Chacma Bush Camp

Wow ! What an experience. We’ve been to four different camps on this trip, and nothing compares to the knowledge Hanrie shared with us so passionately on the game drives. He has a respect for the animals that is so inspiring. Nadine gives such a personal touch to the Chacma experience. Thank you for making our stay extremely special. We will definitely see you guys again, very soon.

Our family just returned from Chacma where we spent 3 days and nights. We went in to two other lodges but Chacma was the best of the three in many respects. The game drives were simply fantastic. The best anywhere. The team was so welcoming and the food delicious. We tried both smaller and larger lodges and are sold on smaller because of the warmth, personalization and attention each guest is given. Chacma does this beautifully. We had a terrific time.

Fantastic location with a very friendly staff and delicious food. Nadine made our family (2 adults and 2 children age 7 and 10) feel welcome from the start. Our game guide Hanri was extremely knowledgable and happily shared it with us. We learned alot! Hanri also used his tracking skills to get us close to the animals that was or came to the area: Wild dogs, leopard, lion elephant, giraffe,..... The Team at Chacma Bush Camp made our stay unique and wonderful. Hope to be back!

Amazing experience, excellence service taking into consideration every single details. We did the walking option doing great game walks with Marco and Keegan both very friendly, very knowledgeable sharing a lot of details about wildlife, great professionals and better persons. Combining morning walks with evening drives like we did was perfect for us! Food prepared by James and his team was excellent, a very good balance between traditional South African and local dinners and healthy, fresh and energetic brunches and breakfasts. The camp sites were very well done with hot showers and toilets, very comfy bed with mattress tents.The whole experience exceded my expectations by far, I 100% recomend it! :)

I can't rave enough about my excellent safari at Chacma Bush Camp. I was highly pleased with all aspects - the food was amazing (really amazing), the safari drives were super enjoyable - Calvin a truly excellent guide (he even used his super sleuth vision to spot my dropped cellphone in the bush, 3h after I had lost it!), and the lodge itself was magnificent, with an excellent selection of post-safari drive bevvys in the lounge. It was my first safari, and during drives, I saw other jeeps packed full of guests because other lodges were much larger. Chacma can only house up to 10 or so guests, it's got a much cozier, homier feel to it, and I think it really positively influences a guest's experience. It's been a few months since my stay, and I reference my excellent time at Chacma constantly. Couldnt recommend more.

The staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgable. Noteably our driver, Luan, and the tracker on the front of vehicle, Collins and our server, comfort.I can’t wait to come back. The food was delicious and we saw the big five and much more!!! My fav were elephants and warthogs. Above and beyond 6/5 stars! Give this staff a damn raise. They work so tirelessly.

Conveniently Close to Hoedspruit Airport.Thankfully they accommodated us at the last minute. Our first room (3) had very very uncomfortable beds, although it had a lot of space. plugs were in really awkward locations in the room and the big boulders that made up the walls, looked charming, but interfered with getting in and out of bed. The shower for this room was ONLY outside (which was a drag on a cold morning). The WiFi doesn’t work in this room.On our 2nd night we moved to room 1 which was much better. It’s right next to the reception area. We had a lovely little patio, strong Wi-Fi, and the shower was indoors! Yeah! It did have a problem draining, and the beds were still not comfy. there are 3 rooms total, but I believe they can sleep 8-10 people creatively. There’s also a small swimming pool on the property was very nice. The reception area has a few items for sale, Internet, a coffee station & snacks & drinks.Breakfast lunch and dinner were good food, although portions were small (just enough to feed us, but maybe not enough for others).The staff was VERY nice.Our game drive guide & his tracker were both very knowledgeable & helpful, although we had our own private good friend and guide of all guide Brent with us! We didn’t see as many animals as we had seen as the other reserves we’ve been to. But the plus side is that when we DID find an amazing experience to observe, we didn’t have to leave after 5 minutes to let a line of other cars in. It was much more vast, but also much more private. We DID have an amazing opportunity to see 62 elephants come out of the bush and pass, gather & graze around us! Wow! They just kept coming and coming. It was wild! it’s a fairly new property. they’ve only been around about a year, so they’re still learning a lot about the different coalitions of lions & other history of the animals that hang around the area. There are big power lines, electrical wires & towers running thru the property at the base of the mountain- which was a drag (& didn’t make for good photos). There were also vast vistas for sunsets which were stunning! And some rivers where we could view the hippos.Overall I’d say it should be rated and priced as an economy all inclusive game lodge.

We had a great time at Chacma. The rooms are a little worn but the staff keeps everything really clean. The food is amazing and they accommodate allergies. We had elephants visiting everyday and our game drives were a lot of fun. The manager, JD, has a lot of experience and is very knowledgeable about everything South Africa-related. Our guide was Charlie, and he was the perfect example of a what you want for a guide.

Completely blown away. Comfortable, stylish digs, knowledgeable tracker/guide, great service and food, well stocked bar, unreal location. Can’t say enough how great the experience was. It’s an intimate camp so you won’t ever have more than 9 people on your drives. Well, well worth the cost.