December 2025 January 2026
All past and future safari-goers to Kruger Park will have learned about the devastating floods we experienced in January. The damage done is, in my opinion, the worst ever. Tremisana Lodge, being the highest lodge in Olifants West Reserve, did not suffer much when compared to lodges that were built along the banks of the Olifants River. Some of these will be out of operation for a long time. Such was the deluge that a huge dam located on Imagine Africa property, broke its walls and the main Olifants Road was impassable for a few days. Stranded tourists had to be airlifted by helicopter.
As Tremisana is located near the Main Gate along the R 40 road, we were still able to go to Kruger. This continued for a few days until Satara Camp was flooded. I saw knee-high water at the staff village where I have spent many pleasant holidays.
Satara camp staff quarters
Our southern lodges, Marc’s Treehouse Lodge, Katekani Tented Lodge, Masango Lodge and Dumela Lodge had such heavy rain that we were unable to get clients to their accommodation. Charl, who is rated a very good 4×4 driver, got stuck so often that some of our guides now believe he does NOT possess a normal drivers licence !! Ha ha.
To Charl’s and his staff’s credit, he believed that the Breakfast Dam might break its walls and opened a wider sluice to release the water that, at this stage, was flowing over the dam wall.
Water flowing over Breakfast Dam wall
At the time of writing this newsletter, Viva Safaris has made a deal with the management of Orpen Gate, where we have been entering Kruger Park since1991. SanParks have kindly made available a 25 seater SanParks vehicle, driven by a SanParks guide, to take Viva guests in on a full day Kruger safari. I am told that we shall resume normal operations in the next few days.
Viva guests on SANParks truck.
On Balule Nature Reserve, our team worked hard on the main Olifants Road, which is a servitude road, and we were able to resume our famous Bush BBQs at Marula Boma as soon as the rains subsided.
Viva doing its best to sort out Olifants Road
The wildlife was more resilient. They moved from the riverine areas to higher ground. Luke reported that, on one occasion, Tremisana Dam had no fewer than 5 hippos. This is easily understood as the hippos need to get away from the strong river currents that can wash them away.
Our lion sightings on the main servitudes Viva Safaris is legally entitled to drive, were excellent. I think the lions felt more secure on the harder ground supplied by the roads than the marshy muddy veld.
In Kruger one day, our guests saw a coalition of 7 cheetah all on the tar road – new record !
In view of the massive number of cancellations, I decided to grant early paid long leave to some staff members. Despite the short notice, they gratefully accepted knowing that other lodges had sent staff home on a no work no pay basis. We hope and pray that the tourists that cancelled may come later in the year.
GAME VIEWING REPORTS FROM OUR GUIDES
BNR = Balule Nature Reserve
KNP = Kruger National Park
To conserve the rhinos, we do not indicate where we enjoyed sightings of these magnificent animals .
LUKE, Head Guide, sent the following:
Monthly report December 2025
Bushwalk highlights
A lion on foot is an experience like no other. To walk on the same soil as such a large predator is incredibly humbling. I had a few wonderful lion encounters this month, two of which took place on Rome 3/4 river property and one on Rome 1 river property.
All three encounters came as complete surprises, you just never know what might happen next when you’re on safari. The first and second encounter involved the same lion known as “Blondie”. He is in his prime and has recently started to take over from the old male.
We had stopped to look at a wonderful termite mound, such interesting creatures and can also be quite tasty. We then headed down an animal path towards the Olifants river in search of crocodiles and hippos. I often look back to see if all my guests are still walking together, as I did this I saw “Blondie” the lion standing next to the termite mound, a matter of minutes after we had been there.
We all looked back with excitement at the king of the jungle; he looked down at us and then quickly moved away from us into the thick vegetation. An incredible experience.
The second encounter involving “Blondie” was just as exciting, but a little more planning was involved. We first heard him call, a sound that can send shivers down your spine. We can tell from the loudness of the call that he was very close, so we started moving in the direction of the sound.
It was long before we had a visual of the king, but it wasn’t a great angle. So, after discussing a game plan with my back up guide, we headed along a ridge to get a better view. The view was magnificent and completely safe, giving the lion his space and giving us a wonderful view of the big guy resting beside a tree.
