FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Accommodation in a Superior Suite or the Two-bedroom Family Suite (en suite bathrooms)
• Breakfast , lunch, dinner and game drive snacks, breakfast juice, tea and coffee (please note we have a set menu, not a la carte)
• WiFi (in main building and guests suites)
• Two game drives a day in open 4x4 vehicles with licensed guides.
• Guided walks instead of a morning game drive – subject to availability (age limit is 16 years and older). The walk is about 3 hours long. Guests with walking disabilities or difficulties, health problems or difficulty breathing, cannot partake in a walking safari.

• Reserve entrance (Enkhulu Gate) fees (if self-drive)
• Klaserie Conservation Levy
• Laundry
• Transfers are only available from/to Hoedspruit Airport (Charged per person, per transfer)
• Private guide and vehicle
• Personal purchases
• Personal insurance
• Guide and camp staff gratuities
• All beverages and Nespresso Capsules  - Guests can purchase from our fully stocked bar

  

Please let reservations know of any dietary requirements (food allergies, dislikes etc) prior to arriving at the lodge, as the menus are set and they do not provide a choice of e.g starters or breakfast. This way the lodge is aware beforehand and can prepare for your specific needs. We do cater for vegan, vegetarian, gluten/lactose free and food allergies, but please inform us before arrival.

We cannot give advice on this, it is best to ask a health professional. We are in a low risk malaria area but depending on rains, it varies. In the Summer months' we do suggest using mosquito spray and covering up at dusk and dawn, in Winter it is usually too cold for mosquitos, but this depends on how cold it is and whether we have had late rains or not. Additionally, the reserve sprays all buildings (including our staff accommodations) with mosquito poison, to keep the numbers down and our guests rooms have a mosquito plugin with anti mosquito tabs that can be inserted. We do NOT have mosquito nets over our beds, but all windows have mosquito netting! We ask guests to also keep the mosquito screens and doors closed at all times in their suites. There is an App you can download called "Malaria buddy"

Our rooms have mosquito nets on the windows, not over the beds. In Winter months’ there are generally no mosquitoes and in Summer we suggest bringing and using mosquito repellent regularly, especially at dusk and dawn. The rooms have air-conditioning and a fan, which can help deter mosquitos, as they do not like the cold and cannot fly in a strong wind. Our rooms also have mosquito repellent devices, which are plugged into the wall and have a tab that is inserted.

The main route most people use is via Dullstroom, but it does have a section with potholes (which means slow and careful driving), the other alternative is via Magoebaskloof. It is longer in Kilometres, but takes about the same time as you can drive faster, there are no potholes and there is space to overtake most of the way. Please do not go via Nelspruit, as this will take much longer! The Dullstroom route is more touristy (after you turn off in Belfast, it gets nicer and takes you through a tunnel and past some African craft stalls!). Also, Dullstroom is a nice small town to stop for lunch or coffee, it has loads of little shops and nice restaurants and cafés. One place people like to stop at is "Harry's Pancakes", which has pancakes in all varieties!!! When leaving JHB very early in the morning, there can be bad fog around the Witbank (eMalahleni ) area in the early mornings! Magoesbaskloof is also nice, as it takes you over a forested mountain top with winding roads. A nice place to stop is on top of the mountain in Haenertsburg, a small village with tiny shops and cafes, the Blueberry farm, which serves delicious food or at Magoesbaskloof Hotel, which has a great view of the mountains. This route is less touristy than Dullstroom, but it does take you through a huge township area, which is not very pretty. It is best to avoid this area on Fridays (JHB to Magoebaskloof) or Sundays (Magoebaskloof to JHB) or holidays, as a lot of people living in the area travel this route to go home from JHB or to church on weekends and holidays! You can use your GPS up until Hoedspruit, from there rather follow the directions we have on this website, as the GPS can take you the wrong way!

Our lodge can be reached in a normal vehicle (unless there is extreme rain), a 4x4 is not required.

