Mabula Game Lodge
Mabula Game Lodge
Mabula Game Lodge
10 Days
Visiting: South Africa
From:
$3407 (USD) including Flights from the UKNB: Prices correct on 04-May-2024 but subject to change.
Tour Overview
Too often on safaris we feel like we’re ticking boxes. On this in-depth African safari stay we’re based for the full seven nights in a luxury lodge in Mabula Game Reserve - surrounding ourselves in the wildlife and wilderness of South Africa’s bush. With the Big Five and Little Five on our doorstep, we spy all creatures great and small on daily game drives and bush walks - including lion, cheetah, elephant, hippo, rhino and warthog.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Uk - In Flight
Our VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your flight to Johannesburg.
Day 2 : Johannesburg - Mabula Game Reserve
It’s just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Johannesburg airport to Mabula Game Reserve, but it feels like entering another world. A world that’s home to over 300 species of bird and 60 species of mammal, including the Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. Plus, their lesser-known friends, the Little Five - elephant shrew, antlion, rhinoceros beetle, buffalo weaver and leopard tortoise.
With no compromising on creatures or comfort, our home for the next seven nights is discreetly luxurious and distinctively African in design - we stay in thatched chalets with huge windows and wooden decks to bring the outside in. This afternoon, soak up the wilderness surroundings by the outdoor pool or at the bar with a sundowner.
Day 3 : Mabula Game Reserve
Up with the dawn chorus, we head out on our first game drive. With open-air safari vehicles and expert guides getting us closer to the action, we start to explore the grassy plains, rocky outcrops and watering holes that are home to wildlife including lion, cheetah, warthog, leopard, elephant, rhino, hyena, ostrich and jackal. Plus, the grumpiest of them all - the honey badger. With the best chance of seeing big game at dusk and dawn, we relax back at the lodge and listen to a wildlife talk before heading out on a second game drive this afternoon.
Excursions & visits:
• Two game drives in Mabula Game Reserve (morning/afternoon)
• Wildlife talk
Day 4 : Mabula Game Reserve
It’s time to meet the top cats on a guided lion tracking experience. Experienced rangers get us within roaring distance of a pride of lions - teaching us about their behaviour, pride structure and the conservation efforts to protect them. Safari royalty, the power and majesty of these jungle kings is a humbling experience that we’ll remember forever.
After lunch, we go out on another game drive - keeping watch for comical warthog, wallowing hippos and tree-pruning giraffes.
Excursions & visits:
• Madjuma lion tracking experience (morning)
• Game drive in Mabula Game Reserve (afternoon)
Day 5 : Mabula Game Reserve
This morning, we take a walk on the wild side with a guided bush walk. Sticking to the open plains and grasslands, we look out for the morning grazers - including impala, giraffe and ostrich. The rest of the day is free to enjoy the lodge - settling in by the pool, booking a treatment at the spa or simply enjoying the lodge's surroundings.
Excursions & visits:
• Guided bush walk (morning)
Day 6 : Mabula Game Reserve
Heading out on a game drive before breakfast, we get to enjoy the stillness of the reserve as the sun warms the savannah and the bush comes alive. Wild animals don’t lie in, so this is an amazing time to see active wildlife before the sun gets too hot and the bigger predators go down for a mid-morning nap.
The rest of the day is free before a stargazing experience tonight. Free from light pollution, the inky Southern Hemisphere skies above the reserve are mesmerising. A guide talks us through the planets and constellations and the local myths and legends that surround them.
Excursions & visits:
• Game drive in Mabula Game Reserve (morning)
• Stargazing experience (evening)
Day 7 : Mabula Game Reserve
This morning is all about plant power. When faced with elephant ambling past your 4WD and warthog snuffling in the bushes outside your chalet, it’s natural to focus on the fauna. But the flora on the reserve is critical to the survival of both the wildlife and traditions here. Guided by a specialist in local medicine and holistic cultures, this morning’s bush walk focuses on identifying different native plants and their healing properties. This afternoon, we head out on another game drive.