“Blondie” eventually stood up and stretched against a tree then continued towards the west and out of sight.
The last lion encounter during the bushwalks took place on Rome 1, also along the Olifants river. in this case we had no idea that he was there, it was only when we got within a few meters of him that we realized. In this situation it was very important to remain calm and slowly move backwards. The further we got from him the more relaxed he became until he fell back down to sleep.
The game drive highlights
The lions have also shown up during the game drives and are often close to Tremisana Lodge. The most recent lion sighting took place just south of Tremisana dam, five females spent the whole day resting under a shady bush. We managed to see them both in the morning and the afternoon. At the very end, they all stood up and walked down towards Tremisana dam.
The most memorable moment, however, took place during the drive to our morning bushwalk. We had just passed the airstrip on the Barnard’s property along olifants road, when one of the guests spotted a leopard right next to the road. I stopped and could believe how relaxed he was. He stood up, stretched, and slowly walked down the road. 
Leopard scent marking along olifants road, during drive to morning bushwalk. BNR
We followed him along the road while he marked his territory by spraying his urine.
Another great month with so many new experiences, the bush is constantly making new memories.
White Rhino, seen after enjoying a mud bath.
Monthly report January 2026
The month of January will be remembered for the rain that didn’t stop falling, due to a low-pressure system moving inland from Mozambique. The ground in most areas became impossible to drive through. The mud sucked your wheels in and that was that you’re stuck.
The sun seemed to have been gone for at least half the month, so no chance of anything drying out. It’s starting to normalize now as the month draws to a close. The sun has come out and is doing a great job in drying the roads.
Elephant enjoying a dust bath during sunset drive on Campfire property. BNR.
The animals have not disappeared. In fact since the rain stopped the sightings have been great. Marula road has been a wonderful route of late, on this road alone we have managed to see lion, leopard, wild dogs, rhino, elephant and buffalo not to mention all the other animals like giraffe and zebra.
Buffalo herd on Marula extention. Resting alongside the road, sighted on route to bushwalk. BNR
The drive to bushwalks in the morning often have surprises on route , you just never know what animals might get called in on the radio.
A few days ago we had set of from the lodge on our way to a walking area. When we received a message about a lion on marula road. So off we went and of course it was the right choice, we had such a great view of the big male who at one point stood up and walked towards us. The lion then lead us to another sighting this time a herd of buffalo. It’s just magic being on safari, you never know what might pop out the bush.
The walks have been highlighted with elephant and hippo sightings of late, and it has given us a chance to enter areas that cars still can’t venture too.
My personal favourite sighting for the week took place on a recent sunset drive. We had turned to head back to Olifants road to eventually get to Marula Boma. It wasn’t long and the driver ahead of me called in wild dogs on the radio. Wild dogs can move off very quickly if they want too, so we headed straight to the location of the sighting.
There on the road ahead of us stood the first of the wild dogs, just standing gazing out into the distance in the middle of the road. The rest of the pack were a little further down the road scent marking in the tall grass. In total we saw five wild dogs all looking in great condition bouncing through the grass with their big round ears like satellite dishes.
Other than the magnificent wild dog sighting the lions are definitely in second place. 
Lionesses on Marula road, resting after a big meal. Sundowner drive. BNR
The lionesses had recently killed a zebra north of Tremisana, hence their incredibly full tummies. When we found them they didn’t even move, they were happily sleeping a meter off the road. We sat back and watched them roll over and occasionally lift their heads up to look at us.
An actions packed month in more ways than just animal sightings, let’s see what February brings I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful.
MARC sent the following:
December 2025
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all from a wet and Green Balule Nature Reserve.
December has been a fantastic month of Rainfall! The 21st of December is the Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. This is also the longest day of the year. On this particular day of 2025 we had the most incredible storm that lasted throughout the late afternoon into the night and continued to the mid morning.
I had a morning game drive on the 22nd and it was simply wet wet wet. I’ve never witnessed so much water in the Olifants West Game Reserve before. We all got absolutely drenched, however it was a phenomenal experience as every single dry river bed which once was just dry river sand was now a strong flowing stream.
