All Comments for Baluleni Safari Lodge

The first night we were put in unit 3 - as the place was empty I have no idea why they put us in that unit. It was absolutely dreadful and nothing remotely like the pictures. We asked to be moved the next day and they put us in a new unit which was absolutely beautiful and nothing like the other one. The meals were wonderful and otherwise really great service The new units are good value for money but the old unit absolutely terrible value for money I have reviewed the new unit and not the old as that would score zero

Had an awesome time at Baluleni. What amazing hosts and staff who go out of their way to make your stay memorable. Thank you Elke and Evert, was a highlight of my travels.


Establishment's response:


Dear Bronwen,

Thank you for visiting Baluleni Safari Lodge and for your kind words in your review. We miss you already. We really enjoyed your stay with us and especially on the safari trips. We're looking forward to welcome you again at Baluleni
Kind regards from the Baluleni Team
Evert van Eeden

You don't have to improve anything . Everthing was amazing and awesome. Thank you Evert and Elke , you will defenetly see us agsin.

I had mentioned to the owners that it was my wife's birthday, and they baked a cake and made a real effort to make her day special. The facilities are great, staff is friendly and courteous, service is customer oriented and nothing is too much trouble. This was a repeat visit, and we will back again!! Highly recommended to local and overseas visitors. Access road is a bit rough but nothing that e.g. a Golf or Polo or Corolla can't handle, but don't bring your low-profile BMW. Evenings are spent in the boma around a fire-place, which also gives it a great 'bush' experience.

Our stay in Baluleni Safari Lodge was one of the best during our Africa travelling.
We have enjoyed an excellent service and meals,
either wonderful Safari drives.

It was very peaceful and restful at the Lodge. Had a very nice chalet overlooking little waterhole. Mathew the young game ranger was very interesting and informative We were however very disappointed not to see more animals and also that we would have had to go to main road and public entrance to get into the Park.
Elke and Evern were very charming hosts but it felt a bit too personal - they virtually monitored your every move!

Establishment Response:

Thanks for the nice review. Due to the worst drought in 60 years in the area it was not possible to see that many animals, as we explained on your arrival. The drought affected both the public and private sector of the Kruger. There are no roads between the private sector and the public sector of the Kruger National Park. It is open for the animals and vehicles are not allowed to cross over from one side to the other. The public sector needs its income at the gates and the private sector does not allow day visitors. During your stay we had also other people from South Africa and Italy. During your stay the other guests enjoyed the “home away from home” atmosphere at the lodge. It is a pity that you felt like we followed your every move, instead we cater for our guests’ needs. Thank you once again for visiting Baluleni Safari Lodge

Affordable, good lodging, food and service, owners very helpful. Convenient base to access Olifants. While there is wildlife nearby, sightings were hard to come by due to forest conditions, hilly terrain, no offroad privileges, etc

The place where we stayed at was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! Very friendly people welcomed us and the help was also awesome!!!! I would definitely recommend Baluleni lodge to visitors who want to relax and enjoy nature to it's fullest!

We thouroughly enjoyed our stay, it was very peaceful and gave us a very good opportunity to unwind from our regular craziness. :) There are plenty of animals to see, from the elephants that walked past, to the little monkeys that keep you entertained playing on the lawn in front of the house. Thank you to the staff for looking after us during our stay. I would have loved to go on a game drive.

Thank you Elke and Evert for going out of your way to make our weekend so enjoyable. What a pity we couldn't stay longer. The River Cottage has all you can possibly need to make your stay comfortable. All neat, clean and serviced. My biggest present was the cheetah on the riverbank on Saturday. We will visit again in the near future.

Very good relaxing and quiet location, thouroughly enjoyed four days on the banks of the Olifants River. Would reccommend to anyone looking for a quiet break. Evert and Elke exceptionally friendly and accomodating, very good hosts. Thank you both.

Amazing stay, amazing family cottage (a bar with a wooden counter within the house, for just us two), perfect braai dinners and dawn on the Oliphant banks. Hosts are amazingly friendly and helpful. Unspoiled location, also great for a vacation with few friends!

We had such a good time there...It was wonderful, peaceful, friendly..... Everybody should go there to meet the people and enjoy the bush once in their lives!

Un sejour magnifique tres bel accueil et des repas dignes d'un chef etoile. Sans hesitation nous reviendrons car nous avons passe deux jours inoubliables dans un endroit coupe du monde ou le calme est roi.

We had an amazing time, and the service was brilliant from start to finish. The house was spotless and everything we needed was available. The Deck is really the cherry on top; because you can sleep on the built-in bed and watch the animals by the river in absolute comfort. The game drive was very interesting and pretty much a perfect weekend away. We are definitely coming back for a long stay this time.

The place was so relaxing. We enjoyed every moment of it. It was the best and a = memorable weekend. Thank you.

We had a great stay, enjoyed the game drive and the food was delicious. Thank you very much.

Game lodge is just the best place to stay in Krüger Park. Staff is best prepared for excellent service. The new porch you have a good view on olefant- river. Its a must to show up there for having incretible vacation. Clean and safe. See you next time on barbecue- fireplace.

From the moment I began communicating with the owners (Elke & Evert) directly, I just knew we were going to have a pleasant stay. Wonderful place, great atmosphere filled with peace and tranquility. Wonderful people from owners to staff full of love and making one feel at home. When we left we vowed to return and it will definitely be for a week or more! In summation I can confidently say that we had a "Full-spoon" time, simply meaning we had the time that was perfect.

This is a lovely place to relax and unwind. We heard a leopard kill during the night.

What a superb stay! Arguably the best hosts we've ever had, and we've travelled to over 60 countries. Definitely a repeat on the cards and for a longer period of time.

Elke and Evert were the quintessential hosts. The lodge was lovely, the view spectacular, the animals plentiful and the food out of this world! The bumpy road back is well worth the drive!

On arrival at Baluleni Riverview Game Lodge, we recieved a warm welcoming from the owners as well as the hippos of the Olifants river. We had a superb view of the Olifants river that was only meters away from the balcony of the beautiful self-catering cottage. As the sun set we watched the game as they came out of the bush to graze on the banks of the river. The morning we were enjoying a cup of coffee on the balcony as two elephants had their breakfast on the grass in front of the cottage. This was truly the most relaxing getaway we had in a very long time. We highly recommend Baluleni Riverview Game Lodge. Special thanks to the owners for making our stay so special.

What a magical place! Absolute privacy and silence with the unobtrusive Elke to care for your every need. We spent many mornings watching the wildlife cross the lawn in front of the balcony while the hippos popped their heads up out of the water only long enough to yawn to snort. Evenings were a treat with the porcupines as regular visitors and even a genet if you stayed up late enough. We were treated to a game drive and surprise boma braai by Evert on our last evening. This is definitely our new favourite place to go - thank you Evert and Elke for sharing your incredible paradise with us!