Baobab Ridge is like a home away from home. An intimate, safari lodge with seven spacious, individual, air – conditioned cottages with private terraces overlooking the African bush. Our friendly staff who go the extra mile for our guests, home cooked meals and relaxing atmosphere is what we pride ourselves in. The beautiful sundeck and pool area overlook our private waterhole, as well as the bushveld and mountain range beyond. Dinners are usually served in our boma, by the open fire under the stars. Baobab Ridge is a small and intimate lodge with only 16 beds. The lodge can also be booked exclusively for up to 16 guests. Guests may see the Big Five, wild dog, cheetah and more! Children from age 6 are welcome at the lodge and if the lodge is booked exclusively, we have no age limits! The Klaserie Reserve, the largest private reserve bordering the Kruger, is part of the Greater Kruger National Park and open to the Kruger National Park and Timbavati Private Nature Reserve. It lies along the western border of the Kruger, with no fencing separating the reserve from the Kruger or the Timbavati; allowing the animals to roam freely between the private game reserves and the Kruger Park.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Baobab Ridge Lodge is located in the Klaserie reserve close to Eastgate (Hoedspruit) airport. The lodge can collect you from the airport or from Bush Pub & Inn shuttle stop (shuttles from Johannesburg airport run every morning at 7 and 7:30 AM reaching Eastage or Bush Pub & Inn by 1:30 PM). The lodge charges for the transfers are mentioned on their website.
The Klaserie reserve is an arid zone. In our 3 nights at Baobab we saw a male lion and 3 lionesses at a giraffe kill near the Timbavati border. Next day we saw the whole pride of 22 lions with cubs at another location. We were lucky to spot a cheetah crossing through Klaserie from Timbavati to Kruger. We also saw Rhinos including a baby which is quite rare. Our guide - David, was truly gifted and positioned our vehicle at vantage points.
We had a lovely family accommodation at Baobab which was a 2 bedroom cottage. The outer verandah / sitout was lovely but there was not much viewing possible due to the dense bush. There could be some nice viewing if the grass was cut. The accommodation had a small kitchenette as well.
There was one AC in the small living area while the bedrooms has electric fans. While this was fine with us in mid October when it was warm, summers could become difficult. We had power outage on the first night at about midnight. I walked upto the reception in the dark with a torch but there was no one to assist. So we opened all the windows which had fly screens and luckily there was a cool breeze which helped a lot.
The property was very clean and well maintained. The service was prompt and the staff was courteous. Laundry service is included in the rates. The food was excellent- very tasty and sufficient. Water is provided in the rooms and you can always fill up more as there is a drinking water tap in the kitchenette.
Beware of the room brochure which mentions that local drinks are included in the room rate. When a clarification was sought we got different explanations that this was during pre-covid times/ we booked at discounted rates etc. All this is not clearly stated.
They don’t carry water while on the safaris; you must ask. I thought this very strange. It really gets warm so they should carry some water for the duration of the safaris. Something Baobab can improve on.
Definitely recommend to visit Klaserie once and if you do, stay at Baobab.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
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Baobab Ridge was an outstanding experience all around, both in facilities, service, and game viewing.
The apartments / cottages themselves are very spacious, clean, and tastefully decorated. Each has extremely comfy bedding, complimentary laundry, high quality toiletries, and more. The rest of the lodge is also well-decorated and with WiFi access, a pool (with views of a watering hole where we were lucky enough to see elephants, impala, warthogs, and more stop for a drink), and a bar and dining facilities.
The dining itself was exemplary. The food was some of the best we have eaten at any hotel or restaurant, and the staff were careful to prepare a variety of food and keep changing menus. Evening meals take place around a boma with a campfire going and ample stargazing.
The staff's attention to detail and willingness to go beyond their remit to make guests' stay as comfortable and exciting as possible was a real pleasant surprise. Baobab Ridge has a lot of character and feels nothing like a commercial / corporate chain hotel, with personalised service and care. We've never been treated with such hospitality.