Guests were entertained by us crossing through several of these water crossings as the roads traversed through many of these drainage lines. The Tremisana and Camp fire Dams have reached capacity with just this one storm. The Rome 3 waterhole dam wall was breached and was overflowing beautifully.
We were truly blessed with fantastic rainfall. Even whilst the rain bucketed down we still managed to find 3 of the Big 5 during the morning drive just missing out on the cats, who I’m sure were finding shelter somewhere in a thicket as they are never happy getting too wet.
Sightings of the Big cats have been great as both Lion and Leopard have frequently visited Tremisana Dam these past few weeks searching for food and fresh water. This has made it easy for us guides as on some days lions have been the very first animal we have seen on game drives even before the Impalas. On one occasion I found 3 Lionesses with one tiny cub just 200m from our Tremisana parking lot. The gorgeous little one must have only been a couple weeks old.
Gorgeous little Lion cub seen 200m from Tremisana Lodge BNR
Male Lion yawning seen 100m from Tremisana Lodge
Luke is all smiles at a great lion sighting
The White Rhinos were slightly scarce toward the beginning of December as they dispersed after the first decent rains. Since mid month we have seen them more frequently moving from Waterhole to Waterhole.
Lions and Leopards have been back on the Campfire property as there is lots of new fresh water in their dam.
Elephant and Lion (in the gap in the far background) seen at the same sighting on Campfire.
Elephant at Campfire
Elephants are enjoying swimming again and the big herds of buffalo have also made their way back westwards searching for the yummy new green grass that has sprouted nicely around Tremisana.
Magical herd of Elephants seen on the Sweni road, KNP
We have also been extremely fortunate to have seen more of the rare and elusive Black Rhino (Hooked Lipped Rhino) this month which has been really exciting for guides and guests alike. 
Black Rhino (Hooked Lip Rhino)
I wish you all a very Happy New Year, and may 2026 bring you and your family many new blessings and some happy and exciting adventures hopefully back to the magestic Kruger National Park.
Please don’t forget to follow us for more instant access to stories, reels, pictures and videos of our latest sightings on our social media platforms @vivasafaris. We can be followed on Instagram and Facebook.
Until next month…
January 2026
Happy New Years to one and all..
In a few of my previous monthly reports I have mentioned that we desperately need to pray for rain.
For those of you that did pray, your prayers were most certainly answered. Within the past 3 weeks, central Kruger has experienced their highest rainfall in a month and potentially the worst floods in over 100 years.
We experienced almost 2 weeks of constant rain with intermittent downpours from the 9th until the 22nd of January. The one evening we had over 200mm of rain fall within a few hours at both Tremisana and Marc’s Camp.
Roads completely destroyed due to the continuous rain and flooding.
Operations have been extremely challenging this month. Of course we want our excited guests to experience the beauty of the Bush, and do as many activities as possible however safety has been our highest priority. Almost every road within the Kruger Park and the Balule Nature Reserve has either been washed away or severly damaged. Roads have been soaked and water logged and totally undriveable even with the best of 4x4s. At the height of the floods it was not possible to go anywhere.
Perennial River bed turned into flowing river and a Deep water crossing making some roads unsafe and undrivebale
The once perennial dry riverbeds are all raging streams and some fierce flowing rivers. The main road to our Reserve Entrance gate had collapsed so everyone within the reserve including ourselves were all literally stranded at their homes and lodges. We were fortunately able to quickly create a detour with rocks and sandbags to try cross the new flowing streams from Tremisana to the main gate, just so we could exit the reserve and get our guests back to Johannesburg safely.
Guides escorting guests from Tremisana Lodge to the main gate as all access roads were destroyed by the heavy rain.
The rains have thankfully subsided and towards the end of the month we have had some beautiful days filled with blue skies and warm rays of sunshine. Most of thr roads are still extremely wet and soaked but hopefully they dry up quickly in the next few days. Road recovery and maintenance is our main objective in the coming week. We could finally resume some game drives such as the sunset and sundower drives this past week which has been awesome and supririsingly Game sightings have been really good. We have seen all of the Big 5; Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo, Black and White rhino as well as wild dogs all this past week even on the limited roads that we can currently Traverse.
