Notten's Bush Camp — Hotel in Bushbuckridge

Overall Notten’s Bush Camp is absolutely fabulous, especially after experiencing an extra night elsewhere that made me decide to up my review. We had one hiccup that impacted our stay but I’ll go into that at the end . The lodge and rooms were amazing, staff attentive and guides and tracker’s outstanding.

Our first Safari out and, Mr T our guide, delivered all of the big 5 in the first 3 hour Safari ride! The next day you think you can’t see anymore but we did, time and time again. The list is exhaustive with multiple sightings of lions, Leopards, African water buffalo, rhino’s, elephants, cheetah, warthogs, zebras, hyenas, hippos, giraffes, turtles, impalas, kudoo, puff adder snake, beautiful birds, baboons, cheeky monkeys, mongoose, dwarf mongoose, squirrels, hares, rabbits, crocs and I’m sure I missed a few! Stunning sunsets and sunrises and a surprise chill around a fire pit with drinks and a regaling by Joe of the animal calls in the African wilds before heading back to the lodge, a magical night guys. The guides are all about you and what you’d like to see, which wasn’t the case in the following lodge we stayed in. Nature walks are a daily occurrence.

The lodge is beautiful, tucked away in the bush. Rooms are beautifully crafted with big comfortable beds and multiple sitting spaces inside and out. The bathroom was spacious with a shower and separate bath, and bonus was a little sitting area outside with sun lounges, which we didn’t use, as getting back and forward was problematic for us. The outside room decks offered views to a grassy plain in front over in the communal, though the view from our room was bushes as they were quite overgrown and we couldn’t see the grassy plains. If staying over in rooms close to communal areas most had unhindered views of the plains with wildlife in abundance. The communal area is a lovely spot to relax, have a cold drink or hot, and watch the day go by, it’s also where delicious meals were served. There was plenty of food, in fact more than we could ever eat! If you had special dietary requirements the staff bent over backwards to look after you. Thank you for my chicken and crucified steak and the birthday surprise in my room and yummo chocolate cake. Eating was a treat here with so much to choose from, beautiful, fresh and filling and loaded with flavour. Early departure? No problem, staff still organise a filling meal to finish your stay.

The pool area is lovely with lounges, cushioned chairs and sun lounges in and out of shaded areas, though sun lounges could go with padding as there’s a hard ridge that digs into your back, minor issue. There is a spa, gym, library and quaint little areas to sit and watch the world go by, as well as a small gift shop. The owner, Dave, came by our last night and had a chat and talked football and rugby with my husband, he’s charming. Thank you Gift for your beautiful smile, Cheryl for your warm welcome and understanding, Mr T and Jeff for all the animal interactions and our Tracker Aby. Special shout out to our superb cook who went out of her way to make me a delicious chicken casserole and chicken kebabs, you rock honey.

Would we book again or recommend here? Yes in a heartbeat. What would I change?

If you have any mobility issues triple check the lodge understands, as our stay was impacted with room allocation. There are 8 gorgeous rooms, 5 close to and in what I call the communal space and 3 outside with narrow walkways and stairs. My husband has mobility issues, poor balance and is night blind, which was relayed to Nottens when accommodation was booked. Unfortunately our room was one of the 3 away from the communal areas and was difficult to negotiate, especially at night. Our hostess apologised but apparently she couldn’t change it as that was the one allocated to us. After leaving the room at 6am my husband didn’t go back until after dinner as it was difficult for him to negotiate, especially if I wasn’t with him, so enjoying our private space in down time didn’t happen but we did chill by the pool,...

This is going to be a long read, as Notten's Bush Camp deserves more than a few sentences. If you want the quick version, here it is. An unforgettable experience, with incredible animals, beautiful scenery and the most amazing team of staff. If you want the in-depth version, please read on!

My partner and I visited Notten's Bush Camp for our last few nights in South Africa as part of a two-week trip. I absolutely fell in love with the country, it’s so vibrant, the people are wonderful, and the scenery is breath-taking. Notten's Bush Camp stood out for many reasons. On paper, Notten's Bush Camp is a luxurious safari lodge located in the heart of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve – but it’s also so much more than that.

We flew from Johannesburg to Skukuza Airport (which is the most beautiful airport I’ve ever seen!) and were met at the airport to be transferred to the camp. The 40-minute drive introduces you to some of the beautiful animals you’ll hopefully see during your safari. Upon arrival at the camp, we were greeted by wonderful Janna, the Assistant Manager, who warmly welcomed us, and showed us to our beautiful lodge we got to call home for a few days.

The lodges are beautifully decorated in a traditional African style, and they offer all the amenities you could possibly need for a comfortable stay. Some of these amenities include: air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom, an outdoor shower and bath, a balcony, and a terrace. There were also tea and coffee making facilities, a fantastic selection of snacks, and some complimentary wine.