Road – Approximately:

• 45 minutes from Hoedspruit (+/- 33 km)

• 6 hours drive from Bryanston, Johannesburg (+/- 500 km)

• 3 hours from Nelspruit (+/- 179 km)

• 2 hours from Orpen gate, Kruger NP (+/- 82 km)

• 1.5 - 2 hours from Phalarborwa gate, Kruger NP (+/- 115 km)

• 1.5 hours from Tzaneen (+/- 156 km)

We are part of the greater Kruger, which means our reserve is open to and adjacent to the Kruger National Park. This means that we have the same animals as the Kruger and that these animals can roam freely between the two, however humans can’t. There is a strict policy that you have to exit the Kruger at an official entry gate and then enter our reserve through our gate. This is for anti-poaching reasons and also because our reserve and the Kruger, have their separate entry fees. The Klaserie Private Nature Reserve is approximately 62 000 hectares. We use the same entry gate (Enkhulu gate) as our neighbour, the Timbavati Reserve.

One of the biggest differences is that within Kruger, people can drive their own vehicles. This means that you have tostay on the roads and cannot drive off-road at all, there are closing times for the gates within Kruger, so you cannot drive in the dark and have to ensure you get to your accommodation or out of the Kruger before their set closing times. Due to people being able to self-drive in Kruger, there may be lots of traffic, especially in South African school holidays and at animal sightings, this could mean not seeing much at sightings, as there are long queues of cars blocking the view or the way past.

  

In our reserve, we are allowed to drive off-road and in the dark, with professional guides driving, who know how to track animals in the bush and can give you incredible knowledge on individual animals, birds, insects and plants. These guides are all in radio contact with each other, so that they can communicate their sightings to each other, increasing your chances of seeing as much as possible, close up.

Please check on the map, where you are in Kruger, before driving all the way through the Kruger to our lodge, as it can take far too long, with a driving limit of 50Kmh and the possibility of stopping for animals and traffic. The closest gates to us leaving Kruger are Phalaborwa Gate (1.5 – 2 hours’ drive) and Orpen Gate (2 hours’ drive). If you are further north or south of these gates, please rather exit the Kruger at your nearest Kruger exit gate and rather make your way on the R40 to our lodge! You then enter our reserve at the Timbavati & Klaserie (Enkhulu) gate. Guests have missed their afternoon drive on their arrival dates and almost gotten lost in the dark, due to making the mistake of trying to drive through the Kruger park to get to us!

All of our Suites have wheelchair access, so does our main building. The Superior suites are best to book for guests in wheelchairs, as they also have large bathroom, toilet and shower access.

For guests with walking disabilities, please ask reservations to book you into a Superior Suite closest to the main building. The Family Suite is not ideal, as it is farthest away from the main areas.

Game drives are conducted in open Land Rovers with professional senior guides, who know how to track animals and have great knowledge to share with their guests. We try to have maximum 6 guests per vehicle, but if one of our vehicles are in for repairs, we may have 8 guests on a vehicle. Should you wish to have a vehicle to yourself, please book a private guide and vehicle in advance with reservations, this is at an additional cost. We offer two game drives a day, afternoon/evening drives and early morning drives, which are at set times. These times vary, depending on winter or summer, as the sun sets and rises at different times in these two seasons. Our afternoon drives start off in the late afternoon with a short sundowner stop in the bush and then ends in the dark, so you do get a bit of a night drive, the morning drives start early in the morning with a short tea/coffee stop in the bush. Please bring a warm windproof jacket with, especially in Winter, as it will be very cold when the sun sets or early mornings, especially as the wind from driving in open vehicles adds to the cold! In Summer it is good to have a hat and sunscreen, as it gets very hot in our area and you can burn easily! The game viewers do not have a roof, so you will be in the full sun! Please see DAILY LODGE ACTIVITIES for estimated times. Our area has the Big 5, as well as rare sightings of cheetah, wild dog and other animals!