The one day whilst we were out fixing some roads near Tremisana Dam we walked into a pride of 6 lions. That same afternoon we took guests to go view these lions and our guide subsequently went a little too close and got his land cruiser stuck in the soft sand at the lion sighting.
We then needed to fetch our guests in another cruiser and escort them about 50m from vehicle to vehicle with the lions watching on nearby. Fortunately everyone was safe, we have recovered the stuck cruiser and the guests had an amazing experience and exciting memories to share with their friends and family when they get home.
We now need to pray for more sun so the roads can dry up quickly. The bush is magnificently lush and green at the moment and the landscape has changed with beautiful flowing water everywhere. The big bulk feeders are extremely happy and in their element. We will continue to get all the roads fixed and soon to be resuming busness as per usual.
Zebra Born at Tremisana during the floods, finding safety in our parking lot
Until next month
CHARL sent the following:
Smallest chameleon I have ever found
Big leopard tortoise at Masango Camp
A pack of 24 Wild Dogs at Marcs Camp
WHIAN sent the following:
I am pleased to advise that, after his 6 months practical experience with Viva Safaris, Whian was so happy that he applied for a full-time job with us.
I had no hesitation whatsoever in employing Whian, who is a very hard-working, knowledgeable and capable guide. He has been mentored in the skills of conducting Bush Walks by Luke himself, who has a qualification as follows :FGASA Lead Trails Guide as well as Regional Assistant Mentor.
Tremisana
Campfire
Maroela Road
Maroela road
Leopard Sundowner drive Rome 3
Buffalo Tremisana Extended morning drive
Lion Tremisana Sundowner drive
ROCKY sent the following:
Breeding herd of buffalo south of Tremisana property in the middle road morning drive BNR
2 male lions S40 about 17 km from junction of S106 to Talamati close to the road KNP game drive
H1-3 at Nkaya pan Cheetahs scanning around for wildebeest KNP safari game drive
African Wild Dogs Olifants Road close to Rome 4 entrance BNR sundowner drive
Elephant bull at sunset drive BNR safari drive feeding close to the termite mount
Black Rhinoceros sundowner drive was charging at us
Blond lion at Tremisana
QUINTON sent the following:
Leopard close to Breakfast Dam at Marcs
Buffalo – seen at Marc’s Camp
Porcupine seen at Masango Camp
Buffalo breeding herd seen close to Marc’s Camp
Leopard Tortoise seen at Masango Camp
ELIAS AKA SMILEY sent the following:
10 December: We drove from Tremisana on a sunset drive. We spotted lions in the middle of the road.
15 December: We drove down to Marula road and we spotted giraffes with a baby. That was amazing.
17 December: We spotted two black rhinos
19 December: We saw one hyena just before we leave on our sunset drive at Tremisana property.
VICTOR sent the following:
Male lion north of Campfire dam BNR
Leopard Rome 4 BNR
Wild dogs nghala ya rila BNR
Leopard west of Rome 4 waterhole BNR
Pride of lions Marula road BNR
RAYMOND sent the following:
H7 before Nsemani Dam, KNP
JOHN sent the following:
We are very pleased to advise that Viva Safaris has employed John Mthethwa.
He has vast experience of Balule Nature Reserve, having worked most recently at Ku Sungula.
