GLAMPING IN AFRICA: NDAKA SAFARI LODGE

Hidden in the middle of the South African bushveld lies Ndaka Safari Lodge, surrounded by a 21,000 acre Big 5 game reserve - this is a Lion King lover's dream. During our recent road trip through South Africa we had the opportunity to stay at the Nambiti Private Game Reserve. This was our first time glamping and I think we are officially hooked.

Overview

Found in the picturesque Nambiti Private Game Reserve, situated halfway between Durban and Johannesburg, Ndaka Safari Lodge has that wow I can't believe i'm staying here feel. The lodge consists of three standard lodge rooms in the main house and 7 private luxury safari tents located in the middle of a vast game reserve with as many African animals you can think of. Trust us when we say it is well worth the upgrade to stay in your own private tent, you will be talking about this experience for years to come.

This all-inclusive game lodge includes your accomodation, meals and two game drives - one evening and one morning drive.

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Checking into Ndaka Safari Lodge

From the moment we drove through the gates the safari had already started as we were greeted by giraffe and zebra on the way to our private luxurious tents. After sipping on complimentary arrival drinks we were escorted to where we would be staying the night and quickly became completely overwhelmed when we entered...

Luxury Safari Tents

You've seen them on just about every Pinterest wanderlust board, so when you walk through the doors it's hard to put down your camera to take it all in. The tent was designed to ensure every time you turned a corner you kept getting blown away.

The tent opens up into a lavish lounge room as your first corner leads you towards a king sized bed. Trust us when we say it's hard to not just stop and fantasize about the incredible African sunrise you will see through your wall sized window. As you wander further you are lastly greeted by what we thought was the best bit ... the bathroom. This tent has one of the most beautiful bathrooms we have ever seen ... never thought we would be saying this about a tent! We recommend you run a bath, grab a book and watch as giraffe graze in the distance.

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The Game Drives

Arriving at 5pm meant that our first game drive was going to be a night one. After hearing this we were initially disappointed, thinking we weren't going to see much once the sun went down ... oh how wrong we were.

We rugged up and jumped into our safari jeep, popped on the spot light and drove off into the night. Driving along the bumpy dirt road, we were not sure of what's ahead until our guide picked out something moving in the distance.

In the space of a few hours we saw rhino, giraffe, plenty of buck, hippo's and even a herd of elephants! All this was so much to take in as we all shared stories over a glass of champagne around the fire.

We didn't think our morning game drive would top the night before but our experience was just as good. We passed plenty of wild life before having a coffee overlooking the vast African wilderness that surrounded us. As we began heading back to camp for breakfast we saw a pride of lions working together attempting to take down a zebra, truly an experience we won't forget.

We have gone on a number of game drives in the past, but nothing has compared to these two.

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Final Thoughts ...

There is nothing we can fault Ndaka Safari Lodge on. From their delicious food, friendly hospitality, lavish tents and incredible game drives - Ndaka is the place to go if you are wanting that authentic African safari experience with a luxurious touch.

If you want to view our experience click play on our YouTuber African Road Trip playlist through this link.

You can book a Luxury Safari Tent for AUD$291 per night twin share. 

Flying The Nest was welcomed as a guest of Ndaka Safari Lodge and Nambiti Private Game Reserve, however all opinions are our own.

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