Guided walks can be undertaken instead of our morning game drives. These must ideally be pre-booked, as not all of our guides are qualified to do walks, so it is subject to availability. 

The age limit is 16 years and older. The walk is about 3 hours long. 

Guests with walking disabilities or difficulties, health problems or difficulty breathing, cannot partake in a walking safari.

We currently do not have spa facilities at our lodge. Should you like to book a spa treatment, we do have therapists in the area, who will come to the lodge to do a treatment for you in the privacy of your own spacious suite! Please ask the managers at the lodge for information and prices on this!

  

Nelspruit, Skukuza and Phalaborwa are the next closest airports to us. Nelspruit is about 3.5 hours, Skukuza almost 3 hours and Phalaborwa about 1.5 - 2 hours’ drive.

You can book a transfer with any of these companies:

Seasons in Africa: transfers@seasonsinafrica.com 

Thula Seats: reservations@thulaseats.co.za 

GAP Tours: info@gaptours.co.za 

Sable Tours: res@sabletours.co.za

Any additional costs and other personal costs such as gratuities can be paid in cash or by Credit Card at the lodge.

res@baobabridge.com or Book online

Mastercard and Visa accepted

manager@baobabridge.com

Cell: 073 887 8448 (Reception is limited, so please send an sms / text message and we will get back to you)

If the flight to Hoedspruit Airport is too pricy, you can book a shuttle transfer with Ashton’s Transfers: reservations@ashtonstours.com They collect from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport and the closest drop off for our lodge is The Bush Pub & Inn. The drive takes about 6 hours with two stops en route. 

The lodge managers also offer to collect guests from the Bush Pub and Inn, this is paid in cash on arrival. Please let reservations know if you would like to book this!

View our Activities page for all details

There are only 6X SUPERIOR SUITES & 1 X TWO-BEDROOM FAMILY SUITE (Our lodge sleeps maximum 16 guests!)

Superior Suite details (x6)

• Suites on raised decks with private terrace and outside table and 2 chairs

• En-suite bathroom facilities: shower, bath, 2x hand basins, bidet and toilet

• Three prong SA Plug points for charging equipment (Two prong plug station in lounge- main building)

• Small safe for small valuables

• Bedside lamps

• Desk with mirror and hairdryer

• Open plan lounge with 2 loungers, a side table, fridge (mini bar only on request), tea and coffee making facilities

Two-bedroom Family Suite details (x1)

• Suite is on raised deck with private terrace and outside table and 4 chairs

• 1x Bedroom with en suite bathroom (1x double bed)

• 1x Bedroom with en suite bathroom (2x Single beds) suitable for children age 6-12, not 2 adults

• En-suite bathrooms: shower, hand basin and toilet

• Three prong SA Plug points for charging equipment (Two prong plug station in lounge- main building)

• Small safe for small valuables (In double-bedded room only)

• Bedside lamps

• Desk with mirror and hairdryer (In double-bedded room only)

• Lounge area with 2 loungers, a side table, fridge (mini bar only on request), tea and coffee making facilities

(This suite is furthest away from the main building, with smaller rooms and bathrooms)

• Main Building: small board room (upstairs), bar and lounge area with DSTV (satellite television), free Wi-Fi, outdoor terraces, guest toilets, dining room and office.

• Evening lodge fire in Boma with BBQ area for dinners under the stars (weather permitting)

• Pool and viewing deck, overlooking small waterhole

• Wheel chair friendly Superior Suites and main building access

• This lodge is enclosed with a low lying Gallagher electric fence (with back-up battery) and a steel cable perimeter fence. The fence does keep most large animals out, it is however possible for snakes, scorpions and leopard to get in!

Each Suite and the main building have air-conditioning units. The units are currently connected to Eskom power. We ask you to please close all windows and doors when they are in use. Should any doors or windows be left open while they are running, the Suites will not cool down easily and an unnecessary amount of electricity will be used. 