Nonwane and Olifants road
Tremisana Dam
BNR
DUMISANI sent the following:
Male lion at Tremisana property – sunset drive BNR
Southside of Tremisana property – sunset drive BNR
Lioness at south side of Tremisana Lodge – sunset drive BNR
Wild dog on Olifants Road near the gate, extended morning drive BNR
Wild dogs on Sable Road, bushwalk BNR
Buffalo herd at Tremisana dam, sundowner drive BNR
Buffalo herd on Marula road during morning drive. BNR
Leopard on Rome 3/4 near Olifants Road, sunset drive BNR
Elephant calf on Impalabos west, Sunset Drive, BNR
Leopard on Rome 3/4 near Olifants Road, Sunset Drive BNR
Dazzle of zebras on Barnard airstrip, sundowner drive BNR
Spotted Hyena outside Tremisana Lodge, Sundowner Drive. BNR
Wild Dogs on west of Marula, Sunset Drive BNR
NHLANHLA sent the following:
KNP Sweni Bridge
KNP S126
KNP H1-3 Nkaya pan road sign
Tremisana Dam BNR
KNP H1-3 Nkumana dam
KNP H7
KNP H1-3 north of Sweni Bridge
KNP H7 after Orpen coffee shop
KNP S126
BNR
2 Hippos and 3 Elephants in the Tremisana Dam
ANDY sent the following:
Wild Dogs spotted on the Orpen road before the exit, Kruger National Park
Hyena spotted walking down the road on the H7 , Kruger National Park
Black Rhino BNR
Lions spotted at Tremisana property BNR
White rhino BNR
Wild Dogs spotted on the H7 towards Orpen Rest Camp, Kruger National Park
Lion spotted on the H7, Kruger National Park
Leopard spotted on BNR
White Rhinos KNP
Giraffes on H7, Kruger National Park
NEWS FROM OUR LODGES
TREMISANA
NYARAI, Office Manager, reports :
December 2025
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go,” one of my favorite Christmas songs. The moment I start hearing it over the radio, i knows it’s definitely Christmas soon, and the year is coming to an end. In line with the festivities, we have put up our Christmas decorations at the Lapa at Tremisana.
We have had a lot of rainy days this December .The vegetation in Balule is now thick and a beautiful green. The animals have a lot of watering holes around the reserve. I am glad that the animals do not have to travel far to get water. The animal sightings for this month have been great as usual, including rhino, elephants, giraffe.
I spent most of December with my son at the lodge. He was very happy and a lot of play time was had in the Tremisana gardens. A picture below before our first ever safaris together and one of just before one of our safaris this December. What an awesome time we had. Conversations and a lot of questions and answers about animals were had. Thank you to the Viva family for making his stay memorable. My heart is full and words alone cannot describe the gratitude I have. When we went home for Christmas, I was one proud mama, hearing him share animal facts with his cousins. 
As the year comes to an end we take time to reflect on the awesome year we have had as a team. I believe next year is going to be another awesome year. A special thank you to the agents and to the guests that have supported us throughout the year.
January 2026
Reflecting on the past year as new begins. We might have not achieved all that we wanted to, achieved what we did not expect but at the end of it all we made it. I do not take failures as failures but learning blocks to provide excellent service in the tourism industry. One important New Years resolution is to give our guests an exceptional safari experience. This can be achieved by strong teamwork. I trust that the team at Tremisana will continue to excel at this.
This January we experienced floods. I have read from the biblical story of Noah from the book of Genesis to the Epic of Gilgamesh a Babylonian flood myth, various news articles but never been in area where it happens. When the rain started, I was happy but then it poured down continuously for days. I am sure everyone yearned for the sun that we had complained about few days prior to the rains. We had to adapt to the changes that came with the floods. If I say Viva Safaris as a company remained standing, it’s an understatement. Some lodges closed but we remained open. A few adjustments to our itineraries here and there but kept going. I am grateful for the guests that checked up on us during that time. The phone calls, the emails really meant a lot to us.
Tremisana Lodge’s location in Balule helped a lot. The roads became puggy and doing drives was difficult, but we were still able to go in and out of the reserve. We still had animal sightings despite the adverse weather conditions. I was happy to see the zebras that came close to Tremisana Lapa.
We also had elephant, giraffe, rhino and lion sightings around Balule. The Tremisana gardens are still green, I was worried that too much rain was going to damage the plants, but thankfully they are still okay. As we come to the end of the month the sun is out, shining in all its glory. The lessons I have personally learnt from January is that it is important to appreciate what we have and that there is eventually an end to every tough situation.
KATEKANI, MARC’S TREEHOUSES, MASANGO AND DUMELA
CHARL, Manager of Southern Camps, reports:
Marcs
This festive season has been a month full of celebrations in the bush with Christmas a time to spend with family celebrating and an exceptional amount of rain that has fallen. With all the dams and rivers now full to the brim, the Klaserie river is flowing nice and strong I haven’t seen the river this full in a few years now. All this rain means that the grazing around the camp has definitely picked up,with the grass already very tall for this time of the year ,the sightings on bush walk and even just going and coming from the main gate we have been lucky enough to observe loads of Nyalas, kudu , blue wildebeest, Buffalo and even the odd leopard late at night on my way back home after dinner and closing up the bar, I have even found tracks the next morning on Bushwalk for hyenas moving around the car park area. We ended up having a full Christmas spread for dinner on the 25th with Chef Walter cooking up a storm for all the clients who where pleasantly surprised at the dinner as well as big Richard and the ladies table decorations. The red lights we use in the boma to keep the insects away from client’s food also help to give more of a Christmas feel. 
