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3-Day (2 Night) Crocodile River – Kruger National Park Safari @ Hamiltons Lodge

Ground Hornbill
Price From : ZAR 20530.00 (Per Person Sharing) Currency Converter

Hamiltons Lodge is opposite Malelane Gate of  the Kruger National Park  (KNP) on the banks of the Crocodile River. The Crocodile River forms the southern border of the KNP . Crocodiles and Hippopotami sun themselves on the sandbanks and wallow in its shallows. To its banks come all the animals of the Kruger National Park to drink and enjoy the cool shade and verdant all-year-round grazing. Monkeys, baboons and many exotic birds and other creatures occupy the tall trees. Water birds of many kinds wade and forage in the river and the Fish Eagles and Kingfishers swoop and pounce on unwary fish.

The Fish Eagles cry is as as a Grand Diva soprano against the orchestra of sound this riverine opera provides with the baritone notes of the lions as contrast.  Hamiltons Lodge is perched on the bank near the river and the night time performance of these sounds can easily reach you at night in your room and you will slumber

peacefully to this primeval lullaby that reminds you tomorrow at dawn you will meet many of this wild places great performers in the flesh.

Prices:

2026-7 Rates: 31 October 2026 – 20 December 2027.

ZAR12365.00 per person sharing,

ZAR20 530.00 for a solo traveler,

ZAR8 438.00 for a child sharing with two adults.

Itinerary for This Tour

Day 1

Johannesburg – Crocodile River

This safari is kept at a low price because we make use of a minibus shuttle that leaving Johannesburg Airport every morning with other travelers going to the city of Nelspruit and different parts of the Kruger National Park (KNP) close by. In the city of Nelspruit, our guide will meet you and transfer you to the Hamilton’s Lodge. The shared shuttle buses depart from Johannesburg Airport at 07:00 am and 8:15 am. You have to be there with your Mmilo Tours voucher and passport or ID document 30 minutes before departure. If you arrive on a very early flight you may be in time for these minibus shuttle departures. Before 6.00 am if arriving on an international flight, and before 7.00 am if arriving on a domestic flight e.g. from Cape Town. If you arrive later in the day than this it is recommended that you overnight in the vicinity of O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, the night before the start of your safari.

Hotels and guest houses near the airport provide transport to the airport. If you are staying further away we can arrange transport for you at an additional charge if you wish, but taxi services such as Uber are cheaper. But there are several fine hotels from 3-5 star right inside the airport itself.  You can walk to the shuttle departure point at the coach terminus as it is barely 15 minutes walk from Terminal A and Terminal B arrival halls

Our guide picks you up from the shuttle bus terminus in Nelspruit and takes you the last 70 km to the lodge. There is some notable scenery on the way through the mountainous Crocodile Gorge as you approach the KNP. Our guide will then assist with check-in at the lodge and will take you over the bridge into the Kruger Park to confirm and complete the paperwork that is required for your safari drives this evening and for the next 2 days. Please note the pick-up times at Hamiltons Lodge for your drives.
The first open vehicle game drive is this evening, a sunset drive. Over your three days ( two nights)  there are 2 sunset and 2 sunrise safari drives in total; each are 3-3.5 hours long. The drives are in open sided safari vehicles with a National Parks Board (San Parks) Field Guide. Please wait at reception area  or just outside for your pick-up. Please remember the the guide does pick up from several locations so do be patient. (In our winter season it will be quite dark in the mornings so you will see the headlights approach and in the evening you will return in the dark).


On your return to Hamiltons Lodge, enjoy dinner ( at your own cost at Hamiltons Restaurant )  and connect with nature as you relax under the African stars on the lodge’s deck. Perhaps take a late evening swim?

 

Accommodation Hamiltons Lodge

Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

Activity: Evening Sunset Game Drive

 

Lunch and Dinner Menu at Hamilton’s Restaurant

(Please put mouse cursor page at the bottom left of this first page to see Hamilton’s Restaurant menu items and prices 2026)

Menu-2025
Day 2

Kruger National Park

An early start signals another exciting day in Big Five territory.  You will start before dawn and go for a sunrise safari with your experienced park field guide. This is a special time of day as the Kruger awakens and comes to life. Dawn is the busiest time of the day for wildlife viewing. Watch the iconic Fish Eagles cry as they soar along the river. Hopefully, there will be a matriarchal herd of elephant and their babies

or a savage but necessary lion kill, perhaps some majestic giraffes and a herd of stern-looking African buffalo. Every safari drive is different you will encounter many animals. Not knowing which or when is what makes it exciting.

