Kapama Private Game Reserve is a benchmark for South Africa safari eco-tourism. Nestled between the Blyde River Valley and Kruger National Park, traversing 16,000 hectares, Kapama is a prestigious wildlife destination for safari enthusiasts and home to the big five.
Four unique and luxurious bush lodges ensure a diverse choice for guests to Kapama and guarantee an unforgettable African wildlife experience. Buffalo Camp delights with its old-world feel, Southern Camp offers warmth and hospitality, River Lodge is festive year-round, and Karula is breathtakingly elegant.
Kapama is easily accessible by road from Johannesburg in 6 hours (if you take the panorama route, count in at least 8 hours when the weather conditions are bad). When travelling by air, the nearby airports are Hoedspruit Airport (10 minutes’ drive from the reserve entrance) or Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (2 hours’ drive). Adjacent to Kapama, Hoedspruit’s Eastgate Airport is ideally located to receive guests flying to Kapama on daily scheduled flights (by South African Express Airways) from both Johannesburg and Cape Town, and on private charters. Kapama offers complimentary transfers in open game viewing vehicles directly to any of the four luxury game lodges on the reserve (including Kapama Karula). The more adventurous can also choose to spend a night in one of the romantic sleep-outs.
The Kapama Private Game Reserve features four establishments, each with a unique personality: Kapama River Lodge, Kapama Southern Camp, Kapama Buffalo Camp, and Kapama Karula. The latter is the flagship five-star lodge amongst the reserve’s 4 varied accommodation options and ranks among the best and most exclusive safari lodges in Southern Africa.
The Essence of Kapama Karula
Kapama Karula, meaning “place of peace”, is an ultra-luxurious and prestigious lodge that exudes calmness. Set on the banks of the perennial Klaserie River, Kapama Karula the flagship five-star lodge of the Kapama Game Reserve, home to the Big Five. Kapama Karula enjoys a natural setting on the banks of the Klaserie River, which serves as a water source for the resident wildlife. This exclusive safari lodge exudes calmness as it offers wraparound views from all of its facilities and villas of the African bush enhancing the sense of tranquillity.
Read also: Experience Kapama Southern Camp
Modern whitewashed wood and vast sections of glass, complemented by a neutral colour palette, give Kapama Karula a contemporary African feel. The interiors of the public areas and the 12 suites are all marked by magnificent white-washed woods, neutral colour palettes and vast sections of glass that make the most of the natural light and views. The open-plan concept and wide outdoor decks match the minimalist, airy and modern interiors.
The lodge has a subtle, almost invisible electrical fence so guests can move safely and unguarded through the property without losing the Bush experience. The open-plan lounge and bar are spacious and cosy, with skylights drawing in natural daylight and moonshine. From a wooden deck you can enjoy the breathtaking views.
The lodge has a small lobby, a fine dining restaurant, an outside heated pool, a nice gift shop, a library and a modern spa including a fully equipped fitness. The 12 spacious villas designed in 2012 are spread over the area and guarantee privacy and tranquillity to the guests. The Klaserie River provides the backdrop for 12 exclusive suites, two of which are luxury family suites.
Each air-conditioned suite is glass-wrapped and has its own outside deck area, a heated private pool and loungers to relax or enjoy watching the playing monkeys and other wildlife. The enormous villa featured an open-plan living room, replete with gas fireplace , which flowed into the master bedroom.
The en-suite bathroom was a highlight, with indoor and outdoor showers, his and hers basins, and a stand-alone bath. The bathroom is gorgeous and has a luxury freestanding bathtub just in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a stunning bathing experience: 2 spacious sinks, a big indoor and outdoor shower and guest amenities of high quality. You even get some samples of Babor. There was a second bedroom leading off the living room that could be accessed through an interleading door or its own entrance. Every detail has been thought of: 2 sprays for insects, umbrella, flashlight, a lock-up safe, fly windows with a lock, art and nature books, international sockets and even nests for bats on the roof to reduce the number of insects.
Read also: Experience Kapama River Lodge
Dining at Kapama Karula
Kapama Karula has a fine dining restaurant with an ‘à la carte’ menu. A 3-course lunch, a 3-course dinner and all (alcoholic) drinks are included in the rate. The lodge has only one restaurant, adjacent to the lounge/bar area, which serves breakfast, a 3-course lunch, and a 3-course dinner (all included in the room rate).
For wine lovers wanting a special bottle, the lodge has supplementary a range of exclusive wines in their cellar. The chic dining room - with its colourful modern art, lovely fireplace and Phillipe Starck chairs - creates the perfect setting for the gastronomic delight that awaits you at Kapama Karula. The dining room with its modern art & lovely fireplace creates the perfect setting for the gastronomic delight that awaits you.
Chef Makhi Maki and his team work with fresh local ingredients and combine them with the best products from all over the world. You can enjoy meat of warthog, crocodile and local venison but even enjoy a dessert with fine Belgian chocolate. You recognize his experience in several local classy restaurants and a few international hotels in his dishes. Makhi follows culinary trends and calls his style a freedom kitchen, where all is about the person you cook for. He differentiates the menu which makes every meal at Kapama a discovery.
The sumptuous food and award-winning wines rank among the best fine-dining culinary experiences that I ever enjoyed during an African safari (although some Tripadvisor reviewers are more sceptical of the lodge’s food offerings).
Fabulous safari at KAPAMA KARULA lodge (South Africa): a review
Safari Adventures and Wildlife Encounters
When driving from the main entrance to the lodge, you have the chance to see among other things lions, zebras, impalas, giraffes, warthogs. A good warming up for the safari experience. Of course, the prime reason for a visit to Kapama Karula is to observe the African wildlife. Two daily game drives, in addition to bush walks, are offered and included in the tariff.
