Sausage Tree SAfari Camp - 4 Star safari accommodation
Expect an intimate and personalised experience at Sausage Tree Safari Camp in Balule Nature Reserve, adjacent to South Africa’s Greater Kruger Park.
A small, intimate, luxury, owner run tented camp in the Greater Kruger National Park where the Big 5 roam freely.
Safari – a Swahili word used originally in early East African times, means “long-journey”. Our game drives are journeys where we experience through all our sense ... the sights, smells and sounds of the vast surrounds from our private and unique Camp. What you might not see during the day, you could hear at night.
Luxury African safari-styled tented accommodation
Outdoor lounge and pool area
Sausage Tree Safari Camp is situated in the vast Balule Nature Reserve, part of the Greater Kruger National Park and sanctuary to Africa’s famous Big Five. With approximately 3000 ha of traversing, including 4kms along the Olifants River you can look forward to a true safari experience of wilderness and undisturbed biodiversity.
Uniquely positioned in the bush between Marula, Acacia and Sausage trees with its own special view above and beyond the thorn trees, our waterhole and the majestic Drakensburg range on the horizon, Sausage Tree Safari Camp is a place not easily forgotten!
Situated within the Balule Conservancy with dramatic hilltops, valleys and open plains providing breathtaking views of uninterrupted bush all the way to the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains.
The Olifants River flows all year round through the reserve with healthy populations of hippo and crocodile, as well as a huge diversity of bird species including the elusive Pels Fishing Owl.
Our luxury, African-styled Safari tents are comfortably furnished with bathrooms en-suite, featuring a freestanding bath and an outside shower on a raised base for maximizing your views of the bush and the mountains. Air conditioning, fan, and tea and coffee facilities make it a definitive ‘glamping’ experience with the advantage that staying in a tented camp has, bringing the sounds of nature so much closer to you.
Get close to the big five
Experienced trackers and rangers
Our energetic staff are highly experienced, dedicated and passionate, as our guest reviews reflect. Their attention to detail will ensure your stay is ultimately relaxing and memorable, from Orlando and Pitso’s outstanding cuisine, to our welcoming front-of -house teams’ personal service, local knowledge and friendliness.
Our guide and tracker teams will not only find you incredible animal sightings but will interpret what you see with fun filled facts, underpinned by their exhaustive knowledge, passion and respect for nature thereby making certain your Safari experience is an authentic one.
A variety of interesting, local tours are also available around the Hoedspruit area, including a private, guided day tour to the famous Kruger National Park itself.
Come and join us...and find out why so many guests come back to visit us again... and again!
Have you ever slept under canvas in the African bush? Well there truly is nothing like it! The sounds of the night are closer, the smells of nature are stronger, and the feeling of actually being in the bush is so much more intense.
Our luxury, African-styled safari tents are nestled in between Marula, Knobthorn, Acacia and Sausage Trees and overlook a dry river bed, the bush and the majestic Northern Drakensberg Mountains. They are built in an elevated position each with its own special view.
The tents are comfortably furnished and feature an ensuite bathroom with a bath and an outdoor shower. They are fitted with eco air conditioners ensuring that you stay cool on hot summer nights… and can be used as a heater during the colder nights in winter.
One of only five African-styled safari tents
Each tent has its own private deck with wonderful views of the mountains and the African bush.
Insect gauze on all the windows and doors keep the insects outside where they belong.
Experience 360-degree panoramic views from our open vehicles while in search of a variety of wildlife… negotiating valleys, hills and plains which provide some of the most spectacular views in the whole of the Lowveld in over 3,500 hectares of traversing.
Each morning and late afternoon, an experienced, professional guide and tracker will take you on a safari game drive through thick bush and along open plains in search of the Big Five (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard) as well as a myriad of birds and game species such as giraffe, zebra, warthog, kudu and impala. Sundowners will be served with tasty snacks watching the sun set over the African bush. During the drives there is a lot of emphasis on giving information on everything that is encountered – whether your interest is birding, insects, plants or trees, your guide will happily share his knowledge with you. Our guides also focus on some of the less noticeable aspects of the bush.
Coffee stop during the morning game drive
Avoid the midday heat, relax in the pool
Driving 5Kms alongside the Olifants River you will often encounter hippo and crocodile, and a variety of birdlife including the occasional, very special sighting of the much sought after Pels Fishing Owl.
Set in the Balule Nature Reserve which forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park, Sausage Tree Safari Camp is not only surrounded by the African wilderness, but also offers spectacular views of the Northern Drakensberg Mountains. This intimate safari camp is owned and managed by James and Sonja together with their passionate, dedicated team and prides itself on a warm, welcoming atmosphere, personal service and an authentic safari experience.
Breakfast and lunch is a social affair and is served on an open deck with uninterrupted views of the bush and a water hole frequented by a variety of animals. Dinner is mostly served under the stars, around the fire in our traditional styled ‘BOMA’. The camp has an indoor and outdoor lounge and a cosy bar complete with a variety of first class South African wines and a selection of South African craft beer and gin. The refreshing pool set in our deck will cool you down on our hottest summer days – the perfect place to relax between game drives.
Our new private spa area allows you to enjoy a full range of massages and treatments while overlooking the bush.
We offer WIFI as a free service at Sausage Tree. We do encourage you to keep your mobile phones on ‘silent’ during your stay.
Have you ever wondered:
If hippos talk underwater? If ants talk at all? Why elephant shrews tap dance?
Why birds sing at dawn?
Join us on an exciting afternoon Sound Safari with wildlife sound expert Derek Solomon to find the answers. We begin after lunch with a fascinating talk on the world of sound: including how and why the big cats roar, birds sing and insects chatter.
You will know much more at the end of one day
Moving onto infrasonic elephant rumbles and underwater conversations by hippo, fish and others; as well as non-vocal sounds by mammals and birds, and we wrap up with hints and tips on sound recording with basic equipment including smartphones. Watch this video for more insights.
Using the specialized sound equipment on the afternoon game drive we eavesdrop on the wild and hear what mammals, birds, insects and other animals have to say.
Balule Nature Reserve was established by a group of like-minded, private landowners in the early 1990s. From the start, the objective was to create a larger, open system with no fences to hinder animal movement thus creating a much healthier habitat for fauna and flora.
The Reserve has since grown from the initial 11,000 ha to 55,000 ha, approximately 150 km of fences have been removed and it consists of both private and commercial properties. In 2004, the Eastern boundary fence was removed and Balule was officially incorporated into the Kruger National Park (established in 1898).
Thus, Balule is now part of an open system that covers over 2 million hectares in South Africa and is widely regarded as one of the most successful conservation areas in the world.
Balule is mostly made up of mixed Acacia and Combretum woodlands, which sustain 94 mammal, 280 bird, 72 reptile and 128 tree species, not to mention the insect, fish, amphibian and other plant species.
Olifants West Nature reserve is set within Balule and is where Sausage Tree Safari Camp is situated. Notably, it is the birthplace of a unique anti-poaching initiative, the Black Mamba Anti Poaching Environmental Monitors, recruited from the surrounding communities. They are doing a fantastic job in keeping our rhino safe and in the process, have gained worldwide recognition and environmental awards.
Balule is becoming increasingly integrated within the Kruger National Park environmental policy framework . Notably this means commitment to long term projects towards providing support for the the upliftment of the surrounding local communities.
Sausage Tree SAfari Lodge is proud to be part of this massive undertaking, and will continue to help protect and support this very special conservation area for future generations. It is in these amazing wilderness areas where a traveler can still find an authentic safari experience.
This is a low risk Malaria area, especially in the winter months
Allow our knowledge & experience to work for you!
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