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Bateleur Safari Camp

Bateleur Safari Camp

Timbavati Game Reserve, South Africa

Responsible Choice

We've hand-selected a range of tours and stays across the world that go above and beyond to be a force for good by supporting local businesses, educating staff, challenging local norms, or promoting conservation and biodiversity efforts. Your Responsible Choice helps increase the positive impact of your trip.

Perched above a dry riverbed and facing a seasonal waterhole, the Bateleur Safari Camp is located deep within the Timbavati Private Game Reserve. A simple, eco-friendly camp, it offers an exceptional wildlife experience, with a focus on walking. For example, on a morning game drive, you and your guide might leave the vehicle to head into the bush on foot to track elephant or rhino.

The canvas-and-reed chalets face the river and are equipped with comfortable beds, en suite bathrooms and a private sandy terrace. Family rooms sleep four, in slightly larger rooms with both inside and outside showers as well as a bathtub and a wooden deck. The honeymoon room is the most private, with a spacious decked terrace, bathtub and inside and outside shower.

The main draw of this delightful camp are the informal communal areas. Help yourself to a drink from the honesty bar and spend the afternoon by the pool, play a game of cards or just enjoy the view — elephant, rhino and buffalo are frequent visitors along the riverbed. In the evenings, enjoy a pre-dinner drink round the campfire with your ranger to discuss the day’s sightings.

OUR OPINION:

We like Bateleur Safari Camp as a good-value alternative to the more indulgent options in the area. The thatched tents are simple, but you can enjoy more activities than at other nearby camps.

OUR RATING: Medium

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Audley Travel specialist David

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Rooms

Sleeping a maximum of 16 people, the camp offers spacious, serene safari-style chalets. Each unit has a thatched roof and private patio, breathable canvas sides and generously sized windows. Some units have an interior bathtub and a private outdoor shower.

Location

Bateleur Safari Camp is situated within the game-rich Timbavati Private Reserve, which shares an unfenced border with Kruger National Park, allowing the animals to roam freely.

Food and drink

  • Enjoy a South African styled barbecue (or braai) under the stars.
  • Fresh buffet breakfasts.
  • Open ‘honesty style’ bar.

Families

There are family-sized rooms available, and children are welcome on game-drives but limited on walks.

Facilities and activities

  • Set on private sprawling property in the Timbavati.
  • Walking safaris. 
  • Private game drives.
  • Bushcraft and survival skills demonstrations.
  • Emphasis on flexibility and laid-back approach.
  • Large swimming pool.
  • Outdoor fireplace.
  • Airport transfers.
  • Wi-Fi.
  • Mosquito netting in every room.

Environmental and social responsibility

Bateleur Safari Camp was designed to have as small a footprint as possible. For example, the tents have canvas walls instead of concrete ones, allowing you to enjoy closer interaction with the outdoors. No trees were removed during the building process, so the camp blends into its surroundings easily. 

Tour ideas in Timbavati Game Reserve

Our itineraries are there to spark ideas for how you could include a stay at Bateleur Safari Camp as part of your trip. Treat them simply as suggestions, because every aspect of the trip we create for you will be yours to define.

Location & places nearby

Places & hotels on the map

    Alternative places to stay nearby

    Where possible, we like to offer a range of accommodation for each stop of your trip, chosen by our specialists as some of their favorite places to stay. To help you make the right choice, we give each property a rating based on its facilities and service, but we also look for hotels with distinct character or a location that can't be bettered.

    Timbavati Game Reserve and nearby places