This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links. I promise I will only recommend products that I have personally used! Thank you for supporting our blog so we can continue creating free content each week! Learn more on our Privacy Policy page.
Okay, friends… it’s been a long haul so far… To recap, we traveled from Tampa, Florida, to Cape Town, to Kruger National Park, where we have now traveled through Skukuza, Satara, and the next stop is Olifants! If you have missed any of the first 7 South Africa Itinerary posts – you can catch up with all the blog posts at the end of this page.
Don’t want to miss a single post from us? Sign up today!
Driving from Satara to Olifants
The drive from Satara Rest Camp directly north to Olifants Rest Camp was only about a 1.5-hour drive, but of course, it took us 5+ hours of exploring dirt roads along the way. Two notable sightings for this portion of the trip were a spunky baby elephant and some lazy roadblock lions!
As we left Satara, the “cat camp,” on our way to Olifants, which means “an elephant,” we had two very appropriate and unique encounters. First up was a very young and frisky elephant that stopped traffic to dance in the street. I am so sad that I only took some still photos instead of filming a video because this silly kiddo whipped around that truck, stepped on it, and frolicked around in front of our car, and it might be the cutest thing I have ever witnessed!
Next, we started to approach a large group of cars stopped on the sides of the road, which always means there is a unique sighting, and the bigger the crowd, the more you can bet it’s a cat!
As we approached, merely trying to skirt the cars to continue towards our next destination, a lovely patron told us that there were lions ahead. Of course, my heart skipped a beat, and we started looking around intensely as we slowly squeezed through the parked traffic.
The first lion sighting was some male and female lions resting down an embankment in the tall grass under the bridge – many were sleeping and hard to see (excellent camouflage), so we snapped some photos and kept driving to get out of the crowd… as we crept by we suddenly realized that two of the alpha males were laying on the side of the road.
It was surreal and more like an out-of-body experience – I mean, look at those faces and those scars – WOW! We made eye contact, and now I feel it in my soul that we are truly connected.
Olifants Rest Camp is described as an unforgettable window to Africa, and oh boy, is it. The Olifants Camp is situated on top of a hill towering several hundred feet over the river of the same name. We were only here for one night, and we all know the saying – “Go BIG or Go Home,” so we went BIG, and the 6 of us split the Lebombo Guest House.
Olifants Rest Camp – Lebombo Guest House
Kruger National Park Olifant Rest Camp luxury guest houses have lounges, en-suite bathrooms, and several exclusive sightseeing lookout decks. Lebombo sleeps eight guests with 1 room fitted with a queen-size bed and three rooms, each equipped with two single beds and a vast kitchen, dining room, living room, and fire pit.
The views of the Olifants River were spectacular, and it was the perfect place to drink a glass of wine and watch for animals below (mostly hippos). One of the most striking elements of the compound was the beautiful pink and white desert rose plants and space to spread out.
Kruger National Park Olifants Rest Camp had a nice grocery store, park shop, and restaurant, so we enjoyed a carry-out dinner, bonfire, and morning breakfast before packing up again to head to our last new camp the next day.
As impressive as this camp was – it was minimal animal sightings for us and much effort to relocate there for only one night. I highly recommend this place to those with large families or groups, but for more than one night only if you can afford it. I mean, look at those views and those stars – a magical place!
We checked out of Olifants Rest Camp and began the four-plus hour trek (way longer when you take every dirt road you can find looking for animals, LOL) to our last new camp of the trip – Lower Sabie.
We reached our destination just before nightfall and had another incredible lion sighting. We witnessed a male and female lion mating and then the male calling to protect his territory right after. Plus, we saw one of my all-time favorite birds – the Pied Kingfisher. Also, there are some significant crocodile and hippo sightings!
Lower Sabie was one of my absolute favorite camps, and we stayed in two different style rooms – I will feature them along with the rest of our trip in the next few posts.
*** All photos taken on iPhone 12 Pro Max, Canon 80D, 60D or Insta360***
Did you miss any of the previous Africa Trip posts?
Join our email list and help us grow! We promise you will only receive beautiful photos & updates and probably a cute cat photo or two in your inbox!
About Us
New to our blog? Find out more About Us and How you can support our blog for FREE!
What a blessing to be able to have a connection with a lion!
It’s all so amazing. Thank you for sharing. I hope your going to put them all or some, in a nice printed picture book. Thank you for sharing , we are loving them all. ❤️
Can’t wait for your next blog. Love experiencing your Africa trip.