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Safari Accommodation in South Africa
A beautiful lodge is easy to find. The harder part is knowing whether it is right for your safari, your route, your family, your expectations and the rest of your journey. That is where Spurwing adds value.
200 stays, one shortlist
Lodges, camps and hotels across South Africa and Botswana — narrowed to the few that fit
Chosen with the route
Geography, transfers and timing decided before the lodge
One accountable plan
The stay, the drives and the connections arranged together
Nearly 30 years on the ground
An operator running the journey since 1996, not a listing
CHOOSING WELL
Decide the geography first, then the lodge
Where the lodge sits decides the safari you get: inside a national park, on a private reserve with off-road traversing, or in a malaria-free reserve close to Johannesburg. Start with one of these three questions and the shortlist gets short quickly.
- National park or private reserve?What actually changes between the two — traversing, guiding, rhythm
- How many nights do you need?Two, three or four — and what each buys you
- Does it need to be malaria-free?Madikwe and Dinokeng, within a drive of Johannesburg
EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS
We would rather narrow the field than send you fifty options
Safari accommodation varies enormously in location, atmosphere, inclusions, guiding style, access, family suitability and overall rhythm. We use the wider journey to reduce the noise and focus on stays that make sense.
Kruger & Greater Kruger
National-park stays and private-reserve lodge experiences.
Madikwe
A distinct safari destination with its own logistical and lodge considerations.
FEATURED STAYS
Six places that show the range
From a private Sabi Sand lodge to a river camp in Botswana and a beach resort on the Dolphin Coast — a first look at the kind of stay Spurwing books, not a ranking.
Sabi Sand Nature Reserve
Lion Sands Ivory Lodge
Safari Lodge
A highly private riverside lodge with eight oversized suites, each with its own lounge, deck and plunge pool.
Honeymoon · Small Lodges · Ultra Luxury
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Sabi Sand Nature Reserve
Cheetah Plains
Villa
Karula, Mapogo and Mvula: three solar-powered villas of four suites for up to eight guests each, sold only on an exclusive-use basis with a private guide, tracker, chef, host and electric Land Cruiser.
Accessible Stays · Big Five · Exclusive Use
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Kruger National Park
Hamiltons Tented Camp
Tented Camp
Six air-conditioned tented suites with private plunge pools, Victorian baths and Sala lounges, linked by raised timber walkways above a seasonal river inside Kruger; adults from 12 unless the camp is taken exclusively.
Big Five · Exclusive Use · Inside Kruger
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Madikwe Game Reserve
Tau Game Lodge
Safari Lodge
A larger malaria-free safari lodge with standard, deluxe and family accommodation in Madikwe.
Family Safari Lodges · Malaria-Free Safari
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Kasane
Chobe Safari Lodge
Safari Lodge
A flexible Chobe gateway stay combining riverfront accommodation, family rooms, boat cruises and game drives.
Family Safari Lodges · Groups · Transit Stays
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Zimbali Coastal Estate / Ballito
The Capital Zimbali
Resort
A broad resort product with luxury rooms, apartments, villa suites, accessible accommodation, presidential suites and penthouse options.
Family Stays · Golf · Serviced Apartments
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PLAN YOUR TRIP
A rate only tells you one part of the story
Two lodges with similar prices can deliver very different safaris, and a lower room rate can become less attractive once transport, meals, activities or awkward routing are considered. We compare the complete stay in context — and plan what happens around the bed.
- Before check-in: routing, transfers, arrival timing and what you are coming from
- During the stay: what is included, how game viewing works and whether the property suits your travel style
- After check-out: the next transfer, flight, tour or destination connects cleanly
THE JOURNEY BEGINS BEFORE YOU ARRIVE
Choosing the lodge should be exciting, not exhausting
Tell us what you imagine: classic bush camp or polished lodge, family time or couple’s escape, wildlife-first or a balance of safari and downtime. Planning that with someone who understands the wider trip is part of the holiday.
BROWSE ALL 200 STAYS
The full catalogue
The full Spurwing accommodation catalogue — 200 lodges, camps, hotels and villas. Filter by destination, reserve, stay style or collection.
200 stays · page 14 of 17
Simbavati River Lodge
A flexible safari lodge with six luxury tents, two plunge-pool tented suites and three two-bedroom family chalets, plus spa, gym and kids club.
Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
A high-volume beachfront hotel with a very broad mix of standard, family, executive and suite accommodation plus pools and strong group capacity.
Southern Sun O.R. Tambo International Airport
A large airport hotel with standard, superior, family, accessible and executive rooms, plus pool, gym and 24-hour room service.
Southern Sun Pretoria
A broad city-hotel option with family rooms, suites, pool, gym and strong group capability in central Pretoria.
Southern Sun Sandton
A business-friendly Sandton hotel with standard, premium, accessible and suite options plus pool, gym and full-service dining.
Spier Hotel
A modern farm-led Winelands stay with large rooms, riverside suites and three-bedroom private villas embedded in rewilded gardens.
Sun City Hotel
A lively central resort hotel with family, accessible, premium and suite categories, currently emerging from a multi-phase refurbishment programme.
Surval Boutique Olive Estate
A broad boutique-estate product with 31 individually decorated rooms and suites, including family units and large multi-person configurations.
Tanda Tula Safari Camp
A design-led, off-grid safari camp with seven Safari Suites and two two-bedroom Family Suites, all with plunge pools.
Tangala Safari Camp
A small, off-grid camp of three bush chalets and six colonial-style tents in Thornybush, facing a waterhole and the Drakensberg, with two game drives a day.
Tau Game Lodge
A larger malaria-free safari lodge with standard, deluxe and family accommodation in Madikwe.
Thabamati Luxury Tented Camp
Four Java-style safari tents with free-standing baths and indoor-outdoor showers on a dam facing the Drakensberg, in the Timbavati; maximum eight guests, camp exclusivity available, solar…
READY TO START PLANNING?
Tell us what the right safari stay feels like to you.
Share your dates, travellers, budget range and wider itinerary. We will help narrow the accommodation and connect the logistics around it.