Baluleni Safari Lodge

Im not even exaggerating when I say this was the best 5 days of my life. I was worried the amazing reviews gave me unrealistically high expectations but Baluleni somehow surpassed my wildest dreams. The room was amazing with a stunning view of the bush and river from my veranda. Every morning I watched the baboons and monkeys come into camp while I drank my coffee on the veranda. From the first game drive out guide Tejan (sorry if I’ve spelled it wrong) was incredibly knowledgeable and told us so much about the bush as well as finding so many amazing animals. We saw a leopard, lions eating and fighting over a giraffe carcass, elephants, buffalo, loads of birds, giraffes, many species of antelope, hyenas, African wild dogs hunting a baby impala, hippo on land, crocodiles, and so much more. The food was amazing, I’d be impressed with the quality of this food in a fine dining restaurant in London, to get it in the bush was a treat. The chefs were also really personable, presenting us the menu each night. All staff in fact were amazing, Heike managed to organise a fairly last minute day trip to Kruger Park for us (I’d recommend booking this in advance as I think we got lucky) and it was incredible. The cleaning staff helped us with all of our laundry. I could go on and on about my love for this place. I already treasure these memories so much and I only left a day ago. Thank you so much to everyone at Baluleni who helped fulfil a trip I’ve dreamed of since I was 8.

My husband & I spent 5 nights here. Absolutely fabulous. We can’t tell you what a surreal experience it is having elephants walk right up to your room. We were in the Cozy Cottage. The room felt modern and we loved being able to sit on our back patio day/night and watch the animals pass by. Upgrade to at least the higher priced room. Worth it. The game drives AM & PM are not to be missed. One day we saw a pride of 7 lions directly outside our jeep. So cool. We also saw elephants, giraffes, monkeys, impala, hyena and many birds. The coffee breaks mid morning safari and drinks at sunset were nice. We spent a day at Kruger. It was a little cool that day so animals were not as active, but saw hippos, hyenas, elephants, kudos, and giraffes. Elephant museum good. Wished we would have packed a winter hat and gloves. One day we went to the endangered species reserve. Very good and well worth it. Another day we went on a boat ride. Enjoyed seeing the elephants, water buffalo, and crocodiles. Food was good. We especially enjoyed the ostrich and bbq night. What puts this lodge ahead of others were the people who worked there. The chef, wait staff, cleaning people, and grounds people were genuinely friendly and helpful. Our guides were spectacular. The safari groups are small so the guides can share their knowledge with you. We love when you can feel when people just love what they do and it definitely showed with everyone at Baluleni. Thank you Baluleni for an amazing trip!

This was an amazing experience…one we will remember forever. The staff were fantastic and our guide was extremely knowledgeable. Every single day surpassed the other. The chefs accommodated the kids and the food was fantastic. Eating under the stars was mesmerizing as was tea and biscuits during sunrise. We saw zebras, giraffes, elephants, lions, jackals, mongeese…a truly remarkable experience. Thank you Baluleni.

Dear Heike, dear Andreas, many thanks to you and your team for the wonderful stay at Baluleni Lodge! We felt very comfortable at all times and will take many unforgettable moments and impressions home with us. We can recommend Baluleni Lodge and your hospitality to everyone with a clear conscience! Best wishes, all the best and please keep up the good work, Karsten + Renate

This place is awesome. We were welcome by the friendly staff and two elephants. The first picture is when we got there, the second is out of our room. This place is glamping. Janine was very helpful and communicated well with us. When we made our accommodations. The safari ride in the land rover. It was a lot of fun, bumpy, and dusty roads, but the sights were great. We saw elephants giraffes, hippopotamus, and lots of impalas, which are the mcdonalds of the wildlife. We even saw lions two times. We would recommend going to this place because they take really good care of you

It was our first time in a safari lodge and in South Africa and it was exactly as we had imagined. Beautiful little huts, with an additional outdoor shower with a view towards the Olifants River, in an open lodge where the wild animals can roam freely, friendly service staff, great food, competent guides who led the safari trips, very good planning of the tours by the owner Heike and the best masseuse in South Africa, who gave me and my companion a perfectly relaxing massage. In three days of safaris we saw the diverse wildlife of the Kruger National Park and the adjoining private Balule Nature Reserve, by no means everything of course, but it was impressive to see the Big Five and many other animals in their habitat. This also included elephants, giraffes, baboons, vervet monkeys and the ubiquitous impalas, which we were able to observe in the lodge, directly from the terraces of our huts.