Going on Safari in South Africa is a huge bucket list experience for many. To experience living in a tent in the African bush and observing beautiful animals every day while deeply connecting with nature is an experience we will never forget. This guide shares our experience while going on Safari with Honeyguide and all our tips for those who plan their first African Safari.
Best time to visit South Africa
South Africa can be visited all year round. The high Season runs from November to March, which is summertime in South Africa. In the Game Reserves in the northern part of the country, the driest months are from May to September, which also means the vegetation is dry. To get lush backgrounds to your safari photos, it’s better to visit in Spring/Summer. We visited Honeyguide Mantobeni Camp in October and had a mix of sun and clouds but no rain during our stay.
How to get to Honeyguide Mantobeni Camp
About Honeyguide Mantobeni Camp
The Manyeleti Private Game Reserve is home to Honeyguide’s two luxury tented camps, Honeyguide Khoka Moya Camp & Honeyguide Mantobeni Camp. At Honeyguide Camps, you can experience the true magic of the African bush. Designed to blend in with the wilderness, the tented safari camp allows you to connect with nature. The private reserve shares unfenced borders with the Kruger National Park, the biggest wildlife reserve in South Africa and the heart of the big five country.
5 Reasons why you will love going on Safari with Honeyguide
From our experience, South Africa is an excellent place for Safari first-timers as the chances to see many different animals are very high. We saw all the big 5 in one single game drive at Manyeleti Game Reserve and many more amazing animals like Hyenas and Wild Dogs, Hippos, and many more. For those who plan to make this experience, too, these are five reasons why you will love going on Safari with Honeyguide.
Big five Safari at the border of Kruger Nationalpark
The big five of Africa are the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot. This comes from the older days, but they are still the animals that most visitors want to see. The big five are Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, Leopards, and Buffalos. What is fantastic about Manyeleti Game Reserve is it’s an excellent place for big five safaris as it is connected to Kruger Nationalpark. You can see all the same animals but with the advantage of a Private Game Reserve like, for example, offroading. This allows you to see certain animals much closer than at Kruger Nationalpark.
Stay in a luxury tent immersed in nature.
Accomodation at Honeyguide Mantobeni Camp are 16 spacious luxury tents made from canvas walls and roll-up flaps inviting the outdoors. The tents with en-suite bathrooms and private decks that look out onto the bush make your room your oasis in the wilderness. There is wifi in the camp but only in the common areas, so when you are in your tent, you can fully disconnect and relax.
Experience African Elephants up close at Honeyguide MantobeniÂ
The absolute highlight for us at Honeyguide Mantobeni Camp was seeing Elephants up close at the camp. As the camp is unfenced, animals can roam free. There is a waterhole close to the main area where many animals come to drink and enjoy themselves, including the huge beautiful African Elephants. As water can be rare, they are also attracted by the camp’s pool and often come there to drink and play with water to refresh. This is an incredible sight for the guests. We had some unforgettable moments.
Be connected with nature during your whole stay
What we love about Honeyguide Mantobeni Camp is that it is unfenced, so animals roamed around our tents, and sometimes we heard the whoop of hyenas or the monkeys on our roof. It’s the ultimate way to connect with nature. Twice a day, we went on a 3-hour game drive through the reserve, where we spotted all kinds of beautiful animals and learned a lot about nature in the African bush.
Meet new people and enjoy Bonfires and downtime at the camp
We loved returning from the evening game drives to a lit bonfire and the most beautiful atmosphere in the camp. We shared the table with the rest of the group that did the game drives with us. Over the days, we got to know each other better and had lots of fun. Going in Safari with Honeyguide is a great way to meet new people.Â
Budget for Safari in South Africa
The following budget gives you an idea of how much a Safari in South Africa costs. The expenses for the Safari Lodge include all meals and two daily game drives.
- Domestic Flight from Cape Town / Johannesburg: 120 – 190 USD
- Rental Car: 50 USD per day / or Transport to the camp: R3700 (200 USD) one-way (from Nelspruit)
- Safari Lodge incl. Full-Board and Game Drives: R5500 (300 USD) per person / per night
- Conservation fee: R75 (4 USD) per adult per stay
Conclusion
We had an unforgettable experience with Honeyguide Mantobeni Camp. Our 3-night stay was the perfect amount of time to see all the animals we wished to see, but also to have some time to relax and meet new people. The highlight was all the beautiful animals we saw, especially the elephants visiting us at the camp made our stay unforgettable. The staff at honeyguide is very attentive and made our stay even more perfect.Â
Thank you for the review. We have booked at same camp for August 2023, so was very interested to hear about it from a guest point of view. Unfortunately we only staying one night, so afternoon drive & morning drive next day, then have to leave.
Thanks again
Any useful tips?
Hi John that sounds amazing! We are sure you will have such a great time there. It’s an exceptional place. Just enjoy the ride, there is nothing you can do about it how much wildlife you will see. But chances are very high that you will already see lots of wildlife at the lodge itself. Bring warm clothes and wear layers as temperatures in the bush can change quickly. Also, sun protection is important. We wish you an unforgettable trip.
Hello! Nice article. Would also like to stay at this lodge – have you seen leopards also? Thanks! Teresa
Hi Teresa, Thank you for your comment. You will love your stay at Honeyguide Mantobeni, it’s magical! Yes, we saw a Leopard on one of our game drives. Best wishes Lea & Stefan