06 Dec Lodge Accommodation and Rates
Enjoy Luxury Game Lodge Accommodation at Affordable Rates
The summer is upon us and, given the weak Rand, apart from a dwindling number of South Africans who can still afford to venture overseas, most will be planning to spend a week or two in one of the country’s local resorts. If it’s sea and sand that float their boats, we are blessed with one of the longest coastlines of any country in the world, and the appeal of the innumerable beaches of the fairest Cape, the friendly city of Port Elizabeth and Durbs, to name just a few, will be beckoning them soon.
However, a room in a budget hotel, sunburn and salt water are not everyone’s idea of heaven, and many local and visiting summer vacationers will have their hearts set on exploring some of the country’s interior beauty spots. Of these, many will have set their sights set on an encounter with Africa’s iconic Big 5 and hoping to find themselves some comfortable accommodation in a game lodge with rates that are value for money.
In the 90 years since the Kruger became South Africa’s first national park, it has been joined by hundreds of other game reserves – some privately owned and others nationalised. Together, they make a huge contribution to the nation’s income from tourism, much of it in hard currency. Visitors to these parks and reserves have differing needs. While some of them are quite happy to spend their stay at a campsite with a clean ablution block and braai facilities, others want to temper their outdoor living with a comfortable bed, an en-suite shower, and someone to prepare their breakfast and serve them sundowners.
Usually, a visit to a game park will involve a couple of overnight stays, and long-weekend breaks or romantic getaways are firm favourites with locals, especially where the lodge accommodation is luxurious and the rates are still affordable.
Limpopo has become one of South Africa’s most popular bushveld destinations. It has a rich and varied array of flora and fauna, and is also filled with signs of the world’s earliest humans, from the ruins of prehistoric cities to the rock art of the San and Khoi tribes. A short drive from Pretoria and Johannesburg, a favourite destination in the province is the 35 000 hectare Welgevonden Game Reserve, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve.
Home to all of the Big 5 and a malaria-free area, in its heart is some of Limpopo’s most impressive lodge accommodation. Known simply as Fifty Seven Waterberg, it offers all the comfort of a 5-star hotel, including meals, selected beverages and guided safaris at attractive rates that are worth every cent.