Balule River Lodge

Depart from your local airport on your flight to South Africa

Your flight from Europe will land in Johannesburg early in the morning. After a wait of a couple of hours you will then fly to a local airport, either Phalaborwa or Hoedspruit, close to Kruger National Park. Here one of Balule’s guides will be waiting to meet you and drive you to the camp. You will be welcomed in camp with a tasty lunch. After an information meeting, you will be free to relax in your new surroundings.

On Saturday you will enjoy two game drives in open safari vehicles, a morning game drive starting at 6.00 am and an afternoon game drive at 15.30. Hopefully we will be lucky enough to see zebras, wildebeest, elephant, giraffe, lion, warthog, impala, kudu, monkeys, rhinoceros etc., but as is always the case when it comes to wild animals, you can never be sure what you might see. But you can be certain of one thing: a safari like this is a wonderful experience, because you will be actively following the animals, their tracks and even their smell. During the afternoon game drive, we will make a stop out in the bush just before the sun sets. Here you will enjoy a classic “sundowner” while you enjoy the wonderful sounds and smells of the bush and its plant and animal life, before driving back to camp where your dinner will be waiting.

Before dawn you will be served a light breakfast in camp, then after an hour’s drive you will reach the state owned part of the Kruger National Park - just as the sun is rising. The park is the biggest and most impressive animal reserve in South Africa, with a total area of around 20,000 square kilometers. In Kruger National Park you can really experience Africa’s wildlife “up close”, including “The Big Five” - the traditional name for the most sought after hunting trophies: Leopard, lion, rhinoceros, buffalo and elephant. We will drive in an open safari vehicle, during your “hunt” for animals your guide will lead the way, and he knows exactly what you can expect to see. He knows the water holes, where the animals most often come and drink from, and which area of the plains the various species of animals usually can be found. Underway we will stop at one of the park’s rest camps, where you will be served brunch prepared by your rangers. During the trip we will also stop in various places so you can stretch your legs, and also to eat lunch.

We will leave the park just before sundown and arrive back at Balule River camp, where a good dinner will be waiting for us.

Enjoy a relaxing day in Balule River Camp, relaxing by the pool or sitting on the terrace watching the animals that live near the camp.  You can also join one of the many extra tours that are available, you can for example, book a balloon safari, an Olifants River Cruise or a visit to Shangaan Tribal Village.

On Tuesday we again start with an early morning game drive in the camp’s open safari vehicle. We will look for animals in Balule Nature Reserve, as the bush wakes up, and the sun slowly climbs higher and higher in the sky. In the afternoon there will be another game drive in Balule Nature Reserve, where you will have a really good chance of seeing antelopes, giraffes, rhinoceros, monkeys and many other animals.

On the way we will stop to enjoy the sunset and enjoy a classic “sundowner” while you enjoy the wonderful sounds and smells of the bush and its plant and animal life, before driving back to camp where your dinner will be waiting.

Today it will be possible to book one of the extra activities on offer, e.g. an extra safari or horseback riding in the neighbouring area.

In the afternoon there will be another game drive in Balule Nature Reserve.

If the weather is good the evening will end with a traditional South African barbecue, a “bush braii”, at the scenic viewpoint of Lion View. Here we will enjoy a delicious dinner under the starry African night sky.

A wonderful atmosphere develops, as you smell the meat cooking on the grill, red wine is poured into your glass, the waiters lay the table with candles and a white tablecloth, when cicadas are singing and you can hear the roar of lions in the distance.

We start the day early with a bushwalk. To walk in the bush is a wonderful experience; you can really sense the intensity of Africa’s nature, getting close to the animals in their natural habitat. During the walk, which will be in Balule Nature Reserve, you will see a selection of the animals that live in the South African bush, for example, giraffe, warthogs, impala, waterbuck, baboons, zebra and - if you are lucky - elephant and hippopotamus. You will naturally be accompanied by an experienced guide, who will tell you about the animals from the large mammals to the insects, the vegetation, climate and much more.

The afternoon will be at your own disposal. You can book one of the extra activities or just relax by the pool at the lodge.

In the morning you will be transferred from Balule River Camp to the local airport, from where you will fly to Johannesburg. Flights to Europe depart in the evening, so you will spend some hours waiting in Johannesburg.

Flights from Johannesburg land in Europe early in the morning. If necessary you will then wait for a connecting flight home to your local airport.