Please also do not have the temperature below 21 degrees, as this will make the unit freeze internally and break down.

Please do not allow your children to be around the pool area unaccompanied. The use of the pool is at your own risk. 

The pool area has a great view of our waterhole, where you may get to see animals such as elephant, antelope and birds up close! We have also had lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, porcupine, honey badger and hyena sightings, especially at night! 

This of course also depends on how quiet or noisy the area is, as most animals will only come if they feel safe. Our wonderful new pool deck area has ample space to relax and enjoy the views of the mountains in the distance!

Please let reservations know if you have any special occasions while with us, such as your honeymoon, anniversary or a birthday! We will let the lodge staff know and they will arrange something special for you.

The lodge is enclosed with a low lying Gallagher electric fence (with back-up battery) and a steel cable perimeter fence. 

The fence does keep most large animals out, it is however possible for snakes, scorpions and leopard to get in! Please bring along a small torch, to help you when walking between buildings at night. You can also ask management to walk with you at night, should you feel uneasy. 

Most guests walk on their own and feel very safe within the lodge grounds.

We do have free parking within the lodge grounds.

• The lodge runs mainly on Solar power. As a backup it is connected to Eskom and has a 100KvA Volvo Generator

• Plug points are available in each Suite; please bring charging units and adaptors. (We have South African 3 prong plugs

• The lodge has its own borehole for fresh water supplies and 22 500 litre water storage capacity. The water has a high lime consistency; therefore, we filter it all and then have drinking water taps in each Suite, the bar and the kitchen; which is filtered a second time.

• Children from 6 years old are welcome. When the lodge is booked exclusively, children of all ages are welcome.

• Babysitting must please be requested well in advance and is charged at ZAR50 (approx. 5USD) an hour per babysitter

• Guests are responsible for the safety of their own children whilst at the lodge, please do not let them run around unaccompanied around the pool area, the upstairs area and the outside areas of the lodge, especially at night! (The fence does keep most large animals out, it is however possible for snakes, scorpions and leopard to get in!)

We do have a laundry service but it is not included in the rate.  We can only do one day’s worth of clothing a day, as we now run on solar.  The rate is R100 per kilogram for any laundry done.  

Any additional costs and other personal costs such as gratuities can be paid in cash or by Credit Card at the lodge.

Tipping at own discretion. Suggested guideline is ZAR 100 (approx. 10USD) per guest, per day for general lodge staff (this is then divided equally), and ZAR 100 (approx. 10USD) per guest, per day for the guide.

The Greater Kruger National Park is South Africa's premier safari destination: it's the largest wildlife conservancy in Africa, set in one of the most accessible yet unspoilt wilderness areas in South Africa. It encompasses the Kruger National Park and a number of adjoining private reserves which share unfenced boundaries with the park; including Sabi Sand, Timbavati, Klaserie and Balule Game Reserves.

Established in 1969 and officially proclaimed in 1972, Klaserie Game Reserve shares unfenced borders with Kruger National Park, yet is completely privately-run. Klaserie is very involved in all aspects of nature conservation. Covering over 60 000 hectares of pristine wilderness, it is one of the largest private reserves in South Africa. 

Klaserie offers a tranquil, private and unhurried safari experience. Guest numbers are kept to a minimum and lodges are small and intimate.

Klaserie Game Reserve is 100% private, run by an executive committee that is passionate about conservation. 

It is host to The Ground Hornbill Project, sponsored by The Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology and directed by Professor Phil Hockey. It's also involved in: "Save the Elephants" project founded by Dr Ian Douglas Hamilton and the "Tembo" project which studies buffalo.

Klaserie hosts a highly successful Children’s Environmental Training Program (CET), which assists in educating the children from the local community. The focus is on the environment and the importance of conservation, naturally. www.ecochildren.co.za

manager@baobabridge.com

Cell: 073 887 8448 (Reception is limited, so please send an sms / text message and we will get back to you)