Reminiscent of an Out of Africa experience, a stay at Hamiltons Tented Camp is one that will remain etched in memory, much like the contribution the lodge’s namesake, James Stevenson-Hamilton, made to the national park the camp now calls home more than a century on.
Resplendent with early 19th century nostalgia, from its old steamer trunks and pith helmets to its antique bathroom basins and hurricane lanterns, Hamiltons is a tribute to the generation whose vision has resulted in the conservation of one of Africa’s prime wilderness areas, without compromising on modern-day comforts and luxuries.
Built entirely of canvas set amidst age-old Jackalberry and Sausage trees, with high wooden platforms linking six elevated tents, Hamiltons treats guests to stunning views of the Nwatswitsonto River and offers the opportunity to enjoy spectacular wildlife and birdlife sightings. Your encounter with the Kruger bush truly is up close and personal.
Hamiltons not only represents a little slice of history. It guarantees a private, exclusive bushveld escape, unfettered by unnecessary modern interruptions and authentic in every way.
Location
Hamiltons Tented Camp is located within the private 10 000-hectare concession of Mluwati in the western region of the Kruger National Park, bordering the northern Sabi Sands and Manyeleti Game Reserves.
The vision of Paul Kruger, once president of the former Transvaal Republic, the Kruger National Park was proclaimed as early as 1898 as the Sabie Game Reserve. At the time President Kruger believed that the animals of South Africa’s Lowveld needed to be protected, but it took another 12 years for the expanse between the Sabie and Crocodile rivers to be declared an area of restricted hunting, with James Stevenson-Hamilton appointed the park’s first warden in 1902.
The first tour including an overnight stop at the Sabie Bridge (now Skukuza) organised by the South African Railways in 1923. Tourists visiting the park slept on the train and a game ranger would spend an evening with them around a campfire sharing interesting anecdotes about the bush.
The popularity of this tour gave rise to a range of tourist facilities in the park, including rest huts at Satara, Pretoriuskop, Letaba, Malelane and Skukuza, among other camps. Roads were built in the 1930s to allow self-drive tourists to enjoy the park at their leisure and by 1934 about 1 200km of road were completed.
For almost 100 years, local and international visitors have had access to the park and enjoyed one of the world’s premier game-viewing destinations. Kruger is home to an estimated 1 500 lion, 12 000 elephant, 2 500 buffalo, 1 00 leopards and white and black rhino. Big Five aside, there are a myriad of other wildlife species to be admired with some 145 mammal species occurring in the park, including hippo, giraffe, zebra, cheetah and wild dog, among others.
Keen birders will adore a visit to the Kruger National Park with almost 500 bird species on the park’s list. From the brilliantly colourful displays of the Kingfisher and the distinct call of the Fish Eagle, to the Giant Eagle Owl perched in a bare Leadwood tree, you could spend your days admiring our feathered friends.
But there’s more to the Kruger than its wildlife, with almost 254 known cultural heritage sites, including 130 recorded rock art sites, 300 archaeological sites of Stone Age man and San Rock Art. Imbali Safari Lodge was in fact built on the site of an ancient African settlement.
Gate Entry fee for Guests staying at Hamiltons Tented Camp will be R121.00 per person per stay. This fee is payable at the gate of entry and will be required to hand back your receipt to the gate attendant upon departure.
Please be aware of gate entrance times into the Kruger National Park as they vary throughout the year, depending on the season. Entrance into the park via Orpen Gate should be no later than two hours prior to gate closure time and via Kruger Gate should be no later than three hours prior to gate closure times.
Lodge Gate Opening Times:
|
October – March |
05h30 |
|
April – September |
06h00 |
Lodge Gate Closing Times:
|
November – February |
18h30 |
|
March – April |
18h00 |
|
May – July |
17h30 |
|
August – October |
18h00 |
Speed Limit
While driving within the Kruger National Park, please adhere to the legal speed limit of 50km per hour on tar roads and 40km per hour on dirt roads.
Safety precautions
Please adhere to the Kruger National Park safety precautions, and do not disembark from your vehicle unless you are in a designated area.
Cell phone reception
Cell phone signal is only available at the entrance gates and close to Skukuza, it is therefore recommended to make any necessary calls at the gate upon entry.