Bridge between Treehouse 5 and 6 underwater – you can just see the light sticking out.
Katekani
Gertrude and Mandla’s new garden around the kitchen are have loved the rain and warmer weather when we have had it allowing the garden to flourish. I just hope that the porcupine and bushbuck don’t find their lovely garden as i had great difficulty across the road with my own garden and the bushbuck eating it all up as soon as new plants arrived it was a game of trial and error to find out what they would eat and what not , luckily for now it looks to be that they have won but only winter time will truly tell when the vegetation in the bush is sparse and they become hungry. We had a gap this festive season where we didn’t have clients in camp allowing us to get some necessary maintenance done that’s difficult to do with clients in camp mainly the painting out of the public restroom area and the complete scrub down of the kitchen, dinning and boma area as it’s fairly open with only chicken wire and shade cloth walls. While we were already busy painting I also got the guys to spend some time repainting the communal ablutions around the staff area so they too can have a fresh coat of paint.
Masango
We have completed six of the eight units at Masango with the renovation that we started in the middle of the year as well as the painting of the main hall. With the last two left for early next year, we sent the building teams for their annual leave a total of 21 days of rest after all their had work this year. They will return early next year where we can then undertake the last two units for renovation, I think the upgrades we have done will definitely make the camp more appealing to clients as it offers a similar style of accommodation to what is offered at Tremisana
January has been a very interesting month for us as a safari company with some of the largest rains we have had in many years. From the 10th of January to the 21st we had a total of 327 mm of rain an immense amount of rain if you think our average for a year is closer to 400 mm. We have had to totally rebuild most of our main roads going to and from the camps. With the Klasire river rising so much that we removed items from treehouse 9 as the waters level rose. Luckily we had no real damage to any property other than the roads and have spent the last few weeks pulling stuck cars out of the mud and rebuilding roads definitely will be something to look back on one day.
PIERO reports:
I am proud that our team cleaned up the Olifants River banks on the properties we traverse, namely Rome 1 and Rome 3 and 4. 
After the floods, there is much more work to do.
Road between Orpen and Satara at Nsemane Dam
Broken dam wall at Imagine Africa Lodge
Fence with Tremisana neighbours washed away
Road between Tremisana and Main Gate
Sandra and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary at Chobe Lodge. On a fishing trip, she cleaned me up by catching (and releasing ) 2 catfish to my big fat zero 
Marc took his parents and Gerrie and Org Prinsloo of Rome 3 and 4 on a great Sundowner Drive
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
December 2025 was a solid month with good occupancy. December 2025 was better than December 2024 and overall, we had more guests in 2025 than in 2024.
January bookings were looking good until the floods arrived. Viva tried to do what we could with the guests that had already arrived. Once we received notification that Orpen Gate was closed, we were obliged to inform all guests that we were unsure when normal operations would resume. Like the situation with Covid, we have offered all guests, who have paid a deposit, a future booking at the same rate regardless of when they rebook.
This means that if a client wants to return, for example, in 2030, the outstanding balance will be based on 2026 tariffs and not on the increased 2030 tariffs.
We apologize to guests who were unable to experience the full safari packages.
We are now fully operational.
