The Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge is located on the banks of the Crocodile River, just 200 meters from the Crocodile Bridge entrance gate of Kruger National Park. If you’re still deciding on whether this accommodation is the right fit for you, keep on reading for a review of the Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge.
Location
The location could not be any better! The lodge is located just 200 meters, not even a 5-minute drive, from the Crocodile Bridge park entrance! That means, you can easily be the first one in the park without too much effort.
The Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge is also located right on the Crocodile River. This provides guests with the opportunity to observe wildlife directly from the lodge. When we were there, we saw hippos, crocs, buffalos and even lions. Make sure to always have your binoculars at hand, because you truly never know what you’re going to see. Even at night, the accommodation has strong flashlights, which will help you to spot animals even when it’s dark!
As for the overall location in regards of the Kruger National Park, the lodge gives you perfect access to the southern region of the park which is teeming with wildlife. When we were visiting in June we saw lions, rhinos, giraffes and elephants all within the first 30 minutes of driving. I also need to mention that we saw all Big 5 by doing only day trips out of Crocodile Bridge.
Lastly, another important thing location wise is reachability. The Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge is easily reachable from the Mpumalanga International Airport. Ideally, you’ll rent a car there (I do NOT recommend Europcar!!!), and take the short 1h 40min drive to the lodge yourself. If you don’t plan on doing self-drive safaris, you can call the lodge in advance and they will organize a transfer for you.
Room
At Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge there are four different types of rooms. Three of those are tent style in various sizes, and one of them is a suite. We stayed at the suite, so I can only speak to that. The room was very spacious with a sleeping area, living area, a fully equipped kitchen and an outdoor terrace overlooking the park. There is bug spray in the room and a mosquito net over the bed. The room is tastefully furnished and really cozy. You will definitely feel at home here 🙂
From what I can tell by looking at the pictures, the tents are generally smaller, but otherwise also look very nice.
Food
The Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge has a really unique food concept. All guests are offered half-board during their stay, which means that breakfast and dinner are included in the room price. I need to say, that we never got to experience the breakfast, since we were usually up and in the park before breakfast. The staff do offer to make you breakfast packages though, which are not too bad and nice if you are on a budget.
Dinner however I can report was spectacular! All meals are served in a relaxed dining atmosphere with communal tables. You’ll sit together with other travelers, where you can share your photos and stories of your sightings with new friends from around the world. The food is buffet style, mainly consisting of South African-style dishes, often prepared on open fires under the starry night skies. The buffet is heavy on meat, but you’ll also find lots of vegetarian sides and there’s even dessert!
A very important remark: The lodge does not have a liquor license. Hence, you need to bring your own alcohol if you want to accompany your meals or sunset drinks with some booze!!
As for lunch, you can either pack your own lunch box or eat out at one of the rest camps in the park. If you want to bring your own food or booze, the closest supermarket to the lodge is in Komatipoort. For food you can hit up the Spar, for booze hit up the liquor store right next door.
Activities
The owners of the lodge are super well connected and they can organize any activity that you want for you! You can check out the different offers on their website here. We did the bush walk with them, which was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. The guide they work with is really phenomenal – definitely a must do activity! They will also happily schedule game drives, barbecues and many other excursions for you. Just talk to them 🙂
Amenities
The main amenity is the decently sized pool with a view of the park. However, I need to note that the pool is unheated, which means that it is not usable year-round. Besides that, the Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge is quite a simple accommodation. Once the sun sets, the main thing to do is hang out with other travelers and enjoy the sounds of the night.
There is free parking, if you also count that as an amenity.
Overall experience
Overall, we had an amazing experience! The Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge is definitely a very community-oriented lodge, where you will instantly feel welcome. The hosts are super kind and very involved, and always ready to share some of their amazing stories. The rooms are spacious and clean, the food is good, and the location is simply unbeatable! I do need to say, that it is not luxurious by any means. But I also believe that a visit to the Kruger National Park doesn’t need to be 🙂 The value for money is definitely right here. Hence, I can highly recommend this place!
Visiting Kruger National Park for the first time? Check out my tips here. I also have a post with an estimate of what you can expect to pay for a one week holiday, check it out!