Getting There
SA Express to Hoedspruit:
Hamiltons offers transfer for all flights at an additional charge. These are subject to availability of the transfer vehicles. Please note that this is not a shuttle service and all transfers must be booked at time of reservation.
Federal Air from Johannesburg or KMIA:
Guests will fly into the Manyeleti airstrip where they will be collected by the lodge. Driving times from the lodge is approximately an hour and a half. This transfer is charged at R40 per vehicle and R30 per person.
Airlink to Skukuza or KMIA:
Airlink offers flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town direct to Skukuza from 2 June 2014. Airlink also offers direct flights from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town direct to Nelspruit KMIA.
Transfers are available, but are subject to availability of the transfer vehicles and valid for FIT reservations only. Please note that this is not a shuttle service and all transfers must be booked at time of reservation.
Connecting times
We recommend the following connecting times to ensure that passengers do not miss any connecting flights:
Departing Johannesburg
- Domestic flights into Johannesburg must arrive two hours prior to the departing times of your connecting flight to Hoedspruit or Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport.
- International flights into Johannesburg must arrive two and a half hours prior to your connecting flight to Hoedspruit or Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport
Departing Hoedspruit
- Domestic flights departing from Johannesburg must be booked to depart OR Tambo two hours after the arrival of your connecting flight from Hoedspruit or Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport.
- International flights departing from Johannesburg must be booked to depart OR Tambo three and a half hours after the arrival of your connecting flight from Hoedspruit or Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport.
- Depart from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg
- Take the R21 highway North towards Pretoria
- Before reaching Pretoria, take the N4 highway East
- Turnoff at Belfast, take the R540 towards Dullstroom (approximately 37km)
- At Dullstroom, take the R540 towards Lydenburg (approximately 43km)
- At Lydenburg, take the R36 towards Ohrigstad (approximately 62km)
- At Ohrigstad, take the R527 towards Hoedspruit (Note: You will pass through the JG Strijdom Tunnel)
- 16km before Hoedspruit, at the Swadini Reptile Centre, turn right onto the R531 towards Klaserie
- After about 30km, turn left onto the Orpen Gate Road (R531)
- After 40km you will reach the Orpen Gate of the Kruger National Park
Orpen Gate Entry:
- After entering the Orpen Gate travel for 22km on the H7.
- Turn right on the S36 where you will see the signpost marked Imbali, Hamiltons, Hoyo-Hoyo with the exact distances.
- After about 28km turn right into the signposted for Hamiltons Tented Camp.
Paul Kruger Gate Entry:
(95km from the Paul Kruger Gate)
- Enter Paul Kruger Gate
- Proceed toward Skukuza
- From Skukuza take the H1-2 towards Satara (32km)
- Turn left S36 (Dirt Road) signs will read Imbali Safari Lodge/Hoyo Hoyo Safari Lodge/Hamiltons Tented Camp.
- Continue on the road about 39km. Continue straight through no entry sign and follow signs to Hamiltons.
Accommodation
Guests are accommodated in six exceptionally private luxury elevated tents overlooking the Nwaswitsontso River. From your own private deck, you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the bush that derives its existence from the river.
Traditional fittings and features such as old brass light switches, steamer trunks with vintage labels revealing exciting journeys and sepia-stained photographs enhance the tradition and style of this ‘turn-of-the-century’ luxury safari tent; modern comforts such as electricity, air conditioning and an outdoor shower the only clues that we live in a different time.
The décor is light and neutral; teak furniture and floors, gilded mirrors and crisp white linens deliver a classy luxury tent experience enhanced by the panoramic bush and river views that begin at the edge of the deck.
Room facilities and amenities include:
- Safe
- Hairdryer
- Separate bath and outdoor shower
- Bathroom amenities
- Insect repellent
- Umbrellas
- Air Conditioning
- Tea and coffee-making facilities
Dining
Dine as you would have in the 1900s. Hamiltons Tented Camp ensures, whatever the occasion, meals are a classy affair. From fine crystal wine glasses to pewter silver water jugs, revel in the dining traditions of old in spectacular bushveld surroundings.
Butlers dressed in traditional colonial uniforms anticipate your every need. Dine on deck in relaxed surroundings or enjoy a bush picnic. The choice is yours!
Homemade baked goods and local specialties are served in beautiful surroundings; the sounds of the bush providing the accompaniment you need for a memorable dining experience.