Marco, Viva’s Webmaster, has chosen the following reviews posted in December 2025 and January 2026:
“Incredible week. Fantastic staff. Saw loads of wonderful animals” from TripAdvisor
Vicky T, UK
We had an absolutely incredible week with Viva Safaris. The staff were amazing. Excellent food from the ladies at the accommodation, all good home-cooked South African food. Comfortable rooms kept clean and fresh. And now, the animals. We saw 4 of the big five (among many many other fantastic animals, including a honey badger which was a lovely surprise) and the rangers were always so enthusiastic and determined to find the animals for us. They were also super knowledgable and friendly and made the game drives fun every day. Shout out to Luke, Rocky and Smiley. Luke was fantastic to chat to about all things Kruger, the area, the animals, anything you wanted to chat about, he had the knowledge and was happy to chat. Rocky and Smiley were fantastic fun on the drives and found us some amazing sights. The elephants were just incredible to observe, day after day, every encounter was different. Right in the accommodation car park we had elephants come to say hello, hyenas lying outside. We even had a lion pop out of the bush on our bush walk! Due to the time of year, lots of animals had babies which was just beautiful. New baby elephants, giraffes, impalas, wildebeest, warthogs and so much more, which was just an incredible sight to see. The whole trip was just magical and amazing value for money. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone. If you’re thinking of booking, do it!
“Unforgettable” from TripAdvisor
Federica, Italy
We traveled as a group of 10 people — 6 adults and 4 children aged between 9 and 13 — and chose the 6 Day Tremisana / Treehouse Safari package.
From the very first moment, our experience was nothing short of extraordinary. We spent the first night at Tremisana and the following four nights at Marc’s Treehouse, which is truly a magical, one-of-a-kind place. Sleeping in the heart of the bush, surrounded by wildlife, is an experience that is hard to put into words and something we will treasure forever.
The Viva Safaris team is absolutely outstanding. Every single member of the staff is incredibly kind, professional, knowledgeable, and deeply passionate about their work. From the warm welcome to the amazing rangers, everyone went above and beyond to make our safari unforgettable. Their enthusiasm, dedication, and attention to detail are simply exceptional.
The entire program was perfectly organized in every aspect: schedules, transfers, game drives, and activities ran flawlessly, like a perfectly synchronized machine where nothing ever went wrong. This allowed us to relax completely and enjoy every single moment.
The food was excellent, plentiful, and very varied, another wonderful surprise that exceeded our expectations.
And of course, the wildlife sightings were beyond anything we could have imagined. We saw an incredible variety of animals, far more than we ever hoped for, making every safari an exciting and unforgettable adventure.
This experience was truly once in a lifetime, unforgettable for both us adults and our children alike.
If you are considering a safari in South Africa, do not think twice — choose Viva Safaris. We cannot recommend them highly enough, and we are certain you will not regret it!
“Wonderful experience – 100% recommended!” from TripAdvisor
Dario, Switzerland
I have just completed a six-day safari tour staying at Tremisana Lodge with Viva Safaris, and I can highly recommend this experience to everyone.
Andy, Luke, Whian, and Raymond were all absolutely fantastic. Their passion for wildlife is truly inspiring, and they all did an outstanding job throughout the tour. Their knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication made this safari unforgettable. I would recommend them 100% without hesitation.
The Balule Nature Reserve itself is simply amazing and, in my opinion, even more beautiful than Kruger National Park. There are far fewer vehicles, which makes the experience much more intimate and increases the chances of seeing animals up close.
To give an example: I saw three leopards in Balule (!), while in Kruger National Park I only saw one—and that from a distance.
An absolutely unforgettable safari experience and highly recommended!
“Amazing experience! Highly recommend” from TripAdvisor
Brad, Australia
Incredible experience with Viva Safaris. A huge special thanks to Luke and Whian, you guys really made our trip special!
We had multiple incredible encounters with leopards, lions, elephants, giraffes and many more animals right next to the Tremisana Camp.
The bungalows are spacious and have everything needed, and meals were delicious.
Can’t recommend this experience enough, thank you Viva Safaris team!!
“Tout était parfait” from GetYourGuide
Pascal, France
tout était parfait. du départ à Johannesburg au retour .Tremisana lodge ambiance familiale. la nourriture était très bonne ,les cuisinières très gentilles .les bungalows simples mais confortables, les lits très bons . le programme Safaris très dense mais super bien organisé. nous avons vu et appris beaucoup de choses . les guides étaient géniaux, pros et à l’écoute. Luc ,Vi ,Georges et les autres . tout était parfait. Merci Vivas Safaris .
