Kapama Karula

We were absolutely blown away by the site and quality of service! Kapama Karula upgraded us into a luxury suite complete with our own pool. It would be hard to imagine any place that could ever possibly provide better accommodations, food, and person al service. The over-night sleep out was a unique experience. The game viewing at Kapama was also good - we were able to watch young lion cubs, rhino and elephants for a long periods of time because of the exclusivity of the lodge.

"What a gorgeous place! The rooms are just wonderful. Great tracker and guide - we saw all the Big 5 and had a magical experience of being surrounded by a large herd of elephants, including babies, walking right by our jeep."

"Kapama Karula stole the show - we could go back there every year."

Thank you again for your recommendation. I rate my experience 5 stars, and am only sorry that I could not spend another day there. Everything went right, perhaps because I did not know what to expect. When I arrived (and transfers are great from hoed spruit and add to the adventure) Sharon the manager on duty greeted me and went over my schedule and told me I had been upgraded to a suite – which was gorgeous and beautifully designed overlooking the river. She went over my schedule and told me that the elephant interaction might be repetitive with the actual safari ride and offered to refund my money or look at alternatives such as the spa or the endangered species. I chose the endangered species centre and am very happy that I did so- I learned so much! (I chose to distribute my refund among the staff who had taken such good care of me.) She went over my diet preferences and asked if it were satisfactory to have fish cooked in aluminium foil at the boma that night, which it was. My suite was gorgeous- I had an assigned butler, Lewis, but the entire staff looked after me. The second night, the cook came out to check that everyone was enjoying their meals. I skipped high tea but enjoyed the coffee breaks and sundowners on the safari. My safari drives were superb and provided the big 5 and 3 of the little five- the buffalo weaver, the leopard tortoise and the rhinoceros beetle (actually that showed up at the boma!) The ranger was Julius and the tracker was Nicholas, and I cannot imagine a better team to introduce me to the wonders of the bushveld. Julius explained that we were assigned a different sector each ride, and so we never knew what we would discover. He and Nicholas would confer over tracks they saw, and I admired their teamwork. We had wonderful encounters with giraffes and zebras and water buffalos and rhinos and those incredible elephants. Our team taught us the patience to watch a lion so that we could watch him wake, walk and then roar his dominance over his territory. The view of different herbivores grazing peacefully in the same area. My second night safari brought the glimpse and pursuit of a leopard, hippos on land, and a trio of lionesses crossing the road in front of the lodge gate. I thank Kapama for making my safari magical. I must add that I was fortunate that the couple with whom I shared the vehicle were delightful, and I ate several meals with them. The elephant back safari is wonderful-and I loved riding on Lundi and watching her mischievous son Mambo taking shortcuts. Camp Jabulani provided that extra depth to my adventure. I did not mind the fences or the power lines- if it didn’t bother the animals why should it bother me. My fellow guests and I joked that the sound of the ‘go away bird’ that stayed by the entrance was so inappropriate, since we felt so welcome. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Kapama Karula took our collective breath away. the elephant encounter and the cheetah rehab, those are 2 experiences that will stay with all of us forever and continue to feed our appreciation for wildlife. The food was 5-star it was exquisite. Game viewing was exceptional.

"Each lodge, although very different was an awesome experience. Kapama was the ultimate in contemporary luxury....the guides were great, the staff was very friendly and the food was delicious."

"Our trip went extremely well. Thank you for arranging the accommodation for us. We enjoyed Kapama, Table Bay and Spier a lot. South Africa is such a beautiful country - both the safari trip and the Cape Town visit far exceeded our expectation."

About the most beautiful place I have ever stayed. The room was simply exquisite. Staff friendly and helpful. Food superb. Our Ranger, Don, was knowledgeable, friendly, courteous and fun. He is one of the highlights of the trip. Loved the evening c ocktail on the afternoon drive. Animal sightings incredible and many, many more that I ever imagined. Nature walk a special event.

Kapama Karula - Extremely luxurious. Our Ranger Don was outstanding, he rushed us around the reserve to try to get to all of the best sightings. Don went above and beyond, even taking us on bush walks despite bush walks not being explicitly offered by the lodge. The food here was extremely fancy - the presentations was always 5-star, but we wouldve liked it to be a little simpler, we didnt want to eat extremely rich sauces and purees for every meal. That being said, it was still quite good. I think we thought Karula felt more modern, posh, and luxurious. As far as the reserves and sightings, we thought Kapama had a lot more animals,we saw tons of giraffes and antelope (as well as lions, elephants, etc) at Kapama

"Many thanks for helping us with Kapama, we had a great time!"

"Fantastic experience at Kapama Karula. The safaris were amazing, the place was beautiful, the food wonderful and the service was awesome too."