Boutique Luxury Safari Lodge
Location: Klaserie, Greater Kruger, South Africa
Style: Boutique safari lodge
Budget: £££
Perched above the plains of Klaserie Private Game Reserve, Baobab Ridge offers a boutique luxury lodge and some of Kruger National Park’s finest game viewing. With expert guides tracking the Big Five through the bush and luck on your side you’re in for a chance of some breathtaking wildlife encounters. After your game drives, relax by the pool soaking up the African sunshine with a glass of wine in hand, and you may even catch sight of a resident warthog or elephant coming by to drink at the neighbouring waterhole.
Game Drives at Baobab Ridge
Every game drive is different and special is its own way. We learnt more about the bush and saw new and exciting things each time we went out with our safari guide, David. Below we’ve talked about our experiences exploring Klaserie game reserve however what you see could be completely different.
Five minutes into our very first drive we were exceptionally lucky to come across a once in a lifetime viewing – two leopards with a fresh steenbok kill. The relationship between the two was not entirely clear, likely to either be mother and daughter or sisters, as leopards are typically solitary animals and seeing two together is rarely heard of.
The highlight of our time at Baobab Ridge, we watched the drama unfold as hyenas arrived at the kill site with the leopard dragging the remainder of her dinner up the tree to safety. After venturing out into the bush for a few hours, we passed by on our way back to Baobab in the dark and the leopards were still up in the tree. A group of five hyenas had now gathered, all asleep below, waiting for their chance for a sneaky morsel.
After hearing the lions roaring from neighbouring Timbavati game reserve on our first night, another amazing sighting during our game drives were the pride of lions that David discovered after an hour or so of tracking them through the bush. Almost completely hidden alongside a dry riverbed, a pride of eight lions shaded themselves from the strong sunshine. No mature male (ie. one with a dark, shaggy mane like Mufasa) was present, instead there were four younger males with the pride, possibly a result of a breakup of an older pride. The lions were unperturbed by our presence and could barely keep their eyes open, David spotted tracks suggesting they’d been chasing a water buffalo that had (for now) gotten away from them!
If one leopard sighting wasn’t enough, after leaving the lions, we stumbled upon another ‘ingwe’ moving swiftly through the bush, seemingly on the lookout for breakfast. Another somewhat rare viewing, given leopards are more often seen lazing among the branches. This male leopard stalked and rather comically failed to pick up an unassuming bird, before slinking into the undergrowth beyond.
Aside from these incredible moments with the big cats, we spotted many more awesome animals including all of the Big Five, a jackal, zebra, giraffe and some beautiful birds. We also saw an adorable baby elephant coming with his mother to drink at the watering hole.
Staying at Baobab Ridge
Comprising of only seven rooms, your stay at Baobab Ridge safari lodge will feel like the most private and luxurious of adventures. Like any safari camp, life revolves around the morning and afternoon game drives, whilst also providing you with a haven to relax in whilst not out in the bush.
When you arrive at the camp you will immediately be struck by the grand pillared entrance leading into the main central lodge, the central hub for all meals and game drives. Within the lodge is a tastefully decorated lounge area, dotted around with local artwork and photos of the area, the main dining room where breakfast and lunch is served, as well as the wood panelled honesty bar. Fronted by floor to ceiling windows and French doors, providing views across the gardens towards the bush, the lodge is a perfect place to relax with a glass of wine and let time pass you by.
In front of the lodge follow the path to the boma, an impressive traditional structure with a wooden fence surrounding the fire, and further on to the lodge’s pool and decking area.
The raised decking area has been beautifully designed with a canopy, day beds and sofas dotted around, giving you plenty of space to chill out after the morning game drive. A small plunge pool allows for a refreshing dip to cool off when the African sunshine gets too hot, and there’s a fridge to store that all important glass of wine. In front of the deck lies a watering hole, so keep your eyes peeled when lazing around as you never know which animal might come up for a midday drink!
Six of the boutique lodges are designed for two, with one family sized lodge available meaning there will never be more than 16 people staying at Baobab Ridge. All the rooms are dotted around the main camp with views into the bush and beyond, built in traditional wooden style with a sweeping veranda around the outside. The interior of the lodges are generously sized with large living and sleeping areas and bathroom, with a very inviting looking free-standing bathtub (crucial!).
Dining at Baobab Ridge
All meals at Baobab Ridge are served outside, making the most of their excellent views and lovely South African sunshine. You can enjoy breakfast and lunch on the veranda of the main lodge, and curl up around the roaring boma at dinner time.
On return from the morning game drive tuck into a hearty breakfast, typically made up of a buffet starter of cereals, fruits, cheese and charcuterie followed by a daily main, such as omelette or filled croissant. Lunch is also a buffet affair, served just before the evening game drive, providing a perfectly light meal. Dishes on offer include chicken skewers, fresh tomatoes and pesto, chicken and broccoli lemon pasta alongside a selection of bread and salads.
