Kapama Game Reserve
Days
5+
Activity Level
Easy
Host City
Hoedspruit, South Africa
From
$2,995 USD
Kapama Game Reserve
Wedged between the jagged ridges of the Blyde River Canyon and the barren bush of legendary Kruger National Park, the Kapama Private Game Reserve is the perfect place to embark on the safari of a lifetime. It’s home to the Big Five game: Lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and African cape buffalo. It’s stalked by giraffes and kudus, covering 50 square miles of wild land that oscillates between open savannah and acacia gallery woods.
Our curated adventure brings an edge of luxury to proceedings, offering guests the chance to bed down in some of the most exclusive game lodges in Limpopo province. Once you’re done spotting the wildlife, you’ll retire to spacious family villas with their very own infinity pools and access to rejuvenating spas. The experience also includes multiple jeep drives, bush walks with expert trackers and trail readers, and even the chance to sleep out under the clear, crisp African skies and stars. It’s the adventure you’ve been craving, and more.
Trip Highlights
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TRIP COST
From $2,995 USD per person
*More info. on pricing
More questions? Read more about pricing here
Start dates
Custom dates are available to explore the Kapama Game Reserve all year round.
To inquire about a custom date,
please contact us!
Duration
Standard tour options start at 5 Days / 4 Nights (can customize to any tour length)
Accommodations
Relax in comfort & luxury
*Various Options
Kapama Game Reserve Properties are all 5 Star
*Read more about your accommodations in The Kapama Game Reserve
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Easy
Primary activities:
Walking and Game Drives
*Please refer to our Trip Activity Level Guide for more information
Sample Trip Itinerary
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Itineraries include detailed descriptions of each day, tips on travel arrangements, regional highlights, and more. It’s the perfect resource to help you choose!
Day 1: Arrival and First Game Drive
After touching down in South Africa, you’ll jet across to the Hoedspruit Airport, the gateway to the Limpopo region and the iconic game reserves that straddle the lands around the Kruger National Park. It promises to be a jaw-dropping trip, offering visions of the rolling Highveld and the Blyde River Canyon from the window when the skies are clear.
You’ll be greeted at the arrivals hall and taken straight to your first accommodation in the Kapama Reserve – at around 30 minutes, the drive shouldn’t be a long one. Take some time to freshen up and change before embarking on your first game drive at 4:00 PM or 4:30 PM (depending on the season), to go searching for those initial sightings of the fabled Big Five. Dinner is included, back at the lodge.
Day 2: A Full Day in the Reserve
It’s a 5:00 – 5.30 AM start on the second day. That helps us coincide your first morning game drive with the sunrise, when there’s a much better chance of spotting big mammals like lions, nocturnal hunters like hyena, and more elusive reserve residents like bushbabies and African wild dogs. Not to worry: You can fuel up on artisan coffee, freshly brewed tea, and homemade pastries before you go!
Return to camp is at around 9:00 AM, for a full breakfast and a hard-earned R&R session by the side of the lodge pool. Lunch breaks up the day before a second game drive at 4:00 – 4.30 PM. These are usually the best for spotting fauna that’s active during the day: Zebra, kudu, elephants, rhino – the list goes on!
Day 3: An Introduction to Bush Walking
It’s boots on the ground for the morning of Day 3, as you venture by foot into the wilds of Limpopo in the company of the reserve’s seasoned game trackers. This is Kapama’s trademark bush walk, an altogether different experience of the landscape; a chance to learn the ins and outs of scent markings and spoor patterns, and to encounter the wildlife of South Africa up close.
After lunch, you’ll revert back to a standard game drive before returning to the lodge for a special evening bush dinner. It’s at once romantic and enthralling, with five-star cuisine served up to a backdrop of gnarled acacia trees and elephant-stalked woodland.
Day 4: Safari Mixed with R&R
Meet at 5:30 – 6:00 AM once again for morning espressos as the sun begins to peak above the horizon. This is your penultimate early game drive, and another chance to spot the animals that emerge with the dawn chorus.
The afternoon of Day 4 is about slowing the pace down. Back in the lodge by 9:00 AM, you’ll get a big breakfast and then ample time to enjoy the frills of the luxury lodge itself. That might mean a long session by the pool lost in a novel or a specialty treatment at the on-site spa, which include massages with African body butters and rejuvenating neroli oils.
For the evening, something unique: A chance to sleep under the stars. Guests can bed down in a four-poster on a raised platform and drift off to the ebb and flow of the swaying Kruger forests, watching as the twinkling stars appear in the night sky.
Day 5: One Last Adventure in the Bush
Day 5 might be the last day on the itinerary but it’s still packed with potential game sightings. We ensure that by rising for a final morning adventure, which allows for a full three hours of touring before breakfast. It’s your last chance to glimpse a pride of lions or a Cape buffalo in the wild, so be sure to keep the eyes peeled!
You’ll have breakfast and lunch back at the lodge as normal before being transferred back to Hoedspruit Airport to begin your journey home.
Customizing Your Kapama Game Reserve Adventure
Are you interested in another activity or destination in South Africa? Planning to spend extra time in the region, or interested in specific travel dates? No problem. As experts in tailored trip planning, we can weave your interests and your timeframe into our customizable itineraries so that every detail of your extraordinary trip unfolds precisely the way you want it to. Click the options below to learn more:
Contact us today to get started customizing your dream trip to South Africa!
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Trip Accommodations
5+ Star Accommodations
Kapama Southern Camp | Hoedspruit, South Africa
The Kapama Southern Camp is one of the flagship lodges here. As the name implies, it pokes above the savannah on the south side of the reserve, the snaking courses of the Klaserie River on the one side and fantastic game-viewing territory unfolding on the other. Options include two-person suites with vaulted thatched ceilings and sprawling family villas that can accommodate two adults and two children. The larger villas come with their own private pools, while all guests get access to a communal spa, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and souvenir shop for those take-home gifts.
Kapama Buffalo Camp | Hoedspruit, South Africa
The Buffalo Camp channels the style of the age-old explorer tentalows from yesteryear, only with a dash of serious class. The accommodation comprises 10 luxury tented cabins perched on stilts between the breeze-kissed bush willow and acacia forests. Each of them comes with freestanding Victorian baths and interiors adorned with rich local timbers and leather, spilling out onto sun-splashed deck spaces with unrivaled views over the canopies in the more forested western side of the reserve. There’s also an on-site swimming pool shrouded by the woods, big deck spaces for lounging after long game drives, and an al fresco dining area warmed by crackling campfires.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Trip Support
There is no other operator in the travel industry that will provide the same level of personal attention to your travel experience.
Personal Attention & Preparation Before Every Trip
We get very involved with our travelers before each trip by offering a series of pre-planning calls in the months and weeks before departure. This provides you with an opportunity to hear directly from us on preparation, trip experience, and training. It also gives you the platform to ask questions about any aspect of the trip. We also provide comprehensive packing lists, pre-adventure checklists, and other detailed information.
Staff Support & Logistics
We go above and beyond our competitors in handling every aspect of your trip, so that you can focus exclusively on experiencing all that South Africa has to offer. Our knowledgeable support staff takes care of the details of your in-country ground transportation, lodging, meals, tours, Kruger park fees, and activities. We’ve even scheduled a bit of free time for you to explore, relax, shop, or eat on your own.
Additional Trip Information
Check out our detailed educational content on the destinations that we explore, written by our adventure team. These articles provide a complete overview of everything that you need to explore the world with The Explorer’s Passage.
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