Last but not least, the game viewing was excellent. We saw some amazing sights in our twice daily game drives which were complimented by rest stopss with snacks and drinks. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and exhibited a genuine passion for their work.
Overall Baobab Ridge exceeded every expectation.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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We recently spent a week with a group of longstanding friends at Baobab Ridge, where we were among their first guests after a tough Covid-19 lockdown period. It was a wonderful trip for all of us. The accommodation is roomy, modern and comfortable with everything you need for a luxurious stay in the bush. The grounds,the pool and the pool deck overlooking the waterhole were immaculate All the staff from management, chefs to cleaners were friendly and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble for anyone. We particularly enjoyed the nightly announcements of the menu by the duty chef for the night. And the meals just seemed to get better and better. There was always plenty of fresh fruit and salads along with freshly baked delights. And we were served our meals not only in the Boma but in various locations around the lodge, such as the lawn, the deck, the pool deck as well as the dining room, and once there was a stunning dinner in the bush in the middle of our evening game drive. Further highlights for all of us were the twice daily game drives with David who excelled in tracking and finding all the elusive cats as well as wowing us with his detailed knowledge of all the birds in the area. He could even guide us from memory to the correct page in our bird book. Even the small things did not elude him. After sunset he could even point out Mopani worms and chameleons as we drove past them in the trees. As a tracker and a guide he cannot be faulted and we loved his sense of humour. Thank you to Jason and Lynette for making sure it was a memorable trip for us all. We began to feel like part of the Baobab Ridge family and it was with heavy hearts that we made the long trip home again.
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Date of stay: March 2021
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Response from Nini Baxter, Owner at Baobab Ridge
Responded 4 Apr 2021
Dear Doreen, Stephanus, Bob, Morag, Meg, Chris and Peta! We miss you guys! Thank you for spending a perfect week with us and being such wonderful easy guests. We are truely grateful for your review - you are all such widely travelled folk. Greetings from David and love to each of you. Keep drinking good wine, loving nature and continued adventures. Since you left the bush the season has changed, It's a little cooler in the mornings, the long green grass has turned yellow and some of the leaves are falling off the Bushwillows. 3 billion years hey Bob! Regards Jason and all of us at the lodge.
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When we arrived at Baobab Ridge in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve we were greeted by the gracious staff with hot towels to wash our hands and a fancy welcome drink. When I walked into our private bungalow I wondered where all the other billionaires are staying tonight. It is beautiful with glass walls and recliners placed to watch nature even when you are at home in your room. Beautiful surroundings, gourmet meals prepared by professional chefs, and snack stops on the safari drives added up to an amazingly elegant experience. The service was world class. Adelaide helped us beyond the call of duty! Our guide Moven showed us the big animals as well as a few small ones. We saw rhinos, a pride of lions with 4 little cubs, jackals, a hippopotamus, wild dogs and wart hogs on this amazingly elegant safari.
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Date of stay: November 2023
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
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We absolutely loved our experience at Baoab Ridge! We stayed for 3 nights (6 Game Drives with the wonderful Moven) and including the big 5, many on multiple occasions, we saw: Leopard, Herd of around 50 elephants including their babies, pride of Lions, including cubs, after bringing down a giraffe kill, wild dogs, hippo, rhino, zebra, giraffe, warthogs, buffalo, hyena, impala dancing, waterbuck, jackals, vultures, rabbits, monkeys, Wilderbeast, eagle, Kudu and grey deiker to name but a few! The game drives were fantastic and coming back to the incredibly comfortable lodge was just wonderful. The food at the lodge surpassed our expectations - 2 course breakfast, a delicious light lunch and a 3 course dinner in the beautiful boma after the game drive. You could bring your own drinks but wine in particular was incredibly reasonably priced to buy from the lodge. Our room was very spacious with a huge bath - the only negative we found was the soft lighting in the room made it difficult to unpack/pack outside of the middle of the day as the rooms were romantically lit but very dark early morning and evening. Staff were all wonderful and super friendly. Couldn’t really have asked for anything more! A dream first time safari experience!