From champagne breakfasts to High Tea with a delicious selection of cakes and pastries baked freshly at the lodge, even the most discerning foodie will adore Hamiltons international and African flavours.
Highlights
- Butlers on call
- Six luxury private tents on raised teak decks
- Set on the banks of the Nwaswitsontso River
- Separate bath and outside shower
- Located within the iconic Kruger National Park
- Children over the age of 12 welcome
- 19th century nostalgic decor
Kick-start your day before the sun rises, dunking a homemade rusk into a steamy cup of coffee before setting off on your morning game drive with your assigned ranger.
Watch as the bush awakens around you; the dew glistens on the webs of the Golden Orb spider and Lilac Breasted Rollers flash their startling sky-blue bellies as they flit past your game vehicle.
See wild dogs laze under the Acacia trees and elephants leave their distinct trail as they chomp through the bush at a leisurely pace. Steal a glance at the leopard eating its prey high up in an old Tamboti tree, zebra foraging alongside large herds of wildebeest and impala flashing their characteristic ‘M’ as they disappear in to the thick brush.
Enjoy a traditional breakfast in Hamiltons’ comfortable dining room; a stylish affair complete with crystal water glasses and pewter teapots. Then retire to your luxury tent and relax, enjoy a Swedish massage or request a bush walk for an up-close encounter with the Kruger.
Lunch is served on the deck with beautiful views of the surrounding bushveld and the Nwaswitsontso River; the resident hippo making an occasional appearance to much applause. Guests are treated to light salads and tasty desserts before retiring to their rooms for an afternoon siesta.
Afternoon tea, served on the deck, heralds the imminent departure of your special evening safari through the Mluwati Concession. Spot a pride of lazy lions lounging casually in the tall grass and the associated warning call of nature’s tattletales, the Grey Loerie, as they inform the surrounding species of impending danger.
Sip a sundowner G&T as you watch the sky turn from the brilliance of an African sunset to a bright band of stars; the persistent call of frogs, owls and nightjars accompanying you back to Hamiltons Tented Camp for a romantic dinner on the deck, a canopy of stars watching over you.
Bursting with the day’s extraordinary bush experiences, all that’s left is to retire to the comfort of your comfortable room with nothing but the reassuring sound of the crickets and frogs lulling you to sleep.
A private concession within the Kruger National Park comprising three lodges – Imbali Safari Lodge, Hoyo Hoyo Safari Lodge and Hamilton’s Tented Camp, Mluwati Concession was born out of a spirit of ensuring the future sustainability of the national park.
As one of the first private concessions in the Kruger National Park, Mluwati has worked tirelessly to ensure the sustainability of this pristine wilderness that for over 100 years has been a sanctuary for over 114 reptiles, 34 amphibians and 147 mammal species, including Africa’s Big Five.
Keen birders will delight in the hundreds of bird species that call Kruger home. Over 500 species, in fact many of which occur in the Mluwati Concession including the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Crested Barbet and Burchell’s Glossy Starling.
Guests will enjoy some of Kruger’s most spectacular landscapes and an extraordinary variety of wildlife, birdlife and plantlife within the Mluwati Concession, ensuring that each safari experience will be unique.
Experience a morning and evening game drive during your stay at Hamiltons Tented Camp. Witness the excitement of the first rains; the terrapins playing in river pools, the call of the Pied Kingfisher and steady chirping of sociable tree frogs.
Savour the rich smells of the bush, hear the shrill calls of the Magpie Shrike and see the wind blowing through the feather grass dotting the savannah plains.
A game drive at Hamiltons will reveal new scents, curious sounds and the beauty of an extraordinary African landscape to delight your senses.
Winter Safari Times: 01 May – 31 August
| 05h30 | Wake up time and morning tea |
| 06h00 | Morning safari departs |
| 09h00 | Return for breakfast |
| 13h30 | Lunch |
| 15h00 | High Tea |
| 15h30 | Afternoon safari departs |
| 19h30 | Return from safari & Dinner is served |
Summer Safari Times: 01 September – 30 April
| 05h00 | Wake up time and morning tea |
| 05h30 | Morning safari departs |
| 08h30 | Return for breakfast |
| 13h30 | Lunch |
| 15h30 | High Tea |
| 16h00 | Afternoon safari departs |
| 19h30 | Return from safari & Dinner is served |