Notten's Bush Camp

Words cannot describe how nice this place was and how pampered we were. This was nestled in the heart of the Sabi Sands Conservation Levy in Kruger and was packed with wildlife. A must stay.

Nottens would be hard to pass up if/when we return to the Kruger area.

We had a great time at Notten’s. Again, the staff were so polite and kind. It was nice that Dale (a Notten’s cousin) was there to talk with us daily. The bush rides went well and we saw the Big 5, although the Cape Buffalo were being followed by 2 young male lions so we did not get to look at them very long! Thulani was our guide and we adored him. It was nice to know that some staff have worked for them for over 20 years so they must treat their staff well. The only drawback is they put so much food on each table (we really hoped it was not getting wasted after, but the staff said it was not). Maybe they used to pass all those platters of fruits and cold meats and cheeses before COVID? Also, the pool was being remodelled – finished a day or two after we left. It looks like it will be very beautiful!

The game viewing at Notten’s was amazing. Our driver and guide worked hard to show us so much. We even saw Wild Dogs and their puppies on our last morning for the perfect ending. We all definitely loved Notten’s. It was a great family place. My kids said it was their favorite trip (and we have been travelling with them for years). Great food and drink and really nice rooms. Don’t be surprised if you hear from me or some of my friends about a future visit to Africa again.

Notten's Bush Camp was the highlight of our trip. Kudos to you for booking us there. We were not expecting a bush camp to be so luxurious! They have a superb working team that anticipated our every need and ensured that we were safe and had a great experience. The food was outstanding! On our bush drives we saw all of the Big Five plus another 25-30 animals. If I could only do one thing in Africa, staying at Notten's would be it!

Nottens is a camp that has it all; excellent location, a good price matched with superb game, a variety of activities and the personalized service of an owner managed game lodge!

The highlight of our trip. The location, room, food and staff were all superb and I would recommend this to anyone.

We were extremely impressed by Notten’s as everything was perfect. Our driver was very good at spotting game and the lodge itself was incredible. We will definitely come back to Notten’s next time. Thanks so much for booking this seamless trip for us.

From the moment we arrived until the morning we left, my wife, daughter, and I were treated like royalty. Because of our failure to arrive without our luggage, my wife and I did not have the cold weather gear required for the morning drives. However, the camp's manager, Dale, provided us with jackets and a cap. Further, though we arrived just in time for the afternoon drive, he insisted we take time to eat lunch and then drove us to meet up with our vehicle for the remainder of the drive. Throughout our stay, Dale assured our comfort and provided for all our needs. He was so gracious, he never once corrected me each time I called him Daniel. This is how we found everyone who worked at the camp. They were all pleasant and made every effort to assure our needs and wants were met. As a matter of fact, my wife and daughter had a desire for mimosas one morning at breakfast. They simply asked if it were possible and it was immediately provided.
The twice daily drives were all incredible. We had experienced driver/guides. Joseph, our driver, was quite knowledgeable and had a wonderful sense of humour. One afternoon, he led my wife, daughter, and I on a walking tour which was quite informative and enjoyable. We also had an exceptional tracker/spotter, Rayden, who located animals by his knowledge. Our team took us off-road quite often to assure that we saw all that we expected and then some. We were even fortunate enough to see a leopard kill and eat a small deer. In addition to the leopard, we saw Cape buffalo, rhino, and lions. Knowing that we so wanted to see elephants, on our last drive, the morning of our departure, we were taken far south from camp so that we could see elephants. What a sight! We even got to see a baby elephant. That completed the Big Five. In addition to the Big Five, we saw numerous other mammals, birds, and reptiles. Our experience was considerably better than we expected. We were wowed!
The food was incredible, a great variety and delicious. Alcohol was included; pretty much anything we wanted. There were no electric lights. We were treated to candles, lanterns, and multiple lit fireplaces.
We don't anticipate returning to Africa anytime soon, but would not hesitate to return to this facility if/when we do. We highly recommend anyone going to South Africa on safari to consider staying at Notten's Bush Camp. It is a bit rustic in appearance (which we loved), but not short on comfort, food, and especially service.