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Response from Baobab Ridge Greater Kruger, General Manager at Baobab Ridge
Responded 28 Jun 2022
Dear Ryan & Charlotte - thank you for your wonderful review of our lodge and you certainly did have the most amazing sightings. Our chefs do certainly go out of their way to present the most delicious meals and take such pride in doing so. We hope to have you visit us again in the near future. Kind regards Lynette Blades
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My husband and I went during the rainy season for a celebration trip in February 2022. We did not have high expectations for wildlife viewing given the time of year, but we were very pleasantly surprised. Our guide was the hotel owner, who made sure we saw what were were most interested in and was incredibly knowledgeable. We saw many lions, elephant, cape buffalo, a leopard with a kill, giraffes, several antelope species, wart hogs, etc. The entire staff was incredible with great attention to detail. The rooms were beautiful and immaculate with comfortable beds with private views, an outdoor shower, and gorgeous soaking tub. I have a food allergy which was accommodated beyond expectation with homemade gluten free breads and muffins. The food was quite good with evening dinners at the fire. Overall, I have nothing negative to say about the experience. I have come to the Kruger area several times and this was a favorite. I highly recommend!
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Date of stay: February 2022
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Room Tip:All rooms are private
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Just wanted to share my experiences here, hope it will be taken as constructive feedback.
We had to arrive late due to missing flight and the owner made effort to meet us at night, even brought food to our room. We appreciated the gestures.
Room is huge with privacy overlooking a small waterhole, sometimes impala would come by for a drink. The room lighting was too dim to see anything at night, I had to jumble through the clothes and use a torch to see. Huge tub was enjoyable.
The staffs were generally friendly, but extremely pushy on drinks. They’d say things like “let me offer you some drinks”, there’s also an instance during safari drive where I requested 1 coke for both of us, but were told to get 2 as “it is ok, just take 2”, it creates an impression that they were free. At the end of the stay every drink were charged. Money wasn’t an issue, I just didn’t like the way it was pushed.
For meals, dinner is the best, but lunch is often mediocre with not much options. The management loves to put everyone in a table, not understanding that not everyone is a social butterfly, a couple of feedback was made to the staffs but it happened again the next day. We were even forced to watch a birthday show after a tiring day looking to rest early.
Safari is ok, not the best, we only had a driver with no tracker and he was not able to do 2 person’s job. Wished it was better.
Overall, enjoyable stay!
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Response from Nini Gouveris, Owner at Baobab Ridge
Responded 19 Feb 2024
Good day, Sorry for the late reply, I see that sadly my manager never replied to your comments. Thank you for the very constructive critisism, all which we have taken very seriously. We have employed a new manager as of the end of January 2024 and he has already made a few changes at the lodge regarding food and service. With regards to us only using guides, this is actually not unusual and it is not a job that requires two people. Our guides are also skilled trackers and are very thankful that they have ownership of the game drives with their guests. Not all lodges use trackers, as this was really something started in South Africa, as the white guides back then, who spoke English, did not have the tracking skills of the locals. There are some areas like the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana, that actually never allowed trackers to sit on the outside of the vehicles, so the guides there have always done both the tracking and guiding. Each lodge can decide for itself whether they use both a tracker and a guide or only a guide, who knows how to track animals. I am so sorry that you did not fully enjoy your stay with us and wish I had known of this during your stay, as I would have gladly stepped in to make your stay better. I am glad that you appreciated me bringing your meal to your room for you the day of your arrival. Thank you very much for your honest review of the lodge. Kindest regards, Nini
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We have just come home from our trip and we spent 2 nights at Boabab Ridge. We were hosted by Jason, he was an amazing host. He clearly has a passion for what he does and cares about his guest’s experience. We really enjoyed his company. The pool and public areas were lovely, and we really enjoyed sitting outside to eat lunch with the monkeys in the trees. We also loved the sun loungers by the pool! We felt very at home and comfortable at the lodge, the staff were warm and engaging. David took us on our game drive, he clearly has outstanding knowledge of the area and wildlife. Highly recommend this place! This would also be a great place for families.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Value
