner at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge
Responded 20 Nov 2019
Thank you for your review. We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay. Kurhula is situated in the Parsons area of Balule, which is on the northern side of the olifants river. We are open with the Kruger Park, hence being named part of the Greater Kruger Park. But to get into the Nation Kruger Park itself you have to drive to the Phalaborwa gate, which is an hour drive or the Orpen gate which takes 1/5 hour to reach.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We visited South Africa for thirteen days. We stayed at kurhula the whole time. We had the best trip of our lifes thanks to Kim and Sander. They welcomed us to their lodge and now we feel like we have another home on the other side of the globe. The food was fantastic. The breakfast was really great very European and with a lot of options. The dinner was exceptional. I am very much the pizza/pasta kind of guy and I don’t really experiment with food but every night at Kurhula we got three curse dinner with different type of food. It was so great! The lodge has the most beautiful view of the Olifant river with all sorts of animals walking through the garden. We had a porcupine one night with a baby. It was so great. We heard hippos and hyenas each and every night. Lions as well. We went on great trips. Bushwalks were you really experience the bush and game drives that really show you the beautiful reserve. We went on two trips to the Kruger that Kim and Sander arranged for us. They made great breakfast that we could eat on the road and it was booked through Sable tours. Which was great we saw Rhinos, Lions, Hyenas and etc. We had the most fantastic trip of our life’s. We will remember it always and we are already counting the days till we return. best regards, Asger and Sophie…
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Date of stay: June 2019
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Very personal experiance that we will tressure always
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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.
Helpful
Response from KimVM, Owner at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge
Responded 25 Oct 2019
Thank you for the great review. We had such a great time with you. To show you our beautiful little piece of nature in South Africa. This is why we love to have guests in our home and entertain them.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
LOCATION
South AfricaKruger National ParkBalule Nature Reserve
NUMBER OF ROOMS
4
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Frequently Asked Questions about Kurhula Wildlife Lodge
What are some of the property amenities at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and a pool.
Which room amenities are available at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a refrigerator, and blackout curtains.
What food & drink options are available at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, a lounge, and complimentary tea during their stay.
Is parking available at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Kurhula Wildlife Lodge?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, and Afrikaans.
Does Kurhula Wildlife Lodge have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the river view available here.