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Reviews of Nkambeni Safari Camp

3 out of 5
Nkambeni Safari Camp
Numbi Gate Kruger National Park, Mbombela, Mpumalanga

Reviews

8.4

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 16 out of 52 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 28 out of 52 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 6 out of 52 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 52 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 52 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

BC

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Stephane

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
-
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2023

6/10 Okay

Salla

Travelled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Very average
Very average and therefore overpriced. Fine for a one night stay but there are also nicer options which cost the same or are cheaper. Dining facilities lack any charm. Train tracks very close and you can hear the trains. Tents located very close to each other as well. Staff was friendly and helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Kimberly

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This camp is a great stay. People mention parking and the train and the noise from neighboring tents … this is just a small inconvenience for the price of the property and location of it within the national park fence perimeter- but outside the gate where the conservation fee needs to be paid. International cost is $30 per person and doesn’t matter when you enter and is open 6a-6p. We stayed in tents 9, 17,18,19 & 75. Our first 4 face the park so you will see animals pass in front of your door / porch. Approx half the tents face the park and the other half face the interior of the camp. The trains move slowly maybe twice a day past the camp area - it this is outside the fenced park. Some guests are quiet and some louder … so you may or may not hear them next to you. Parking is at the bottom of 2 paths up to the tents … there is an area to drop bags off if you have a tent ar the farthest away area of the reception. There are golf carts so you can ask for help getting your bags far also I have seen. My family all agree we would return ! Pool looks nice / but not warm enough to use while here. The watering hole in the park is fun to watch - hippos always has been there. Elephants come and go almost daily. Cute bar with reasonable prices. Bartenders have always been friendly. Buffets always good. Lunch is alacart & typical in the park Friday night was outside with local entertainment. Enjoy !
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2021

8/10 Good

Angelene

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

8/10 Good

MJ

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nkambeni adventure
It was very pleasant
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021

6/10 Okay

Johan Robins

Travelled with family
Disliked: Room comfort
Good Camp - Needs some polish
Nkambeni Safari Camp has the makings of good place to stay. The positives are good food and management that are willing to help. Negatives are tents very close to each other and as such can be noisy at night. I would think the management need to consider a noise curfew after 22h00. The train passing by is also noisy, but there is not much that can be done about that. Parking is by reception and it is a hike to get to your tent. Porters are available but during our stay they were either too busy or nowhere to be found. I really suggest that management get a few golf carts to assist guest with their luggage. The restaurant area is great and food is generally good. The restaurant staff was a hit and miss affair. Some were great and some terrible to the point where they ignore you. This being a high occupancy camp, more than 150 tents, it seemed that restaurant staff were overwhelmed at times. Management should consider training to sharpen up this side of things. Reception and security staff were fantastic. On site amenities are limited, but then I think this more a stop over for those wanting to explore Kruger. Value for money in considering what other lodges charge in the area. With a few tweaks it can be great camp to stay at. Management was very willing and great in addressing our concerns and questions. Keep this up please.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021

8/10 Good

Zidesh

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good service & hospitality
Good service at this hotel especially the catering staff
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2021

8/10 Good

Roith

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Kruger view
Right on the boundary to the Kruger, with a watering hole (with hippos) just outside. Fantastic location, well maintained property. Neat and tidy, well run. Food was good and staff very friendly. Enjoyed our stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020

8/10 Good

Doreen

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
CONVENIENT BUDGET ACCOMMODATION
The camp is located just inside Numbi gate: from the lodge to the main gate is a short 3km drive. The cabins are compact, clean and comfortable and the staff very friendly. The food was very tasty and there was enough variety. There is very limited wifi allocation to be used in the main building only, but with the camp being so spread out, this is understandable. The tents are about 10 metres apart but it is possible to hear people snoring in the adjacent tent and the railway track is closeby too so this might be an issue for light sleepers. We did not find it onerous to complete the forms every day upon entry into the park. Given the time of year, the animals were very scarce but we had rare and magnificent sightings every day we went out. We would definitely return and recommend Nkambeni to others.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Sean on 19 Feb,2020
Dear Doreen Thank you for your review and for choosing Nkambeni Safari Camp. I will be sure to let our staff how much of an impact they made on your experience. I do apologize for the limited WiFi. We are going to upgrade it very soon so that the entire camp will be covered with unlimited access. I am looking forward to having you stay at Nkambeni again. Warm Regards Sean Ward General Manager

