Senalala Luxury Safari Camp provides the best African safari experience with a combination of luxury accommodations in the middle of The Klaserie Private Game Reserve, amazing sightings and very close observation of the Big 5 and other African wildlife, and guides that are highly trained and passionate about their profession and sharing all that they know with you.

From the moment we arrived at Senalala, we were made to feel welcome and at home as Corlia, James, and Darryn were waiting for us. We were shown to a beautiful and spacious room with en-suite bathroom with a large tub and separate shower. The room was equipped with a fan, air conditioning, luxury linens, two comfortable chairs and small table, and a table that may be used as a woman’s vanity (since it has a mirror) or a desk. We had access to complimentary wifi in our room. The wifi was relatively fast when there were only a few guests but when the camp was at full capacity, the bandwidth was not sufficient to handle the high level of usage. The best thing about our room was that it had a sliding glass door that afforded a view of the watering hole so we could spot game from bed and we would run to the viewing platform to get a better view. We saw elephants, giraffes, and lots of impala. The camp owns a couple of Toyota Land Cruisers specifically designed for safari game drives so that the 3 rows of passengers have a good view with the ‘stadium seating’ configuration. The seats are very comfortable too. The Land Cruisers are convertible (no top) so make sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, and a hair tie if you have long hair since we spent 6 hours a day traveling around the game preserve hunting for animals. There are 2 game drives per day: one at 6am and another at 4pm. We brought rain jackets but that wasn’t necessary since Senalala provided large rain ponchos on the one morning when we had a light drizzle. We are pescatarian leaning more towards vegetarian and Corlia was able to accommodate our dietary preference which we greatly appreciated. The food was not gourmet but it was good with much fresh, local produce and a nice variety. We had ample access to water, coffee, tea, sodas, juices, wine, beer, and some liquor…all self serve and very convenient and easy. There is a small pool which we enjoyed on several occasions.

Lastly and most importantly, the animals! Our professionally trained guide, Darryn, was amazing. He is a skilled tracker which was very helpful in locating some of those elusive animals such as hippos, lions, and leopards. We saw all the Big Five and many days we saw 4 of the Big Five. One afternoon game drive, we found a pack of Wild Dogs which is a very rare sighting and followed them for a while as they were out hunting. Darryn is extremely knowledgeable and shared all kinds of information with us. Not only was it extremely interesting, it was a very educational experience. One of my favorite parts and it was unexpected was how close we were able to get to the animals. Awesome photo opportunities when you’re only 10 feet away from a lion or elephant. Darryn allowed sufficient time to sit, watch, and observe the animals and for photos. Since Darryn knows the signs of agitation or aggression, I always felt safe. We visited in the beginning of March and saw many babies (zebra, giraffe, rhino, wildebeest, elephant). They were so cute and a big treat to me. (The babies are born around November to December.) It was such a pleasure living in the middle of a wild, beautiful land for a few days and having the chance to be in harmony with these amazing animals. My husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary with this trip and it was the best present and exceeded our expectations. We will cherish the memories forever! Thanks Senalala!

This was our second visit to the Kruger, both to private game reserves. This one was truly unforgettable, not only because of the animals but because of the outstanding welcome we received from James and Corlia, the managers and from all their staff.

Senalala has access to a much greater area of Kruger than our previous reserve and it was clear from the outset that this would make a difference. The animals were spread much more thinly and we really enjoyed the thrill of the chase in tracking and finding the big 5 and other species. Our guide Darryn was amazingly knowledgeable for a young man, having been brought up in the bush, and he had a wicked sense of humour too. The banter started pretty quickly and it meant that our group of 7 'strangers' on our vehicle gelled really quickly. Every drive was a different experience and in three days we saw the 'Big 5' and so much more.

The lodge itself is very well appointed, and the individual accommodation is luxurious but not ostentatious, well spread out but all within easy striking distance of the central hub. What was most noticeable was the family atmosphere generated by James and Corlia but delivered by everyone.

The food was consistently varied, plentiful and very well prepared, with separate provision for those with special tastes. We ate too much but it was an absolute pleasure doing so!

We have always said that the Kruger is so big that we would never return to the same lodge but now we're not so sure. Senalala is just a special place in a wonderful national park.

This was our second time here and although we were positive it couldn't have gotten any better - it did! We arrived earlier than a normal check-in so that we could use the pool and settle in before lunch - an idea suggested to us by Corlia, the amazing manager at Senalala. We saw a pride of 11 lions as the very first animal we saw on safari and it just kept getting better! We saw all of the big five on our safaris, saw tons of baby animals including rhino, elephant, zebra, giraffe, and wildebeest, and learned so much! We did an amazing bush walk with our guide, Darren, and got to see some fantastic things that you can't see from inside the game drive vehicle. Anytime we had a question, Darren could answer it for us. He even went out of his way to ask around for a wild dog sighting (my personal request). We didn't see any on the drives but he told us to keep an eye out for them on the way out (the last place the pack was seen) and there they were! The entire staff go out of their way to make it an amazing experience. Besides the drive, the camp is beautiful with a view of a watering hole that animals will often visit. You can relax by the pool, chat with the rangers and managers, or take a well-deserved nap between game drives. The food is also excellent with a special shoutout to the fantastic desserts! We really couldn't have asked for a better trip and we've even booked our next stay for next week! Thank you to Corlia, Darren, and James!