Tent interior at Mdluli Safari Lodge
Tent interior at Mdluli Safari Lodge
Image: Supplied

Aaah, Kruger. That place of the long exhale. Of the mopane campfire crackling and the whoop of hyenas in the gloaming. Of long days out on the Tshokwane road and debating if there’s time for one last gravel loop while still making it back to the rest camp before sunset. It’s with good reason that the public camps of Kruger National Park have long offered a family-friendly bush holiday that won’t rip the seams out of your pocket.

Or, perhaps you prefer to up the ante with a private lodge. Here your guide does the driving for you, and you’ll return to luxe suites swathed in fine linens and a brigade of chefs waiting for your dinner order. It’s deliciously indulgent but comes at a price.

But this winter I discovered something of a Goldilocks option, at a lodge that dishes up four-star luxury in spacious under-canvas suites, and no end of options to tailor your safari experience according to how you like to go wild.

Mdluli Safari Lodge is set within the western reaches of Kruger National Park and comes with a remarkable backstory; of a community removed from their traditional lands in 1967 only to be granted ownership again 30 years later, as the 850-hectare Mdluli Reserve.

“Mdluli is not a concession,” says Chris Schalkwyk, executive manager of Mdluli Safari Lodge. “It is a private reserve inside the Kruger National Park that the community owns in full title, transferred to them with the understanding that it would continue to be used for conservation.”

While the land remains set aside for conservation, it also plays host to the eco-tourism offering in Mdluli Safari Lodge. And though the lodge stretches to 50 under-canvas suites, it rarely feels overwhelming. Instead the suites are scattered amid lush bushveld linked by winding pathways.

Mdluli Safari Lodge infinity pool
Mdluli Safari Lodge infinity pool
Image: Supplied

Leopards seen

The lodge is securely fenced to allow guests to walk around in safety. That’s great for nervous travellers, and means plenty of flexibility for simply ambling to dinner when you fancy, rather than waiting for an armed guide to escort you. It’s also a boon for sunset wanders to the viewpoint on the granite koppie just behind Mdluli.

From the top of the granite dome, Kruger stretches away eastward, and the lodge’s location in the park is plain to discover in the wildlife wandering by. Leopards have been seen at the fence line, and elephants and buffalo regularly throng the waterhole in front of the laid-back bar.

When I pull into the parking lot on a bright winter’s afternoon, the landscape is dry and dusty with the auburn light that comes at this time of the year. A minivan of Italian tourists is departing with a noisy barrage of ciao and grazia, evidently pleased with their time at Mdluli. 

The lodge fills a handy niche in this corner of the lowveld. While some South Africans may love the pocket-friendly charm of self-catering, and there is no shortage of international tourists happy to shell out for the five-star lodge experience, many travellers fall somewhere in between. This is where Mdluli fits the bill, with stylish tented suites — set a short walk from the restaurant, bar and boma — offering a dose of understated contemporary luxury at an accessible price point for travellers looking for a Goldilocks option in the bush.

“We deliberately decided to target the four-star market. We didn’t want to be seen as a super-luxury, unaffordable place,” adds Schalkwyk. “Our goal is to bring in both foreign tourist groups and mid-market travellers. We learnt a hard lesson during Covid-19: when the international market dried up, we had to drop our rates to encourage South Africans to come. So, we continue to cater to the local market with special [Southern African Development Community] rates. We’re proud to be growing year after year, and it’s because our rates are competitive.”

Mdluli Safari Lodge tent exterior
Mdluli Safari Lodge tent exterior
Image: Supplied

Guided drives

Key to Mdluli’s model is the ability for guests to build a bespoke stay around the accommodation. If you prefer the flexibility of a self-drive experience, you can book a half-board package including accommodation, breakfast and dinner and spend your days exploring the park at your own pace.

But if you’d like to tap into the expertise of a local guide, and the charm of a proper 4x4 safari, you can bolt on up to two guided safari drives per day, as well as include lunch into the package. Prefer to focus on wellness, not wilderness? There’s an option that includes an online self-guided wellness, meditation and yoga series, a self-care kit and a voucher for the on-site spa. If you’re into birdies, but not of the feathered variety, the golf package includes rounds at three local courses. There’s a welcome flexibility to the experience, making the bush even more accessible for travellers.

And with summer on the horizon, it’s the Mdluli pool deck that will tempt many travellers to simply stay put. It’s the kind of place where you can kick back with a cocktail between game drives, or set aside the day for relaxing and let the wildlife come.

From your lounger, views stretch across the waterhole and into Kruger beyond.

However, you choose to spend your days, Mdluli offers a seamless taste of the Kruger without committing to campfires and self-catering, or breaking the budget on a five-star safari camp.

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