A guide to affordable game viewing in South Africa

Seeing South Africa’s magnificent indigenous wildlife in the flesh (and in the wild) can be a spine-tingling experience. But it can have a spine-chilling price tag—staying at the fancy concession lodges within the major national parks, or at any of the country’s many luxury game lodges, can be wildly expensive. Some of them charge between R20,000 and R100,000 per person per night.

Thankfully, many low-budget alternatives exist. You can do day visits to the big SANParks reserves—and even sleep there very affordably in campsites or self-catering chalets. There are also cheaper private lodges, and small urban parks and zoos that save you time and travel.

Read on for the secrets of the budget safari in South Africa.

• Visiting SANParks reserves
• Staying affordably in and around SANParks reserves
• Private game lodges with affordable rates in South Africa
• What to bring on a self-guided game drive
• Enjoying wildlife safely in South Africa’s game parks
• Zoos and small game parks in the Gauteng Province

Visiting SANParks reserves

South African National Parks (SANParks), is South Africa’s state-run wildlife conservation service. It manages several world-famous reserves that are home to a dizzying menagerie of game species.

Choosing the right park

All these SANParks reserves are home to the Big Five—namely, elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard. The bigger parks, especially Kruger, offer a vast range of habitats and species, while the smaller ones like Marakele, Pilanesberg and Addo are better suited to shorter visits.

Staying affordably in and around SANParks reserves

Because the best game viewing conditions are usually in the cool of dawn and dusk, when animals visit waterholes and graze, it’s worth overnighting inside—or very near—the SANParks reserves.

Best online platforms for finding affordable beds

• SANParks Official Website: To book SANParks chalets early, aim for 11 months in advance, as bookings open on the 1st working day of each month for the 11th month ahead. You can book on the SANParks website or through its central reservations office.

• Booking.com: A comprehensive accommodation booking platform, spanning guesthouses, B&Bs, safari lodges, and hotels in nearby towns.​

• Airbnb: A good option to find unique stays with private hosts, such as private rooms in homes, or cottages close to the parks.

• Bushscapes: This site specialises in discounted rates for South African residents at top game lodges.​

Private game lodges with affordable rates in South Africa

So you want spectacular views and luxurious lodgings, but not spectacular costs? These camps and lodges will split the difference between extreme fanciness and basic comfort:

What to bring on a self-guided game drive

If you’re driving yourself through the bush, here’s what you’ll need:

• Binoculars: You don’t need a fancy brand—a basic pair ​will do just fine. And don’t get obsessed with your binocs either. Your eyes still work fine, and they remain peerless tools for scanning the bush.

• Field guidebooks: For identifying the strange creature in front of you, and for amusing yourself when nothing is in front of you.

• Snacks and drinks: For staving off sugar crashes, dehydration and boredom. There will be moments when the bush seems devoid of life.

• Camera: Even the best cellphone camera won’t do justice to a middle-distance sighting. If you want a proper memento, you’ll need a proper SLR, with a proper zoom lens.

• Sunscreen and hat: Because the South African sun has a way of getting around the puny obstacle of a car’s roof.

• First-aid kit: For unforeseen scrapes and ailments. ​

• A paper map of the park: Get one at the gate—your GPS app may not show the roads inside the park, and your signal will be patchy.

Enjoying wildlife safely in South Africa’s game parks

Game in South Africa usually ignore humans inside vehicles. But there are rare exceptions—elephants and rhinos do charge at vehicles if provoked by intrusive drivers, and especially if they feel their young are threatened. If you’re driving yourself, approach all animals in the road very slowly, and stop a safe distance away. Reverse steadily if a matriarch or bull elephant squares up to you and flaps its ears vigorously, which is Elephantese for: ‘Back off, or I charge!’

Other golden rules for safety in the bush

• Stay in your vehicle: Except in designated areas like camps and bird hides.

• Keep windows partially closed: Baboons and vervet monkeys can be daring snack thieves. ​

• Don't feed the animals: ​Under any circumstances.

• Don’t disturb the peace: Silence is golden in a park.

• Follow park rules and guides' instructions: They know what they’re doing. ​

• Don’t expect to see anything in particular: a Big Five sighting is a privilege, not a likelihood.

Zoos and small game parks in the Gauteng Province

If you’re on a tight schedule and passing through Johannesburg or Pretoria for a couple of days, you can see wildlife at some excellent zoos and small game parks near both those cities.