10/10 Excellent

Jan

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Our stay was
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from Sean on 19 Feb,2020
Dear Jan Thank you for your review Sean Ward General Manager Nkambeni Safari Camp

8/10 Good

David, New York

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Package holiday hotel- good overall, but not recommended for individual travelers. Loud groups take over the restaurant and amenities. Also close to railway line: train spotters will be delighted, but less so the traveler looking to get away from it all. I’d give it a 6 rating.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

6/10 Okay

David

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great spot but needs renovation badly
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

4/10 Poor

conrad

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
No bush experience!!
This place only cater for tour groups, and they also say so! If you think you going to listen to lion, jackals and hiena at night DON'T go there. All you hear is tour groups partying till midnight, the tent next to yours aircon and trains passing by Would not recommend for self drive bush lovers Only positive is the friendly staff!!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
location was good, staff very good but no tv in reception area and WiFi issue , you only get 150mb free . And they advertise Free WiFi. Bit pricey for what it is
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The place is very well organized. There are a lot of options for safaris. The bufé for the breakfast and dinner is very good. I have enjoyed my time there. Very recomendable.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Anneke

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Ramonkung

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property is in the park, the staff was great, breakfast and dinner was great
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Nkambeni team on 15 Apr,2019
Good Afternoon Thank you for your feedback,Its great to learn that your stay was enjoyable and we hope to see you soon again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing stay
The camp is situated next to a watering hole and has amazing views. Both the dinner and breakfast buffets were absolutely amazing. Only drawback is that although the camp is situated within the Kruger Park, it is only through the first gate and not the main gate at Numbi. We wanted to go into Kruger Park for an early morning drive, but Nkambeni's gates only open at 06h00. When we arrived at Numbi gate the queue of cars was very long, whereafter I stood in a queue for 30 minutes in order to purchase a day pass (the other day visitors with pre-booked day passes also took forever to enter). It may be practical for Nkambeni to arrange day passes for its visitors as this really is the only negative and inconvenience and will really add to an already wonderful experience.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

BK & family, Singapore

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice camp with nice food
The camp is up to our expectation with the rate, but we were disappointed that can't see all the big 5 during the whole day game drive. The shower facility is not suitable to bath young kids as there is no flexi water pipe.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2017

8/10 Good

Katty

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cozy tents
The camp was absolutely lovely to stay. We were here for 2 nights and everything was great. Dinner our second night was awesome. It was outside with a big fire and BBQ. Daphanie at the gate was such a joy to see everyday, so cheerful. The only downfall is that obviously tents are not soundproof and most of the people staying are going on early morning safari tours and you will hear them all if you're planning on sleeping in. Also the cleaning ladies are very loud... They shout in conversation to each other from the tents at 6:30am... It was very unfortunate to try and sleep through such loud chatter. Other than that the location is great and the tents are very comfortable and cozy.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean and Cool
Stayed 3 nights and had great time self-driving through Kruger Park. Saw all of the big 5!

8/10 Good

Ezekiel Nghachane, Mkhuhlu Hazyview Ezekiel Mkhabela

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We experienced a nice getaway for my birthday
It was awesome,more especially on midnight of the 31st December 2015

8/10 Good

Lorinda, RSA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent value for money
Nkambeni is really good value for money. Tents are comfortable with Aircons. The private outdoor showers are wonderful. The food is good but pretty much the same every night. Breakfast spread is good. We had a wonderful full day game drive. Was a fantastic experience. Will definitely visit Nkambeni again and will recommend to all my friends. Staff friendly and very helpful.

10/10 Excellent

Jurgen, Pretoria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Unexpected Safari experience
Friendly staff, good food. A real outdoor experience in a bit of luxury. Will go back for another stay. Ideal stopover when visiting the Kruger National Park. Close to Numbi Gate.

8/10 Good

Jill, Sydney, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Second visit. Notable improvements.
We loved the setting on our first visit enough to return. New management in last couple of years are really having a good impact.

