Sefapane Lodge & Safaris

Sefapane Lodge & Safaris sits on 9 hectares of tropical garden on the western boundary of Kruger National Park, a kilometre from the Phalaborwa Gate and on the edge of Ba-Phalaborwa, a former mining town now oriented around wildlife tourism. Managing Director Joris Bertens has run the lodge for more than two decades, building on the vision of its original Dutch owners, Jan Willem and Patricia Sterk, over nearly three decades of operation.

Accommodation is in traditional grass-thatched rondavels set among the gardens' ponds and mature indigenous trees: a Standard Rondavel and Luxury Rondavel, both for 2 guests, and a two-bedroom Family Rondavel for 4. Every room has air-conditioning, mosquito nets, Wi-Fi and a private outside seating area, and rates include breakfast.

On site, guests have the Calabash Grill restaurant, the Tusk Bar, the Misava Spa and conference facilities, plus a full activity list run from the lodge itself — open-vehicle and self-drive Kruger safaris, guided bush walks, birding, cultural tours into local Limpopo communities, and Panorama Route day trips to Blyde River Canyon, about an hour away.