Once we unpacked, we explored the site. There are only 12 lodges on-site, so it’s not a large site, but it has everything you could want. There was a beautiful pool, which was a wonderful place to soak up some sun, as well as a well-equipped gym and spa. There was also an on-site shop that had some stunning wares. We bought a beautiful wooden rhino that now sits pride of place in our home to remind us of our time at Notten’s.

The main central point for the camp is where the restaurant and bar is situated, with views across the bush. Nothing quite beats sitting and enjoying a drink whilst watching the stunning nature in front of you. The barman Midion was very welcoming, and he made an amazing Margarita – they were delicious and really packed a punch. He was always on hand with a friendly smile. Sundowners were an amazing experience, enjoying a drink in the bush, but there are also a few surprises thrown in for good measure – which I won’t ruin!

Meals at Notten's Bush Camp were always a fabulous experience. Breakfast was excellent, lunch was always fresh and exciting, and the dinners we had were truly fantastic. Jan and her team really cooked up a storm at every mealtime.

We were only at Notten's for a couple of nights, but we managed to fit in four bush drives with our remarkable guide, Thulani. With his amazing expertise and skills, we were able to see some extraordinary sights during our drives. I won't list everything here, as this review is already long enough, but some highlights included: A pride of lions lounging in the sunshine, a leopard taking down a warthog, a herd of elephants enjoying their breakfast as well as a herd of hundreds of buffalo. We also went on an excellent bushwalk with Tinykio, where we were able to see more of the beautiful wildlife in the bush. There were so many highlights, and it will be an experience that lives with me for the rest of my life.

It’s hard to put into words the hospitality we received from the team at Notten’s. Every single person who was part of our stay made it so incredibly special. In summary, Notten's Bush Camp is a magical place to stay for a safari in South Africa. They offer everything you need for a luxurious and exceptional experience. There are simply not enough words in the English language for me to say how much we loved our stay Notten's Bush Camp, and I guarantee that you will fall in love with the place...

In September 2023, my wife and I spent four wonderful nights at the amazing Notten’s Bush Camp in Sabi Sands, Kruger Park South Africa. Sabi Sands was the second leg of our ten day ‘once in a life time´ trip to Africa which also included two nights in Johannesburg, three in Cape Town and two at Victoria Falls. We enjoyed our time in Sabi Sands so much that we booked a return in November 2024! Arriving at the camp on Friday 22nd November 2024 we were greeted by another of the Nottens team members who provided us with a refreshing cold drink and then escorted us to our room. There are only nine guest rooms at the camp and each one is exquisitely furnished to the highest standard. Our room consisted of a huge bedroom / living area, a separate bath room which included a large bath, flushing toilet, walk in shower and even an additional outside walk in shower! The extensive facilities were completed with a large elevated veranda which provided an amazing view of the wildlife wandering past the camp to drink at the nearby watering hole. This included a troupe of baboons, warthogs, impala and wildebeest to name just a few. Lunch was served at 2:30pm in the Camp’s summer room which also provides a panoramic view of the wildlife wandering past. The food was extremely tasty and plentiful and the staff were very attentive. Stuffed full we retired back to our room to rest before our first game drive of our stay. The afternoon game drives at Nottens start at 4pm and we were delighted to discover that the safari jeep driver and ranger was the same one from our trip in September 2023. The jeeps had also been upgraded and are able to accommodate seven guests, one driver and a tracker who literally sits precariously on the bonnet of the vehicle. On our first drive we saw a large male hippo enjoying one of the watering holes to himself, many impalas with their newly born calves in tow, followed the world famous Nottens resident female leopard, Nsumi, whilst she searched for her early evening supper and to cap it all witnessed a Lion pride feeding on a recent buffalo kill. Amazing experiences and this was only the start! The sundowner drinks break just as darkness starts to envelope the bush has got to be one of the most surreal experiences I have ever had. Drinking a bottle of the local lager just a few yards away from a couple of giraffes strolling past was just mind-blowing! The 5am wakeup call was a shock to the system but the morning game drives start at 5:45am. Our second game drive of our stay did not disappoint and almost straight away we came across a young male hyena that was cooling himself in some watery mud. I was delighted to see him as on our first trip we failed to see any hyenas. On our first full we revisited the Lion pride from the previous evening. This pride had one of the two huge resident males in attendance together with several Lionesses and to our delight numerous cubs of different ages. The three smallest cubs were very active and playful and it was another incredible sighting and experience. Over the course of our next five game drives we had some unbelievable experiences. The highlights for me were seeing a new to the area Leopard trying to mate with Nsumi, sitting in the middle of huge herd of buffalo and listening to a very agitated tree squirrel sounding the alarm as another of Nsumi’s daughters passed right underneath the squirrel’s tree and next to our safari jeep! To seriously enhance a safari experience a visit to Sabi Sands should include staying at Nottens Bush Camp. This family run business leaves no stone unturned in their quest to provide an unforgettable African bush experience. They employ well trained, friendly and extremely knowledgeable local people who are all committed to providing a first class experience. Our second ‘trip of a lifetime’ may be a prelude to another visit sometime in the...