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Game drives at Kapama are breath-taking, having the chance to see the big five and rare animals as a pangolin. Game drives are all year around possible. Since this is a Big Five reserve, seeing lion, elephant, rhino and buffalo is possible (and almost guaranteed) during a safari in Kapama Private Game Reserve. Although leopards are present in the reserve, they are far more difficult to find, especially when compared to your chances of spotting leopards in neighboring Royal Malewane or Lion Sands.
The game drive vehicles at Kapama Karula seat only 6 guests in order to optimize each guest’s game viewing experience and comfort, affording ample space for photographic equipment (and some refreshments of course). The open vehicles seat only 6 guests in order to optimize each guest’s game viewing experience and comfort, affording space for video and photographic equipment, a blanket for each guest and refreshments.
Game drives are always accompanied by a two-man team. Besides the guide (who drives), there’s also an animal tracker sitting on the front of the vehicle. Game drives are accompanied by a professional ranger, who drives the car, and an animal tracker sitting in front of the vehicle.
The vehicles are safe for safari as wild animals do not associate open vehicles with food and will not see the humans in the car as prey. The open vehicles are perfectly safe for a safari. Wild animals do not associate open vehicles with humans or with food.
Twice a day, you’ll be taken on a game drive. The morning safari starts at 6 AM, after a light breakfast you leave for a 3 hours game drive to several areas in Kapama spotting jackals biting in the ankles of hyenas, a herd of elephants, lions, crocodiles, a leopard, grazing ‘blou wildebees’, rhinos, buffalos, several species of antelope and birds.
Halfway through the game drive, there’s a stop for hot drinks and snacks in the bush. The afternoon drive starts at 4.30 PM and gives the chance to see other animals as genets, clumsy bush babies and a funny ‘verkleurmannetjie’. A stop for a sundowner drink is included while watching the sunset over the peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains and the hippos making noise in the water.
Spa & Wellness
The spa & wellness centre is surrounded by glass. This stunning newly built spa has an intimate connection with the bushveld scenery. Kapama Karula’s multipurpose library is equipped with audio-visual equipment and two internet stations with complimentary Wi-Fi for lodge guests wanting to connect to home (although high-speed WiFi is also available in the suites).
The spa offers a range of health and beauty treatments in four deluxe treatment rooms. The spa with its spectacular design and decor offers a big range of health and beauty treatments in four deluxe treatment rooms. Even for kids there is an offer. Professionals use products from Babor and Dermalogica.
When you are tempted by the detox wrap, you start with a welcome drink and briefing and get a scrub. After a shower with your preferred odour shower gel you get wrapped by algae for a deep cleansing, weight loss and general wellbeing. The scalp and food massage make you feel reborn after 60 minutes. The relaxation area boasts a pool with built-in loungers and underwater jets.
For a body workout, the fitness centre is equipped with state-of-the-art cardio and weight-lifting equipment, or you can run or walk on the treadmill or cycle on the Wattbike. For something more energetic, you can use the fitness centre.
After the morning game drive you can enjoy the extended breakfast buffet with fresh products and choose a dish from the menu. You certainly need to try the ranger breakfast.
Why Choose Kapama Karula?
Because of its stylish design, wonderful facilities and exceptional food, Kapama Karula is hands down one of the best safari lodges in South Africa. The lodge is located in the family owned and managed Kapama Private Game Reserve, which occupies a vast area between South Africa’s northern Drakensberg mountains and the Greater Kruger National Park. The reserve was established in 1986, when the late Johann Roode bought a farm called Moria near Hoedspruit.
Game viewing at the reserve is good but not as exceptional as in the private game reserves bordering the Kruger National Park with open fences like Royal Malewane or Lion Sands. The Kapama Private Game Reserve is entirely fenced in, so the animals cannot roam freely and are confined to that specific patch of land.
The best time to visit really depends on your personal preferences - nature has something to offer throughout the year. Incredible game viewing can be experienced at any time and there is not really a ‘best time of year for game viewing’. The region enjoys summer rains and dramatic thunder storms - temperatures soar into the 30s in the summer months. The vegetation is lush and verdant attracting incredible bird life while many new borns appear at this time of year.
As Kapama’s flagship lodge, Karula is a total sanctuary of relaxation, offering chic suites that feel at one with their surroundings, perhaps one of the most beautifully designed properties I’ve ever seen. Recently named the ‘Best Small & Exclusive Property - Asia, Africa, Indian Ocean & Middle East’, at the Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence 2020, Kapama Karula is one of those special places you can’t help but fall for.
One of the unique experiences the lodge offers is a delicious buffet dinner under the stars with a member of staff or your safari guide joining you for dinner. Located between the northern Drakensberg mountains and the Greater Kruger National Park, in the north-east of South Africa, you can fly from Cape Town or Johannesburg to Eastgate Airport, also known as Hoedspruit Airport from where you’ll be picked up and whisked off to your villa.
Kapama Karula: A Summary of Amenities
| Amenities | Description |
|---|---|
| Pool | Outdoor pool and lazy river with sun loungers and a poolside bar. |
| Spa | Full-service spa offering treatments from facials to hot stone massages. |
| Dining | On-site restaurant serving delicious meals, including 3-course lunch and dinner. |
| Fitness | Equipped fitness center with cardio and weight-lifting equipment. |
| Activities | Two daily game drives, bush walks, and wildlife viewing. |
| Rooms | Luxury villas with private pools, glass-wrapped suites, and stunning views. |
| Accessibility | Complimentary airport transfers from Eastgate Airport. |
Kapama is an iconic Wilderness paradise that offers renewal and reconnection to our natural world. You won’t be disappointed and will leave feeling that you got more out of it than you ever dreamed of.
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