Kruger National Park Safari

An Unforgettable Kruger Safari – Big Five Before Lunch!

We booked the 4-Day Private Game Reserve & Kruger National Park Safari and had an outstanding experience from start to finish. Thamia was incredibly responsive and helpful from the moment I first requested a quote, answering all our questions and making the booking process seamless. One of the things we appreciated most was that everything was organised for us from the moment we landed at Hoedspruit Airport. The transfers, accommodation, and safari arrangements were all handled professionally, allowing us to simply relax and enjoy the experience. The absolute highlight of our trip was our day in Kruger National Park. Our guide, Shoes, was exceptional—knowledgeable, passionate, and clearly highly experienced. Thanks to his expertise, we managed to see all of the Big Five before lunchtime, which is truly remarkable and far from an ordinary safari experience. We learned so much throughout the day and were continually impressed by Shoes' ability to spot wildlife and share fascinating insights about the animals and their behaviour. This was a trip we'll never forget, and we would highly recommend Khalanga Safaris to anyone looking for a well-organised, memorable, and authentic safari experience in South Africa.

Response from the operator: Thanks so much for your brilliant feedback! We are so happy to hear that you've had such a great experience with us and in the National Park. We also enjoyed working with you on this custom tour itinerary, and it is always great guiding someone with so much interest and enthusiasm in nature! In the end, it is our guests who make for an amazing safari experience :-)

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Another fantastic trip with Khalanga Safaris

Another great experience with Shoes and Khalanga Safaris. Probably not quite the experience we were expecting due to the unusually high rainfall earlier in the year; the evidence of which was still visible throughout the Park in May. This did mean that the vegetation was still quite lush and water was still plentiful. It also meant that many of the ‘off road’ tracks were closed. However, thanks to Shoes’ knowledge of the Park and great experience – he is extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of ‘his Kruger’- we still had the most amazing time. This year (this was our third trip) we extended our stay in each area again! Starting with 2 nights in Punda Maria – definitely not the swankiest of accommodations but worth it for the amazing variety of birdlife seen on the Game Drives. Sometimes overlooked in the search for the Big Five, the birds of the Kruger are simply beautiful – and if you go looking for the birds, guess what, you see the most spectacular animal sights along the way! We then went to Mopani for 3 nights, Olifants for 3 nights, Satara for 2 nights and finished in Skukuza for our final night and every single day/Drive gave a different experience delivering something new. From the courting Bataleur’s, Rhinoceros crossing directly in front of the vehicle, Wild Dogs in the road, Lions relaxing by the river to the African Harrier Hawk , carefully picking out its prey, and the Martial Eagle with its kill; it was fantastic. I really wanted to see the Yellow throated Longclaw –we did and what a beautiful bird! The African Paradise Flycatcher, Green Wood Hoopoe and the Pearl Spotted Owlet were amazing as were the Cheetah, Hyena, Hippo, Crocodile (for such large creatures they move incredibly stealthily and fast!) Jackal, Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Warthog (my favourite!) – the list of sightings is very long and we have some stunning pictures! We felt we saw everything, apart from the elusive Leopard and the Secretary Bird! However, we have seen the Leopard on 2 previous occasions so we weren’t too disappointed and the proximity to the Rhinos this year certainly compensated! The Secretary Bird keeps eluding us but we will find it! The organization and communication were superb; from the initial idea of what we wanted to do right through to leaving us at the pickup for the journey back to Jo’burg airport, Khalanga Safaris provided an excellent service. As I have said before, it is probably not hard to go to the Kruger and see some great sights but the experience offered by Khalanga Safaris is far more than this and we could not recommend it highly enough. We are now looking forward to journeying through the ‘autumn Kruger’ with Shoes in 2027.

Response from the operator: Hello Andy, thanks for joining us on safari yet again this year. It is always our pleasure to put together a tour itinerary for you that combines all of your favourite experiences, while adding something new every time as well. Indeed Kruger is a bit of a different place this year after the floods, but it is great to see the park being so green and lush still at this time of the year. Many of our guests enjoy the Northern parts of the park for their remoteness, amazing bird sightings and the amazing landscape with is Baobab trees - the southermost population in Africa. We can't wait to see you again in September 2027 which will be the South African spring!

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Wonderful Safari memories for a lifetime

We booked with Khalanga Safaris after reading the reviews from other travelers and eagerly awaited our trip. From the moment we made contact, Thamia in the office was fantastic, nothing was too much. We travelled as a family of four and were delighted with our experience from start to finish. Eddison picked us up from the airport and brought on the magical Panoramic tour, which was much more than expected with entrance into 3 separate attractions, all of which were visually stunning, and at this time of year, void of crowds. The following morning we meet Shoes our guide for the next 4 days. Each day Shoes ensured that we experienced something wonderful, through his knowledge of the animals he would read the views and rely on his instinct to know what might be revealed. We were not disappointed, and through patience were treated to some spectacular scenes. The evenings were spent at the rest camps and we were treated to Shoes cooking of local food. We would highly recommend booking with Khalanga, and intend to do so again ourselves some day.

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They made our dream come true

Dear Thamia and Shoes, Thank you so much for making our safari a dream come true. We loved every moment of the experience, from the wildlife sightings to the accommodations. We especially appreciated the knowledge Shoes shared with us about the nature in your beautiful country. We felt very safe and well looked after throughout the trip. Our adventure far exceeded our expectations, and we will cherish these memories forever. Thank you again for everything.

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Knowledgeable, Flexible, Friendly and Professional

Everything about Khalanga was top drawer. From the initial enquiry trough to dropping us off at the departure airport, Thamia in the office and Shoes our guide were excellent. Accommodation was arranged at the Khaya Ndlovu reserve in Hoedspruit in a luxury tent overlooking the watering hole where we had regular visits of zebra, water buck, monkeys and mongoose. We had a combination of safaris at the reserve and guided trips with company owner and all round top guy Shoes who spotted and showed us animals and birds we would never have seen on our own. We visited Kruger NP and did the Panorama route into the Drakensberg with Shoes. Both were great days and complemented each other. All round great safari trip and I fully recommend Khalanga who will take care of all your needs.

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