Excursions & visits:
• Guided bush medicine walk (morning)
• Game drive in Mabula Game Reserve (afternoon)
Day 8 : Mabula Game Reserve
The reserve is home to 300 species of bird including ostrich, osprey, nightjars and migratory swift, which we hope to see on this morning's guided bush walk. This afternoon, there’s the chance to spot non-feathered friends on a game drive.
Spend your final night at the lodge dining under the stars, sharing your favourite moments with new friends, and having a farewell drink for the road.
Excursions & visits:
• Guided bush walk (morning)
• Game drive in Mabula Game Reserve (afternoon)
Day 9 : Mabula Game Reserve - Johannesburg - In Flight
Our last day at Mabula, we wake up for one final game drive as the sun rises over the savannah, before transferring to the airport for our flight home.
Excursions & visits:
• Game drive in Mabula Game Reserve (morning)
Day 10 : Uk
On arrival, your vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.
What's Included
-
20 meals
7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners
-
All-inclusive stay, with daily high tea and free bar (local drinks) up to 12 hours a day
Accommodation
7 nights in lodge and 2 in flight
Dates & Availability
2024 Jun
2024 Jul
2024 Aug
2024 Sep
2024 Oct
2024 Jan
2025 Feb
2025 Mar
2025 Apr
2025 May
2025 Jun
2025 Jul
2025 Aug
2025 Sep
2025 Oct
2025 Nov
2025
Monday - Wednesday
May 27, 2024 - Jun 05, 2024Tuesday - Thursday
Jun 11, 2024 - Jun 20, 2024Tuesday - Thursday
Jun 18, 2024 - Jun 27, 2024Tuesday - Thursday
Jun 25, 2024 - Jul 04, 2024Tuesday - Thursday
Jul 02, 2024 - Jul 11, 2024Tuesday - Thursday
Aug 13, 2024 - Aug 22, 2024Tuesday - Thursday
Aug 20, 2024 - Aug 29, 2024Tuesday - Thursday
Aug 27, 2024 - Sep 05, 2024Tuesday - Thursday
Sep 10, 2024 - Sep 19, 2024Tuesday - Thursday
Oct 01, 2024 - Oct 10, 2024Wednesday - Friday
Oct 16, 2024 - Oct 25, 2024Tuesday - Thursday
Jan 07, 2025 - Jan 16, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Jan 14, 2025 - Jan 23, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Jan 21, 2025 - Jan 30, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Feb 04, 2025 - Feb 13, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Feb 11, 2025 - Feb 20, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Feb 18, 2025 - Feb 27, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Mar 04, 2025 - Mar 13, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Mar 11, 2025 - Mar 20, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Mar 18, 2025 - Mar 27, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Apr 15, 2025 - Apr 24, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Apr 22, 2025 - May 01, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
May 06, 2025 - May 15, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
May 13, 2025 - May 22, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Jun 03, 2025 - Jun 12, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Jun 10, 2025 - Jun 19, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Jun 17, 2025 - Jun 26, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Jun 24, 2025 - Jul 03, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Jul 08, 2025 - Jul 17, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Jul 22, 2025 - Jul 31, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Aug 05, 2025 - Aug 14, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Aug 19, 2025 - Aug 28, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Aug 26, 2025 - Sep 04, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Sep 02, 2025 - Sep 11, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Sep 09, 2025 - Sep 18, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Sep 16, 2025 - Sep 25, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Sep 23, 2025 - Oct 02, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Oct 07, 2025 - Oct 16, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Oct 14, 2025 - Oct 23, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Oct 21, 2025 - Oct 30, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Oct 28, 2025 - Nov 06, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Nov 04, 2025 - Nov 13, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Nov 11, 2025 - Nov 20, 2025Tuesday - Thursday
Nov 18, 2025 - Nov 27, 2025Book with Confidence
-
Low Deposit
Saga Holidays requires a minimum deposit of 20% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 56 days before departure.