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Karongwe River Lodge

Karongwe Private Game Reserve, South Africa

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Karongwe River Lodge

PROPERTY FACILITIES

Pool

Spa

Wi-Fi

Disabled Access

Photographic Hide

Library

AVAILABLE SERVICES

Laundry Service

COMFORT LEVEL/PRICE RANGE

Mid-range

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Is the Karongwe River Lodge for Me?

Karongwe River Lodge, situated within the Karongwe Private Game Reserve, captures the essence of the African bush, with its enchanting view over the Makhutsi.

The spacious lounge leads onto a vast deck allowing for endless opportunity to view elephant and grazing antelope, or spend the afternoon relaxing beside the pool before being whisked away on a late afternoon safari in an open game drive vehicle, traversing over the 9000 hectares of supreme African bushveld, tracking the Big Five.

Karongwe River Lodge Photo Gallery

Karongwe River Lodge Rooms

The Karongwe River Lodge has 11 rooms. Select a room for more details.

Family Suite

Settle in at your leisure in one of our 2 spacious and air-conditioned suites, with en-suite bathrooms.

For absolute relaxation, stay and experience what luxury has to offer.

Minimum of 3 guests, Maximum of 5 guests

Executive Suite

Settle in at your leisure in one of our 2 spacious and air-conditioned suites, with en-suite bathrooms.

For absolute relaxation, stay and experience what luxury has to offer.

Luxury Suite

Settle in at your leisure in one of our 5 spacious and air-conditioned suites, with en-suite bathrooms.

For absolute relaxation, stay and experience what luxury has to offer.

Presidential Suite

Settle in at your leisure in one of our 2 spacious and air-conditioned suites, with en-suite bathrooms.

For absolute relaxation, stay and experience what luxury has to offer. Presidential Suites have their own private plunge pools

Room facilities

Coffee/Tea

En-Suite

Air Conditioning

Safe

Gowns

Hairdryer

Mini Bar

Mosquito Net

Lounge Area

Balcony

Fan

Activities offered by Karongwe River Lodge

Activities on site

Game Drives

Walking Safaris

Horse Riding

Bird Watching

Hiking

Activities off site

Boat Cruise

Golf

Scenic Flight

Cultural Tour

Canoeing

Rock Climbing

Hot-Air Balloon

More about Karongwe River Lodge

Helicopter Flights through the Olifant's Gorge

Exciting scenic helicopter flips over the Oliphant’s gorge offers a once in a lifetime experience of this untouched beauty of Africa from the sky. This is a minimum of 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Spa Treatments

From heavenly aroma’s to herbal purity this unique body range of treatments is mesmerizing and innovate body and sense-soothing safari massages will awaken your senses and revive your body and mind. Enjoy the freedom of choosing your favorite scent from our selection of Marula infused body oils to address your every need.

Anti-Poaching Walk

Take up the opportunity to experience a once in a lifetime – first hand anti-poaching excursion on foot with an anti-poaching specialist. Learn about tracking methods and more about the plight of poaching of our precious wildlife. This experience will leave you with a clearer understanding and unforgettable memory.

A walk with Karongwe Private Game Reserve’s antipoaching team is like taking a step into a completely different world. This is not just a walk through the bush. You walk through the bush while being aware of not just the wild animals but also of the so call ” kill zones” possible ” ambush zones” and ” escape routes “.

You become aware of where possible poacher might have been waiting for darkness you also become exposed to how real this war for conservation really is.

Even though this walk is filled with dangers of not only the nature but also the poacher you will definitely find a sense of safety with the experience of the anti-poaching team.

Interactive Cooking

Take pleasure in interactive cooking lessons of traditional South African cuisine with our local chefs and get to test your cooking skills afterwards. Choose between African and traditional Afrikaans cuisine.

Star Gazing

Enjoy a relaxing time under the bright beautiful African sky reclining in a hammock while learning about the night sky. In summer Orion and his dog Sirius can be seen chasing Taurus and Pleiades a cross the sky.

In winter Scorpio and Corvus the crow is visible along with the ever present Southern Cross, Magellanic Clouds and the Coal Sack. With planets making appearances at certain times of the year, the rings around Saturn. The many moons of Jupiter visible through good binoculars.

Traditional Evening

Traditional Shangaan evening – Make memories with your partner or friends while enjoying a unique traditional Shangaan African dinner. Cuisine in particular gives us distinct glimpse of a culture and its people.

This fun filled experience will leave you with new appreciation of cultural diversity which goes hand in hand with the whole experience and understanding of the beautiful Shangaan culture.

Beacon Rock

Celebrate the magnificent view of the lowveld from the top of the highest outcrop on Karongwe with a short climb accompanied by a guide.