We have a great time in Notten’s bush camp, everything was really superb.

By far the best part of the trip was on safari at Notten's Bush Camp. It was a fascinating three days there. The staff and accommodation was wonderful. It was hard to leave!

We feel so fortunate that we were able to stay at Notten’s Bush Camp. The accommodation was luxurious, and had a very authentic, genuinely African appeal. The lanterns and candles used in lieu of electricity were charming, and added immensely to the ambiance of an African safari experience. Because it was a smaller lodge, it had an intimacy that made us immediately feel at home. The staff were warm, friendly, and our host, Dale couldn’t do enough for us. In fact, at one point I commented to my husband that we didn’t have to request anything, because it was already taken care of before we even thought of it! Our tracker and driver, clearly proud of their role at Notten’s, were so knowledgable, and by the second game drive we had already seen “The Big 5”. And the food……it was delicious and very plentiful. My husband is a “foodie”, and we were never disappointed by the offerings, which were creative, varied, and elegantly displayed. We also partook in a very informative game walk and a massage on another day. We loved our stay at Notten’s, and would recommend it to anyone.

The safari part of our trip was absolutely incredible! Both of the safari lodges that we stayed at were excellent. Nottens Bush Camp has a beautiful property and we were given quite a large room to stay in. We had two bedrooms, a large bathroom, indoor and outdoor tubs and showers and two outdoor patio areas overlooking the bush. The guides, trackers, and staff were exceptional! We enjoyed having two nights without electricity and just using lanterns and candles to guide our way. It is definitely part of the charm at Nottens. We also liked the fact that dinner was served as a group and at one large table. It was a great way to meet the other guests and share stories about what we saw in the bush. The food at Nottens was also outstanding and there was always plenty of it, especially at dinner. The game drives were awesome and we saw all kinds of animals including elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, hyena, buffalo, rhino, kudo, impala, etc.

We had a wonderful time in South Africa and would love to go back someday.

All of the accommodations were exactly as expected or better, especially Nottens (loved these people!!!!)

Very relaxed and intimate atmosphere, we really liked dining with all the guests at the same table in the evenings, swapping stories and anecdotes. Our room was large and very comfortable. The staff were great and it was a real pleasure to have David Notten barbecue steaks for us in the Boma one evening whilst his wife Mia joined us for breakfast the next day. A nice personal touch which showed a genuine interest for their guests.

Our stay at Notten’s was the highlight of our trip. Dale and his team were superb and extremely welcoming. Who would have thought spending 6-7 hours a day driving around in a land rover would be quite so compelling. We saw just about everything on the wildlife front and saw all of the Big 5 within 24 hours! We were thrilled to be able to get so close to it all, including the wart hogs wandering through the camp. There was nothing to fault and I would recommend a stay at Notten’s highly.

Nottens was the best time we have experienced in our family. You can imagine our three boys who were to you young to do the bushwalk but our ranger arrange a mid-day tour and got our boys out to view a pride of 13 lions on an impala hunt where they succeded to see the lions to kill and eat 2 impalas. For our boys that will be memories for life. You should have seen there smiles when they came back.

Nottens camp was superb. Accomodation first class. Food delicious. Best of all we. Saw big 5 and lots of other animals. Trackers Thomas and Fox were the best. We felt the Nottens family were really interested in each guest especially Dale. No complaints from us.

The safari camps and game drives were an incredible experience. Loved them both. Notten’s had wonderful coziness and hospitality. Food was excellent at both places, and they both knew about me and met my dietary restrictions with no problems. At both locations we saw all of the Big 5 several times over, as well as a cheetah and a glimpse of a pack of wild dogs (in Sabi Sands), so ‘almost’ the Magnificent 7, and of course zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, and everything in between. Our wildlife photos are gorgeous.

Nottens Bush Camp was the perfect lodge for us, rustic and intimate. David and the staff were fantastic and made us feel at home. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone. We also managed to see the Big 5, many times over.