You will return to the lodge for breakfast and spend the midday at leisure. Lunch is available at your own cost from the restaurant. It is also safe to take a stroll to the bridge over the the Crocodile River Bridge to stretch your legs and see wildlife from the vantage point of the bridge but exercise caution as on very rare occasions elephants find there way on to the bridge so do not go over if this is the case and if this happens while there just walk in the opposite direction off the bridge .

Hippos Fighting Isimangaliso UNESCO World Heritage Site

Then in the afternoon, you will gather to go for your 3 hour sunset safari part of which should be in the dark getting glimpses of nocturnal creatures. ( about an hour+ of dark in winter and 15 minutes or so in summer). Return to Hamiltons Lodge

Accommodation Hamiltons Lodge

Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

Activities: Morning Sunrise and Evening Sunset Game Drive

Day 3

Kruger National Park – Johannesburg

Like yesterday you will rise early for your dawn safari. Please note the morning safari drive can be swapped for a safari bushwalk with armed parks ranger; this is a unique offering, not even available at expensive 5-star lodges! Arrangements must be made two weeks or more in advance of your trip and will depend on the availability of weapon trained rangers.

Walking in the bush gives an entirely different perspective on being in the wilderness. You have to be over 16 and if over 65 need a letter from your doctor.
After breakfast, you will start your journey back to Johannesburg but if going on to Cape Town there is a flight leaving every day from a local airport. In which case we refund/discount the cost of the shuttle back to Johannesburg.

Accommodation Hamiltons Lodge

Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

Activity: Evening Morning Sunrise Game Drive

Customisations

Instead of using the shuttle from/to Johannesburg Airport, we can arrange private transport with one of our renowned guides, which is door-to-door, more flexible and informative but at an added charge. This can also enable you to see the scenic Panorama Route on route to/from the Kruger if you wish to but need to add a day.

You can fly in to Nelspruit from Cape Town or Johannesburg and out again using these airports, this does gain a little more time at the safari lodge we deduct the applicable fares for the shuttle minibus and you can the use this saving against your air tickets. We can also book your flight itinerary for you and add it too your package to make it ultra convenient for you.

With fly in from Johannesburg is also possible to do the full package even if you arrive to ORT Tambo Int Airportafter the times mentioned above but not later than 11.00am.

 

Tour Notes
Tour Notes

Included in Price:

  • 2 Nights 4 Star accommodation next to the Crocodile River in at Hamiltons Lodge
  • All meals mentioned in the itinerary
  • Daily Sunset and dawn game drives whilst staying on the border of the Kruger National Park
  • Shared shuttle transfer from Johannesburg to the respective lodges, return
  • Kruger National Park entrance fee

Costs Excluded:

  • Flights
  • All passport and Visa fees excluded
  • All Beverages excluded, except for tea and coffee with breakfast
  • No dinners or lunches
  • Travel and Medical Insurance excluded
  • All Optional Activities excluded
  • All cost of a personal nature, e.g. laundry, telephone calls
  • Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour, unless added by us.

Accommodation Note: When the category of room at the hotel at which this tour is priced is no longer available for your dates of travel Mmilo Tours will offer you the next best option available at that hotel. If no suitable rooms are available at the advertised hotel we will endeavour to offer options at another hotel as similar as possible.

Important: Please read the itinerary carefully, noting any optional activities you or some members in your group may want to take part in. You do not have to take part in any of the optional activities if you do not wish to. It helps us in our planning to know if you are interested and number of participants. These additional optional activities are not costed into this scheduled tour, and if you choose them, you pay the extra amount involved either directly to Mmilo Tours in advance, or on arrival at the venue. You will be informed accordingly by Mmilo Tours, and they are extra to the basic cost of the tour

All our tours and packages are subject to availability at the time of booking and payment and accommodation is in a standard double room at Hamiltons Lodge.

Accommodation for this Tour

Pilanesberg National Park Safari
Hamiltons Lodge

Located on the banks of the Crocodile River, 500m away from the Malelane Gate to the Kruger National Park

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