“Soldi ben spesi” from GetYourGuide
Stefano, Italy
Non voglio scrivere le solite cose, quest’attività merita davvero di essere recensito come si deve: -Ci sono venuti a prendere in hotel, ci hanno addirittura avvisato in stanza. -Van da 6 persone con le quali abbiamo potuto cominciare a conoscerci prima di fare 3 giorni insieme -eravamo un po preoccupati per le tende, ma pur essendo molto minimal, erano pulite molto bene.. un po avventurosa, ma comode e piacevoli. -abbiamo visto un totale di 40 speci, tra uccelli, rettili, elefanti in gruppi da 40 esemplari, rinoceronti, wilddog, e chi ne ha piu ne metta. Il leopardo essendo un animale ha una densità di esemplari molto bassa in natura non siamo riusciti a vederlo, ma onestamente ci è bastato tutto il resto. -Guide PREPARATISSIME. ragazzi, con uno spirito un po avventuriero (ma neanche troppo) vivrete un’esperienza che vi legherà per sempre alle persone con cui andate e che incontrerete li. Soldi ben spesi.
“Perfectly met my expectations” from SafariBookings
Mark, UK
I chose the six day safari option at Tremisana Lodge. Great choice this. Not luxury accommodation, but nice enough little chalet to myself, with decent size bathroom and bed with mosquito net. And a lovely pool in the middle. Meal;s were all good too. Totally met my needs. it seemed best to fit the time I had available before I needed to be back in London and the amount of time actually out on game drives. And was a reasonable price. But of course what you actually get and what it says in the brochure can be different things. However, I have to say I was almost totally satisfied with absolutely everything on this trip. And I am not that easily pleased!
I mean usually things are fine and you shrug your shoulders at a few minor things that are disappointing. But this was brilliant in almost every way and I certainly fancy using the same company, Viva Safaris, again. Booking was easy – I got lots of helpful whats app messages leading up to the trip. Organisation was spot on in every respect. The main guides were great and head guide Luke just superb – balance of knowledge and personable without overdoing it. The itinerary was cleverly put together. I finished up being a very happy customer. And it was the right length for me. I felt ready to go home at the end but enjoyed everything in between. Saw all the big 5 in one day at the Kruger, and there were two trips to the Kruger itself, other days taken up with drives and walks around the lodge area and reserve.
“A dream came true” from BookAllSafaris
Myriam, France
I just spent five nights at Tremisana Lodge and I must say it was perfect.
The accommodation is simple, functional, and clean. The air conditioning is very useful, as it gets hot quickly.
Located in a lovely, well-maintained garden, the pool is pleasant and the little monkeys are very cute.
The food is excellent from breakfast to dinner. Seated around large tables, it’s a great place to share stories of the day’s adventures.
The games are perfectly organized and spread throughout the stay. The guides are excellent, friendly, and efficient.
The pick-ups to and from the lodge are also very well organized, even if the drive from Johannesburg is a bit long.
Thank you so much to the whole team for helping me make my dream come true.
I do recommend the 5 days program.
“The experience was amazing!” from Google
Georgie Bateman, Australia
I did the 5 day tremisana lodge with viva safari.
The experience was amazing!
The safari’s on their land had so many animals and felt very personal with very few cars around. Kruger was great aswell, but a little more busy. I was able to see all of the big 5 and more.
The bush walk was a highlight, seeing hippos and crocs up close. Whilst thrilling it still felt very safe.
Elephants would walk straight past the property numerous times a day. We saw an entire heard pass by while having dinner. Hyenas and civets also came up close.
Cash was required for tips and drinks, but the restaurant in Kruger took card and so did the gift stores. I didnt need as much cash as I expected
All the meals were amazing and there was always more than enough food.
I couldn’t recommend Viva Safaris any more!
“Wonderful lodge” from TripAdvisor
Meander00825027195
Such a wonderful stay at Katekani.
The staff were so wonderful and friendly and made us feel totally at home.
We really looked forward to all the meals, they were so delicious and home cooked.
Rooms were fab, such a comfy bed, and we slept well every night.
The guides were amazing, super knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions we had. Couldn’t fault them at all.
Thank you for such a special week.
Until next month,
With kind regards,
Piero
General Manager
Viva Safaris
