High/Mid/Low
Rate Seasons

Above is a rough guide to seasonal rate periods for many lodges and camps, including those in Ngala, Phinda and Kirkman's Kamp.

Booking pointers

Rather than staying one or two weeks in a single lodge, I recommend reserving 2 to 4 days in a variety of them - this broadens your experience.

Friday and Saturday nights have the highest demand because many South Africans come for weekend getaways.

Reservations are also tight on South African school holidays, including during the extended Christmas period.

Tipping guidelines

I asked two managers what would be considered normal gratuities. They gave me these per-couple per-day guidelines:

Ranger = 120 Rands ($17)
Tracker = 60 Rands ($9)
Butler (if any) = 60 Rands ($9)
Staff in general = 60 Rands ($9)

Tip the ranger, tracker, and butler individually. Give the staff tip to the manager, who will distribute it.

Learn more helpful info

Page 1 - Getting there
Page 2 - When to go
Page 3 - Cost
Page 4 - Safari vehicles

Learn my other
Luxury Safari tips and insights

NGALA

Intro
Tented Safari Camp
Walking Safaris Camp
Safari Lodge

PHINDA

Intro
Forest Lodge
Getty Lodge
Mountain Lodge
Vlei Lodge
Walking Safari Camp
Rock Lodge
Zuka Lodge

MORE POINTERS

Why a luxury safari is special
What you do on a typical day
Helpful info

MORE SAFARI TIPS

Top 5 safari destinations
Kenya vs Tanzania
Top 10 safari mistakes
Big 5 safari animal list
Animal facts AND tidbits

 

Click &Beyond to visit its website

 

World's Top 100 Wonders
World's Top 1000 Wonders

Site map
My credentials
About my website and criteria
Reader testimonials