10/10 Excellent

Clemens, Vienna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great wildlife experience
We could see hippos and elephants just outside of the fenced hotel.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
not bad at all
great service freindly staff food could be better with more variety and maybe cater more for the kids as well

6/10 Okay

Rob, Tzaneen

Liked: Staff & service
Great location, lots of potential
Nkambeni is good, and has huge potential to be excellent with a bit more attention to detail.

8/10 Good

Mata Hari, Benoni, South Africa

Cheap and Cheerful
If you go to Nkambeni expecting the 5 star luxury you may find at other private concessions in Kruger you are in for disappointment. This lodge provides exactly "what it says on the tin" - a three star lodge. The accommodation is possibly a smidge nicer than the Kruger facilities for not much more - and the fact that breakfast and dinner were included was an extra bonus. The tents were okay - but the beds were not very comfy. Also as the tents are so close together you can hear people in the tents next door. The food was buffet fair. Okay - if a bit boring.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
lodge near Kruger Park
I spent 3 nigths on this camp that is not inside the kruger park, and I expected more than I get.

8/10 Good

Arl, Aberdeenshire

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Ideal for those on a budget
We spent 6 nights at Nkambeni, it's good place to stay if wanting to explore the Kruger on a budget. The tent lodge is good size and comfortable with air con. If you are a light sleeper make sure you have ear plugs and you won't be bothered by noises,(there is a railway line nearby, sometimes a train goes by in the early hours of the morning). The dinning room over looks the Kruger,nice to watch sun rise/set also a hippo pool on other side of fence where you can view hippos and an other animal that comes near the water hole. Pretoriuskop camp(inside kruger) is the nearest petrol station for those who are doing self-drive. We did do one game drive, the sundowner, we stopped half way into the drive for drink and snacks to watch sunset. The driver was knowledgeable and friendly which made the experience more enjoyable.

8/10 Good

Angela, Johannesburg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location
A great location right on the Kruger Park, making it possible to relax by the pool while looking at the Park on the other side of the river. Lovely tented camps with comfy beds and a private outdoor shower. Was a bit noisy at one stage night - I heard what sounded like helicopters overhead, this might have been a once off (maybe an anti-poaching unit at work?) The management should have been stricter on international guests who smoked right by our table while we were eating, the smoking area and policy should be clearly communicated to guests when they arrive so that other guests dont have to get involved in an unpleasant confrontation. I did not appreciate people smoking near my son. the hotel would have got 5 stars from me if this hadn't happened. A game ranger called Christopher was really sweet and chatted to us about the Park and animals - very informative and friendly.

10/10 Excellent

Jean-Luc, Accra-Gh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful
We stayed with my familly in this hotel, it was wonderfulto sleep in the Luxe tente!!!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Ashk, Johannesburg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good Weekend away
Loved my long weekend away. Staff were friendly, but the food taste and quality can be improved on

8/10 Good

Leigh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
great being inside park
Excellent. Staff were very helpful. Activities were excellent and Chris the guide was very informative and enthusiastic. He made the day tour a real adventure

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nkambeni Private Tented Camp- Lodge
Awesome, very satisfied

8/10 Good

Ann Marie, Chicago

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Simple, nice and rustic.
It was nice rustic tent lodge. Meals were served buffet style and were warm at best. Camp seemed to be fairly quiet, which is good as tents are not sound proof. Outdoor showers were nice and hot. Camp was very safe.

6/10 Okay

Rolf

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Gut, leider etwas laut durch die Eisenbahn
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Pretty nice place at the gate of kruger. I have seen buffolos, Zebras and hippos from the pool.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great All was perfect for us Good food, staff always kind Great expérience here
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Todo excelente. Instalaciones y servicios. Lo único que mejoraría es proporcionar wifi libre.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018

6/10 Okay

JEAN-JACQUES

Disliked: Room comfort
Vive le train !!!!
Le site est agréable car la proximité du parc. Le camp est trop bruyant passage d'un train toute les nuits et ca dure longtemps. Si vous aimez les départs de groupes vous êtes servi dès 5 heures du matin.

10/10 Excellent

Leonardo D

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel barracas de luxo, bem interessante
Hotel bem interessante dentro do Krugger Park. Barracas de luxo dentro do parque. Restaurante e ambientes ótimos. O Wifi é praticamente inexistente, deixa a desejar neste aspecto.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Daiane

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort