What is “Big Five Safari” in South Africa?

By | October 26, 2021

Big Five is an old hunting term for the five most dangerous prey animals: elephant, hippopotamus, buffalo, lion and leopard. At present, the term is used indiscriminately by safari organizers, but at Albatros we keep the tradition alive and use the term only in connection with safari experiences where you can not only experience the five most dangerous species of prey but literally live among them. When the five different species are gathered in one and the same place, it can usually be assumed that all the other wild animals in the savannah are also gathered nearby. Visit petwithsupplies for South Africa Travel Guide.

Albatros Honeyguide camps – Back to nature

A crackling fire, a pair of storm lanterns hanging in the trees, the velvety black sky lit by the Milky Way and the roaring of the lions far away in the distance. A typical scene taken from a safari with Albatros.

We have chosen the little bird honeyguide, or black-throated honey pointer, as a symbol for our African lodges. This bird is probably the only wildlife representative that demonstrably cooperates with humans, as it leads through the bush to bee colonies where both birds and humans can get honey.

Albatro’s Honeyguide camps are always located in the middle of a Big Five safari area and are built in traditional African canvas style in accordance with the nearby nature – without fencing or other kind of separation from the wild.

The tents are built on a wall or wooden platform and also have a view terrace with safari furniture, two beds or a double bed and a separate bathroom with toilet and shower.

All camps have a restaurant, bar, pool, lookout points and photo booth. We strive to maintain a first-class or 4-star hotel level and place great emphasis on well-prepared meals. But the most important thing is still the bushcamp concept with a maximum of 15 tents where the wildlife experience is in focus.

Daily life in the bushcamp

From the bushcamp, a number of different safaris are arranged; in the morning, in the morning, in the afternoon and at night after dark. In addition, bush walks are also arranged where you go out into the wildlife area together with an armed ranger. Albatross includes a number of different activities in the program, but in addition to that you can choose whether you want to participate in more activities, enjoy the tranquility of the camp, take a swim in the pool or check out the rich bird life. Helicopter tours, visits to the countryside, golf, etc. are also arranged. Dinners are enjoyed in the restaurant, outdoors by the fire if the weather allows or outside the camp among the lions and hyenas.

Follow the Albatross back to nature, back to the time before mobile phones and tablets when the elephants and lions ruled the savannah.

South Africa’s best safari areas

“By the gray-green cloudy Limpopo River, where the fever trees grow close together.” so Rudyard Kipling began his famous adventure about how the elephant got such a long trunk. At Albatro’s camps in South Africa, the adventure becomes a reality. The lodges are located in two of Africa’s most fantastic safari reserves, in the middle of the very best of South Africa’s magnificent nature with high mountains, ravines, savannas, forest savannas, rivers and lakes.

Manyeleti Game Reserve

Khoka Moya Camp and Mantobeni Camp The Manyeleti
Private Game Reserve borders the Kruger National Park and is currently part of the Giant Nature Reserve. During apartheid, a visit to Manyeleti was reserved for the dark-skinned population of South Africa, but today the fence between the two reserves has been removed and the wild animals move around freely. Unlike the rest of the Kruger, an infrastructure was never developed in Manyeleti hence there are no wide roads or asphalt. Here you still drive in old ruts and get stuck in mud. There are few visitors here, to the delight of Albatross guests and many animals who prefer the peaceful surroundings.

Our two lodges, Khoka Moya Camp and Mantobeni Camp are about 10 minutes apart and are surrounded by dense bushes and water holes that are visited daily by the wild animals. Both our camps are of the highest standard but differ in style. Khoka Maya’s tents are very large and spacious with classic safari furniture. Mantobeni is a little more stylish and elegantly decorated with leather furniture and wooden decks.

Kruger is an area with sun and relatively high daytime temperatures all year round – and can therefore also be visited all year round. See all Albatros safari trips here: safari trips

Entabeni Biosphere Reserve

Ranger Camp and Wildside Safari Camp
Entabani are located in the middle of the magnificent Waterberg, one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges located in the Limpopo Province north of Pretoria. The private Entabeni Reserve is an independent part of the UNESCO-recognized Waterberg and is possibly one of the most beautiful landscapes in all of South Africa. Here there is water all year round and magnificent nature with ravines, gorges, waterfalls in addition to “The Big Five”. Entabeni is located outside the malaria zone and is one of South Africa’s most peaceful oases without mass tourism and abundant wildlife and birds. The area is a typical highland area with cold nights, especially between May and September, but has fantastically sunny days all year round.

Honeyguide Ranger Camp is owned by Albatros and consists of 15 newly renovated rooms built in Kanvas on a raised wooden terrace. You live comfortably with bathroom and shower in the open air. The furniture is classic with a double bed or two single beds (four of the tents are suites / family rooms), chair and desk, cabinets and safari chairs on the terrace. We have done our best to create the real, comfortable safari atmosphere close to the wildlife without unnecessary luxury – despite this we have arranged a lovely pool.

The name, Ranger Camp, refers to the history of the place as a training school for rangers. When they were going to practice in a Big Five safari area, they lived a bit separate from the safari guests and therefore this area appeared to be particularly rich in wildlife but a large part of the savannah’s wildlife in and around the camp – which is not fenced.

Wildside Safari Camp, which is partly owned by Albatros, is located on the savannah, at the bottom of the beautiful and magnificent Waterberg. In the background you can clearly see the Yellowwood trees that fold down through waterfalls and wooded slopes to warmer climates with thick bushes, savannas and wetlands.

The small camp accommodates 36 guests in 18 large rooms built of canvas on a wooden terrace. There is also a bathroom (toilet and shower). Above the tent, a thatched roof has been built and you have your own private terrace with safari chairs. The camp of course also has both an indoor and outdoor restaurant, bar and pool area.

Albatros is also a co-owner of Ravineside Lodge, Lakeside Lodge and Hanglip Mountain Lodge in the same area. They are all built like more traditional brick bushlodgers in wood.

Big Five Safari