5-Day Kruger Safari from Johannesburg: Lodge and Treehouse
Sleep in the trees, hunt the Big Five on foot and from an open vehicle.
A 5-day safari from Johannesburg combines lodge and treehouse stays with game drives and walks across Kruger National Park, Balule Big 5 Reserve and Motlala Game Reserve. You'll track wildlife on foot with armed rangers, spend full days in Kruger's open-sided gameviewer, and finish on the Panorama Route through Blyde River Canyon and the Three Rondawels. A bush braai and sunrise walks round out the itinerary.
Step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Transfer and sunset drive
- Pickup from Johannesburg
- Drive to Tremisana Game Lodge
- Swim or rest in chalet
- Sunset drive on open Landcruiser
- Nocturnal animal spotlighting
- Bush BBQ dinner at Marula Boma
- Night drive
- Overnight in air-conditioned chalet
Day 2: Bush walk and game drive
- Sunrise 4-hour bush walk
- Return to Tremisana for brunch
- Lunch at 13h30
- Afternoon game drive at 15h00
- Transfer to Marc’s Treehouse Lodge
- Dinner in open Boma
- Overnight in treehouse
Day 3: Kruger National Park game drive
- Drive to Orpen Gate
- Game drive on open-sided Gameviewer
- Stops at picnic spots and restcamps
- Overnight in treehouse
Day 4: Full day in Kruger National Park
- Full day game drive in Kruger Park
- Dinner and overnight in treehouse
Day 5: Sunrise walk and return
- Sunrise walk
- Breakfast
- Drive via Panorama Route
- See Three Rondawels and Blyde River Canyon
- Return to Gauteng
- Airport drop-off by arrangement
What’s included
- Local guide in English.
- all national park fees.
- 4 nights accommodation in a chalet and treehouses.
- lunch on non-transfer days and days outside Kruger.
- coffee and tea.
- transport by air-conditioned minivan.
- hotel and airport pickup and drop-off.
- all activities including the sunset and night drives, 4-hour bush walk, full days in Kruger on the open gameviewer, Motlala Game Reserve drive, Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre visit, and the Panorama Route scenic drive.
Times
- Every day 09:30
Before you book
Operated by Viva Safaris
Prices and times updated 8 days ago
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The experience
The tour starts with a pickup from your Johannesburg hotel or O.R. Tambo Airport and a drive to Tremisana Game Lodge, where you settle into an air-conditioned chalet before heading out on a sunset drive across Balule Big 5 Reserve. After dark, spotlights help locate nocturnal animals. Dinner is a bush braai deep in the African bush, followed by a night drive before you return to the chalet.
Day two brings the 4-hour bush walk with armed rangers at sunrise. You move through the landscape on foot, tracking big animals at a pace you can handle. After returning for brunch and lunch, an afternoon game drive takes you to Marc's Treehouse Lodge, where you spend the next two nights in stilted treehouses. Days three and four are full days in Kruger National Park. You travel in a custom-built open-sided gameviewer, which means no glass between you and the animals. You can listen to and smell the bush. The Orpen-Satara-Nwanedzi region has the highest concentration of lions in Africa, and regular stops at picnic spots and rest camps break up the drive.
On the final morning, a sunrise walk precedes breakfast and the drive back to Johannesburg via the Panorama Route. You pass through Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve and see the Three Rondawels before an afternoon drop-off at your hotel or the airport. A local English-speaking guide leads the entire tour, and all park fees, transport, accommodation and activities are included. Lunch is provided on non-transfer days and days outside Kruger, though you'll stop at places where you can buy meals on transfer days and inside the park.
Is this one for you?This is a shared tour with a local guide leading all activities, so you travel with other guests. The combination of treehouse stays and open-vehicle game viewing suits travelers who want immersion in the landscape without arranging their own transport or guide. Everything is coordinated across five days, and the mix of walking, driving and scenic routes means no two days feel the same.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (1 to 11 years); Infant (under 1): free.
What's the difference between the bush walk and the gameviewer drives in Kruger?
The 4-hour bush walk on day two is on foot with an armed ranger leading you through the landscape at a manageable pace, tracking animals from ground level. The full days in Kruger (days three and four) are in an open-sided gameviewer where you sit elevated and travel longer distances, stopping at picnic spots and rest camps to view herds and predators across the plains.
Do I need to be fit for the 4-hour bush walk?
The bush walk is suitable for all physical fitness levels, and your ranger will lead you at a pace you can handle. Children must be accompanied by an adult throughout the tour.
Where do I sleep, and what are the treehouses like?
You spend one night in an air-conditioned, en-suite chalet at Tremisana Game Lodge on day one, then three nights in treehouses (stilted chalets) at Marc's Treehouse Lodge on days two through four. The treehouses are described as romantic and fascinating, with en-suite facilities and dinner served in an open boma.
What happens on the Panorama Route on the final day?
After a sunrise walk and breakfast, you drive via the Panorama Route to see the scenic highlights of Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, including the Three Rondawels, before returning to Johannesburg in the late afternoon. Airport drop-off can be arranged.
What's included in the price, and what do I need to pay for separately?
The tour includes all accommodation, activities, transport by air-conditioned minivan, hotel and airport pickup and drop-off, national park fees, local guide, and lunch on non-transfer days and days outside Kruger. Drinks, lunch on transfer days and inside Kruger (though you'll stop where meals can be purchased), gratuities, flights to South Africa and personal items are not included.
5-Day Kruger Safari from Johannesburg: Lodge and Treehouse
5d · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 1,163 per person
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