Hotels near Olifants West Game Reserve, Balule Game Reserve

We had an excellent first South African safari experience at the Greenfire Game Lodge. The atmosphere was genuinely friendly and relaxed, The owners Nigel and Carol and their staff are making sure that you feel very welcomed and comfortable. The rooms are actually nicely decorated and comfortable cabins with a deck that is overlooking the riverbed and the bush on the other side. You can spend hours there just listening to the sound of the bush and watch elephants, giraffes and other animals pass by. The food was very nice and varied, the breakfast was great with fresh fruit, yogurt, scones and an assortment of egg based dishes to choose from. Lunch and dinner and wine assortment very nice as well. And finally the game drives.. such an amazing experience!! Our guide Given is such a wealth of knowledge, he transmitted his passion for his work, and patiently and willingly answered all our questions about the surrounding nature, the animals and about South African culture and politics, it was a pleasure to make his acquaintance (we were the only guests for 2 nights, arriving just after the end of the high season, so we had a lot of opportunity to chat during the drives, although the breathtaking surroundings left us speechless at times). Given is an excellent tracker and we had wonderful wildlife encounters. We appreciated his respect for the animals and the environment, we never had the feeling that we were “chasing” the animals and the Green Fire guides don’t drive off-road due to the risk of killing animals and harming the terrain, which was one of the reason we chose this lodge over others. Our stay at Green Fire lodge definitely made us want to go back and spend more time in the beautiful South African nature.

From the moment we arrived at this unique luxury boutique lodge we felt the warmth and sincerity in the hospitality of the owner and staff. We stayed in a very private and secluded unit with its own little dipping pool that gave us the feeling of complete serenity in an awe-inspiring riverside setting-- complete with a firefly show at night. Chef Lucky did not disappoint in any of the culinary presentations during our stay. Refreshing cocktails and excellent wine selection. Sunset drives on the property with frequent sightings of a variety of animals, even herds of cape buffalo, motor boat cruises on the dam, romantic private sunset picnics, relaxing and lounging with cool dips in the pools overlooking the dam with even a little crocodile sunning island-- these were just a few of the special touches. The main lodge is beautifully decorated with originality and attention to detail. We looked forward to the evening fireside dinners, with wonderful menu selections. Great place to just relax and commune with nature in the bush or if preferred, arrangements for Big 5 drives in Kruger were also available. Special credit goes to the young, energetic and charismatic owner/operator, Francis, for her vision in creating such an outstanding experience.

The location in the middle of the bush. We had the villa which was very clean. The staff were great. The food was amazing, I requested vegetarian which was really good. The waterhole were animals come to drink. We saw all the Big 5 (we did 6 game drives). It felt like a home away from home. Will recommend it to everyone.

the riverside location was stunning and the placement of the various tents preserved all privacy and prevented peeking in. The resort itself has plenty of wildlife that can be observed during evening game drives (morning game-drive takes the guest to nearby excellence reserve, with possibility to observe big5). Both breakfast, lunch and dinner offered a varied and nice selection and the service and dining area was well cared for.The morning and evening game drives were handled to perfection by well-versed guides who reassured visitors and whose extensive knowledge of the park's fauna and flora helped make the game drives successful and beautiful experiences.

Everything was perfect. We got a personalized stay. Janus, help us to book 2 big 5 safaris and we were lucky to see all the animals. As well, we got a driver, Given, very good guy who always keep the car clean and a smile on his face. The food was amazing, we got one Ostrich carpaccio, amazing taste. The room was more than perfect. I can not express what a memorable experience we got. PERFECT!

A fantastic place !! a perfect combination of comfort, luxe, privacy and nature immersion. The extras offered are really worth trying them, especially the breakfast one!