Enjoy a sundowner with the backdrop of the Drakensberg mountains whilst soaking in the 360 view of the huge stretch of the valley whilst sipping on your favourite refreshment and picnic snacks.

Photographic Workshops

Photographic half day workshop – a hours broken down into 1 hour and 45 minute lessons.
Each section will include a short guided practical session and time for questions.

Lesson breakdown:
– introductions
– camera basics
– camera settings
– Gear and what to get
– Phone vs photography vs camera
– composition and framing
– types of composition
– Making an image
– building a colour style
– programs and where to start
– editing on your phone
– Lightroom desktop – editing on Camera

Participants will receive a workbook to take notes and follow along during lessons
– Each lesson will be video recorded and sent to participants
– Access to a WhatsApp Group

Local Community Visit

Take pleasure in visiting our local community with a 1 hour tour to the nearby village. This tour allows you to see how the local people live, their culture and day to day program.

It also gives you the opportunity to interact with the children at grass roots level and generally a very enriching experience.

Tree Planting in Community

Leave your legacy in Africa and plant a tree in our local community or donate a tree. A t-shirt is given to you complimentary with every tree donated and leave knowing that you have made a very positive contribution to the environment. Choose between a fruit tree and indigenous tree.

Yoga

Relax in the bush with a soulful meditative yoga experience – Ubuntu Yoga – which is gentle African flavored practice. The fee also contributes to the Ubuntu Yoga Project at Nourish Eco Village. ( Nourish NPO) to help train promising local candidates and help them earn their certification.

Little Paws Program for Kids

All adventures start with the first step and the first step to having fun for any child at Karongwe Portfolio is to experience our pure fun Little Paws Programme. We are proud to launch our Little Paws Programme which is full of fun interactive activities ranging from:

– Hair braiding
– Face Painting
– Tracker 101
– Cookie Baking
– Pizza Making
– Clay making tracks
– bubbles
– board games
– Children’s foot spa
– goodie bags
– veggie gardens

Karongwe Portfolio prides itself in giving any child the best safari experience imaginable whilst enjoying their stay at any of our incredible lodges with the greatest of service provided by all members of staff.

Gin Tasting

Experience Gin pairing and gin tasting for an afternoon special event. If you are a gin lover – experience the gin pairing and gin tasting notes with variations for an afternoon special event.

Afrikaans

English

Portuguese

Xhosa

Zulu

Why Book with us?

Our safari experts are with you at every step of your journey.

Personalised Advice

Plan your trip with experts who live in Africa and have first-hand experience of the places you dream about. With this knowledge, they’re able to tailor every detail of your safari to your interests.

Exceptional Value

Safaris planned around your comfort and budget, with industry-leading financial protection. From rustic camps that move with the herds to private-use villas for families, we'll find your ideal set-up.

Responsible Safaris

We plan journeys with care and only work with partners we trust so that your safari has a positive impact on local communities, economies, and conservation initiatives.

24/7 Support

Our team of safari experts (with over 60 years of collective experience) are with you every step of the way, from planning your trip to landing back home after the experience of a lifetime.

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What Our Guests Have to Say?

Read recent reviews from travellers who have planned and booked their trips with us

"Excellent trip -- tour operators were professional and on time. Safari lodge choices excellent. Adelle communicated issues that cropped up in a timely manner and the whole process was a pleasure."

Jake Sanderson, United States•29 May 2026•

"This is the second safari holiday we have used Dev to organise. We had the privilege of visiting three beautiful lodges on this trip, Devs recommendations in three different locations, Sabi Sands, Timbavati, and Makalali, which entailed a lot of organising ..."

Vivienne Lister, Australia•21 May 2026•

"Our experience with Discover Africa was great. Justin Van Wyk, our consultant, was extremely accommodating, worked through a number of options to meet our dates and requirements, and checked in at numerous occasions before during and after the trip to check..."

Mitch Page, Australia•02 Oct 2025•

"Susan and the team from Discover Africa you have excelled yourself through the initial contact to the very end of our journey. We were dazzled with the views of Cape Town. Victoria Falls and of course the game parks. The animals did not disappoint the spect..."

Andrew Wales, Australia•29 Sep 2025•

"We travel a lot. I don’t normally write reviews and I typically plan and book everything myself because I am very exacting when it comes to the itinerary, logistics, accommodations, activities, etc. – everything must be perfect. When planning this trip, I v..."

Debby Goosey, United States•18 Sep 2025•

"We had a wonderful experience with Discover Africa and, specifically, Dev Panaino. Dev helped us plan a dream vacation to South Africa and Zimbabwe and made the planning from our end effortless. We met with Dev via Zoom calls for the initial trip planning, ..."

Sally, United States•28 Aug 2025•

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