Accommodation / Mpumalanga / Ten (10) to Inspire

Best Places to Stay NEAR the Kruger National Park

Updated Monday, 30 December 2024

You don’t have to stay right in the heart of Kruger to experience its beauty…

There are plenty of best places to stay near the Kruger National Park with easy access into the park, many of them in neighbouring wildlife sanctuaries, game parks and private self-catering lodges close to one of the gates into Kruger.

In Kruger you share the bushveld with lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, cheetah, buffalo, hippo, zebra and giraffe. Synonymous with safari, it’s one of Africa’s greatest wildlife experiences…

Scroll through our best places to stay near the Kruger National Park

Simbavati Hilltop Lodge, Timbavati Game Reserve

It seems only fair to head our list of best places to stay near the Kruger National Park with one of the more beautiful examples of accommodation – a small selection of luxury safari tents (eight) with private decks overlooking the river.

Simbavati Hilltop Lodge, Timbavati Game Reserve

Buhala Game Lodge, border of Kruger

Ten elegant, modern riverfront en suite rooms overlooking the magic of the bushveld and a waterhole at the bottom of the the garden. Sip sundowners around the pool or enjoy spa treatments at Buhala Game Lodge.

Buhala Game Lodge, border of Kruger

Africa On Foot, Klaserie

Experience the Kruger on foot with a walking safari in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, which shares unfenced borders with Kruger. Choose from five chalets (two are family units) or a tree house.

Africa On Foot, Klaserie

Kambaku River Lodge, Malelane

Surrounded by mountains this elegant lodge is another SA Venues’ award winner (Best Five Star Game Lodge) with a 180 degree view out over the Crocodile River and Kruger. Expect to catch sight of animals from the privacy of your own unit.

Kambaku River Lodge, Malelane

Maqueda Lodge, Marloth Park

This characterful, intimate house is open not only for guests but for wild animals as well and the area is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Situated in Marloth Park, Bordering Kruger, Maqueda Lodge gives you value for money.

Maqueda Lodge, Marloth Park

Makumu Private Game Lodge, Klaserie

An intimate game lodge in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, the views out over the bush are superb. While away your days on game drives, walks, and sip sundowners alongside the waterhole.

Makumu Private Game Lodge, Klaserie

Mohlabetsi Safari Lodge, Balule

Balule is a vast nature reserve in the western section of the Greater Kruger Park and another best places to stay near the Kruger National Park. Stay in one of only six thatched ethnic rondavels and dine in the boma during cooler months or on the lawns with a view of the floodlit waterhole, during summer.

Mohlabetsi Safari Lodge, Balule

Baobab Ridge Lodge, Klaserie

Choose one of six cottages on raised decks with terraces at this private lodge within the Klaserie private nature reserve. Enjoy game drives, walking safaris and rhino conservation projects.

Baobab Ridge Lodge, Klaserie

Needles Lodge, Marloth Park

Marloth Park is a private residential game reserve on the southeastern border of Kruger. The lodge with its pretty, light and airy rooms offers just six atmospheric rooms with a dining area at the heart of the lodge, and wooden decks overlooking the bush.

Needles Lodge, Marloth Park

Lion Tree Top Lodge, Hoedspruit

This low-key bush lodge with its lovely tree houses lies in a private game reserve bordering Kruger’s western flank. At its heart is a once-in-a-lifetime experience of a bush walk with lions.

Lion Tree Top Lodge, Hoedspruit

Grand Kruger Lodge, Marloth Park

The winner of SA-Venues.com Hall of Fame Award for Best Game Lodge Experience in Marloth Park, you can’t go wrong with Grand Kruger Lodge as a base from which to discover Kruger.

Grand Kruger Lodge, Marloth Park

Croc Bridge Safari Lodge, Marloth Park

This best places to stay near the Kruger National Park is not only on the banks of the Crocodile River but it’s also just 1 km from Crocodile Bridge Gate. River views are spectacular and things remain low-key with only six luxury en-suite tents on offer.

Croc Bridge Safari Lodge, Marloth Park

Mvuradona Safari Lodge

Cool, graceful rooms that open out onto views of the bushveld, a pool deck where you can watch the frequent visits of wild game and the banks of the Crocodile River overlooking Kruger. You don’t need much more than this.

Mvuradona Safari Lodge

Inyathi Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sands

Enjoy 65 000 hectares of bushveld within Sabi, bordering Kruger. You’re right on the banks of the Sand River, attracting particularly elephant and hippo, with no fences between you and Kruger. Choose from eleven generously proportioned chalets, and enjoy game drives.

Inyathi Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sands

Lion Sands Private Game Reserve, Sabi

Set in one of the finest wilderness areas, this is the only private reserve with access to the Sabie River, which it shares with Kruger. But it’s the luxurious suites, each with its own courtyard, and the exclusive appeal of the lodge on the banks of the river that’s going to cause you to draw in your breath sharply.

Lion Sands Private Game Reserve, Sabi

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