Location
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Room Tip:Room 4 or 5
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Response from BaobabRidge, Owner at Baobab Ridge
Responded 19 Mar 2020
Elaine good morning from the bush! Thank you for you kind review and advice during your stay. I hope you are safe and happy to be home with your family and jogging every morning, I think your heart still belongs in Africa! The world is in chaos but driving around the bush watching all the animals out grazing and relaxing at the waterholes its hard to understand what the you are all going through. The animals are continuing as normal, blissfully content - its incredible to watch this. The naughty monkeys send greeting to you and to Karin! Was great meeting you both! Regards Jason
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We stayed three nights, two adults and two kids aged 11 & 8. The staff was very friendly, outgoing and accommodating. It’s a small intimate safari experience. The grounds were well kept and manicured. The safari vehicles were clean and safe. The two bedroom cabin was very clean and comfortable. The main lodge was cozy and comfortable. We liked the safari decor and lodge architecture. They have a nice pool and pool deck to relax at between the morning and late afternoon safari. Also has a nice view to the safari land behind the lodge and we viewed numerous animals while lounging. The meals were delicious and healthy. We always looked forward to each meal. We enjoyed the after safari complimentary drink at the Lodge bar each evening. JV the safari guide was full of knowledge and truly enjoyed teaching us all about the animals including showing us the animal tracks and teaching us about the intricate ant hills. He always asked us if and when we were ready to move onto the next sight. He made us coffee in the mornings. We stayed at another lodge after Baobab and were disappointed as it was a step or two down in terms of the accommodations, the safari guide experience, the food and overall service level. Baobab ridge was a fantastic experience which we highly recommend. Everything about it was superior. JV was very informative similar to having a great teacher in school.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Rooms
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Response from BaobabRidge, Owner at Baobab Ridge
Responded 16 Feb 2020
Jeff hi, is that you! We are happy to hear from you again. Thank you for such a detailed review I'll print this and give it to JV. He is a master in the bush and around the lodge. The bush is so much greener than during your stay with us in December, 2020 will be a healthy year for all the animals. Hope you are well back home in the US and greetings to your family from us. Regards Jason
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We’ve had a wonderful stay! Baobab Ridge is a beautiful lodge, it is definitely a one of a kind experience. The location is great within the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, staff is very kind, the lodges are beautiful and you’ll have the feeling you’re all alone in the nature. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were great, one time they provided a breakfast in the wild after the morning game drive. Game drives are awesome also thanks to the perfect guide, he was funny and is very knowledgeable about Klaserie, big thanks to Devine!
We would definitely book this accomodation again if we are going to South Africa in te future, thanks for everything!
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hoedspruit, South Africa2 contributions1 helpful vote
You can either book a flight to "Hoedspruit (Eastgate) Airport" or book a shuttle transfer to "The bush Pub and Inn" with Ashtons Tours.
You can book a transfer from/ to "Hoedspruit (Eastgate) Airport" or "The bush Pub and Inn" with us. We charge R500 (2020 per person, per transfer for 2 guests (it is less per person if there are more guests).
Or you can book with one of these companies:
Seasons in Africa
Thula Seats
GAP Tours
Sable Tours
Kind regards, Nini
Hi there.
We don't provide binoculars unfortunately but I can highly recommend buying a pair to share between 2 peopel for the safari's. It will be well worth it.
Baobab Ridge offers a transfer service to and from the airport at a cost of R450pp each way. You can contact reservations to book this if you would like.
Lastly May is the beginning of our Winter months here in the Klaserie so I would recommend a warm jacket for your safari's. The daytime temperatures can get warm (25 degrees celcius) but the evenings and mornings are quite chilly.
I hope this helps
Kind regards
Jess
There are more places to choose from in the Klaserie Private Game Reserve area.
PRICE RANGE
S$918 - S$1,329 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
South AfricaKruger National ParkKlaserie Private Game Reserve
NUMBER OF ROOMS
7
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Yes, it offers wheelchair access, reduced mobility rooms, and facilities for disabled guests. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.