After the evening game drive, and a few glasses of wine to warm up, everyone comes together around the boma for dinner. Watch the stars sparkle overhead as the staff serve up three courses of traditional homely cuisine.
In case three meals aren’t enough, during both your morning and afternoon game drives snacks are provided on a refreshment break in the bush, the biltong and spicy corn are delicious!
Key Information about Baobab Ridge
What are the Baobab Ridge rates?
Deluxe lodges at Baobab Ridge cost between ZAR 9,000 (£475) and ZAR 11,200 (£600) per night, dependent on the season, based on two people sharing. The family suite costs between ZAR 15,700 (£815) and ZAR 19,600 (£1020) and can sleep upto two adults and two children. Larger groups, up to 16, can choose to hire out the entire safari lodge for exclusive use.
Nightly rates include your own luxury bush lodge, two game drives a day (usually sharing a vehicle with no more than six guests) and all meals and drinks including a range of South Africa beers and wines.
Additional costs payable on departure from Baobab Ridge lodge are the Klaserie bed levies (ZAR 250 per person) and Klaserie conservation levies (ZAR 115 per person, per night). These levies go towards upkeep of the reserve and anti-poaching efforts.
What can you see on a Baobab Ridge safari?
Of course all wildlife viewings are entirely down to chance. There are no fences within the Klaserie reserve or neighbouring Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest nature reserves and a stronghold for the Big Five, meaning the animals can wander about as they please. The benefit however of being within Klaserie as supposed to Kruger is that the safari guides can go off-track for the best viewing spots or to track animals whereas in Kruger vehicles must stick to the road.
To increase your chances of incredible wildlife sightings, several safari lodges within Klaserie share radio communications meaning that if there are any sightings, particularly those of the rare and majestic big cats, these are shared between vehicles so that everyone gets a chance to see them. All the guides at Baobab Ridge are also expert trackers and you’ll often catch them looking down in the sand to spot any paw prints that may lead to a big cat.
During our time at Baobab Ridge we were lucky to see the Big Five, including a rare sighting of two leopards with a kill. One of the other vehicles spotted a rare pangolin during a night drive, and the week before we arrived at Baobab they had a large pack of wild dogs denning nearby making for amazing sightings.
What is a typical day staying at Baobab Ridge like?
Mornings whilst on safari always start rather early, but like the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm, or in this case perhaps a leopard out hunting! The first game drives leave Baobab Ridge lodge between 5am and 6:30am depending on the season, shortly after the sun has risen above the plains. Drives last around three hours, as guides trawl the bush searching for the elusive big cats with a pit-stop for tea and biscuits mid-morning.
Shortly after returning from the morning game drive, breakfast is served out on the terrace and the rest of the morning is yours to spend as you wish. Park yourself beside the swimming pool with a good book and binoculars to spot any wildlife coming to the watering hole, or retire to your room for a nap.
A light lunch is served around 2pm, with the second game drive departing at 4pm for a few more hours seeking out the Big Five. Mid-way through the afternoon drive, sundowners are served out in the bush alongside some delicious snacks to keep you going until dinner. With the latter half of the drive spent in darkness, your guide will be looking out for green eyes in the darkness trying to find big cats on the prowl.
Back at the lodge for the night, regale stories of your game drives with fellow travellers at the bar before heading to the boma for a three course dinner. With an early start the next morning most people make their way to bed before 10pm, although with an open bar you’re more than welcome to stay up enjoying their South African wines.
What is the best way to get to Baobab Ridge?
Baobab Ridge is located within Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, part of Greater Kruger. The closest airport is Hoedspruit, a short 30-45 minute drive to the safari lodge. There are several daily flights to Hoedspruit from both Johannesburg (1 hour) and Cape Town (2.5 hours), although double check your luggage allowance on these flights as they tend to be quite small planes! You can also fly to Nelspruit, Kruger’s official airport, a 3-4 hour drive from Klaserie reserve.
By road Baobab Ridge is a 6-7 hour drive from Johannesburg. You can choose to self drive or make an online booking via one of Baobab’s recommended transfer companies, these also offer transfers from many of the airport listed above.
If driving heed Baobab’s warning not to follow GPS (it was leading us astray!) and instead follow the detailed Baobab Ridge directions off their website. There is a gate fee (currently ZAR 120 per vehicle) at the Klaserie/Timbavati gate which you’ll need to have cash for.
Our final thoughts on... Baobab Ridge
Out of all our safari adventures in South Africa, we had the most amazing wildlife sightings at Baobab Ridge. Although this is partly due to luck, David’s tracking skills were also definitely a factor! With the lovely decking area overlooking the watering hole (where we spent most of our downtime) and small group game drives Baobab Ridge offers guests luxury beyond the reasonable price tag. Guests return time after time for the homely and cosy environment staff have created here.
Find Out More…
Baobab Ridge – http://www.baobabridge.com
Explore more from Kruger and South Africa.
Many thanks to Baobab Ridge for hosting us during our time in South Africa. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely our own, we wouldn’t recommend something if we didn’t love it!
