Karongwe Portfolio - Chisomo Safari Camp

Chisomo Safari Camp overlooks the Makhutsi River, tucked deep in the Big Five Karongwe Game Reserve in Limpopo, South Africa. First and foremost the staff at this resort are welcoming and ensure that guests are given personal attention and service at all times. During the day, you can relax at the pool or retire to one of the beautifully decorated lounges.

Karongwe Private Game Reserve, has three other resorts but I was at the Chisomo Safari Camp for the duration of my stay. This place is set apart from similar properties, by the extraordinary lengths the staff and management are willing to go to in order to ensure that your stay is a memorable experience. There isn’t much really that the lodge has to offer, besides for the game drive and bush spa treats and yoga in the morning. There’s also gin tasting and hot air balloon rides also made available per request.  

So the tents are all located on wooden platforms situated under the shade of towering knob thorns and Jackalberry trees overlooking the Makhutsi River - here grazing nyala and warthogs will likely greet you in the morning as you emerge from your tent.

Tents might usually evoke a feeling of nostalgia but the good news is that the tents are really comfortable and pretty well equipped with many of today’s modern necessities – and the light and airy colour palette means they feel more contemporary than other tented camps. There’s something about spending a night under canvas with the sounds of the bush lulling you to sleep, that seems to make you feel more connected to the bush outside than in a normal room.

During the day you can relax and retire between game drives to one of the beautifully decorated lounges all furnished in true outdoor style with burnt oranges, reds and cream throw cushions scattered on welcoming couches – they’re the perfect place to chill out with a good book and perhaps a bit of bird spotting before you start slumbering. The lodge’s sparkling swimming pool is the perfect place to escape the heat of summer’s days. Another lovely option is to take a leisurely walk to the end of the lodge's path – here there is a hide that has great views of the nearby watering hole.

The reason for my visit

The city life, tends to get a bit too much at times and once in a while, one needs to recuperate. I find bliss in visiting private game lodges, where I am surrounded by nature, there’s hardly any network (favourite) and you just get to relax and absorb the splendid surroundings.