Hotels in South Africa: from savannah lodges to home exchanges

If you are looking for hotels in South Africa to stay at during your trip to Africa’s southernmost country, you’ve come to the right place. Here I tell you about the South African accommodations where I stayed during my four-week solo roadtrip with three small children aged 5, 3, and 1.

I leave you my list of hotels in South Africa with different options from bungalows inside national parks, such as Kruger or Hlane, in the neighboring country of Eswatini, to a glamping option in a reserve, passing through home exchanges where you pay ‘nothing’, to movie-like country houses where you sleep surrounded by zebras.

4-Week South Africa Itinerary

Now that you’ll be preparing your route to travel to South Africa, I’ll share my route during the four weeks I was there. This way you can see if the destinations match and if my recommendations for hotels in South Africa work for you or not.

Keep in mind that traveling with children the pace was slower than usual:

• 1 night Johannesburg- Dullstroom – 1 night
• Panorama Route – Hoedspruit – 2 nights
• Kruger National Park – 3 nights
• Hlane National Park (Eswatini) – 1 night
• Pongola -1 night
• St Lucia – Isimangaliso Wetland Park -3 nights
• Addo National Park- 2 nights
• Tsitsikamma National Park – 2 nights
• Mossel bay – 1 night
• Swellendam – 1 night
• De Hoop Nature Reserve – 2 nights
• Hermanus – 2 nights
• Cape Town – 5 nights

Hotels in South Africa by destination:

Here are the hotels in South Africa where I stayed. Keep in mind that the prices I list are for two adults and three children. In other words, if you travel as a couple, for example, it will be cheaper for you. Additionally, I always looked for accommodation options in South Africa that had a kitchen.

Where to sleep on the Panorama Route

The Panorama Route of South Africa is one of the country’s main attractions. Between Johannesburg and Kruger, you’ll find Blyde River Canyon, the third longest canyon in the world, several waterfalls, and incredible geological formations in a unique natural environment. In my case, I spent a full day touring most of the route. To do this, I stayed one night near the start in Dullstroom, an hour and a half from Sabie or an hour and fifty from Graskop (or the end depending on the direction you take) and another at the end in Hoedspruit.

In Dullstroom, I recommend  Misty Cottage, a ground-floor house with a living room with a kitchen, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. Plus, it has a beautiful garden with a barbecue surrounded by trees. I paid 1,170 rands, about €68 per night for two adults and three children.

In Hoedspruit, I stayed at this exchange house in the heart of the savanna. A very special place because it is actually a hotel with a community area with a pool, kitchen, barbecue, play area, and playground. The good thing is that it included cleaning, for example. Additionally, the hosts were very friendly and recommended many places and activities.

• Did you know that in Hoedspruit you can sleep in a plane? Take a look at the Aerotel because it will surprise you.
• Many travelers choose to sleep in Graskop where there is a large offer. If you are looking for a hotel with breakfast, I suggest the Westlodge B&B with very good reviews. If you prefer something more affordable and also with a kitchen, check out The Elements.

Where to sleep in Kruger National Park

One of the biggest headaches when looking for hotels in South Africa comes upon arriving at Kruger National Park. If you want to sleep inside the park, which I definitely recommend, you must try to book it as soon as possible because demand is very high and you might not find the spots you’d like. You have to do it through the official SANParks website.

Accommodation in Kruger deserves a full article due to the park’s gigantic dimensions (350 kilometers long and 60 wide), the multitude of camps, and the different options, from camping areas for tents to luxury lodges, as well as huts, basic cabins with shared kitchens, or family bungalows. Prices, as you can imagine, vary greatly between one option and another.

To give you an idea, there are twelve main camps. The most recommended camps in Kruger are Satara, Olifants, Letaba, Crocodile Bridge, Lower Sabie, and Skukuza.

In my case, I stayed three nights inside Kruger, staying where I found space for the five of us in the southern part of the park. Here are the prices for the accommodations I booked, but as I said before, if there are only two of you, it will be much more economical.

To give you the exact amounts depending on the option that suits you best, I’m leaving you the link to the current rates for Kruger camps until October 31, 2023; clicking on each camp will open a detailed breakdown of each type of accommodation.

Satara: This Kruger camp is one of the most famous for being located in a big cat area and, luckily, I can attest to that. I stayed in a huge family bungalow with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a nice porch with a table and barbecue. The price was 2,869 rand, about €168.

Skukuza: Welcome to Kruger’s largest camp, a giant with a lot of services. It even has a spa and a golf course! (no comment) Being so large, it is easier to find vacant spots.

Here I stayed in a family bungalow, much smaller and older than the one in Satara, but for the same price of 2,869 rand, about €168. Mind you, the views of the Sabie River and a luxury hotel built on top of the bridge were well worth it.

In Lower Sabie I stayed in one of the simplest huts, a circular room with four beds, a fridge, and a sink. In this option, both the bathrooms and the kitchen are communal and located outside. Next to it was the pool. Here the price drops significantly, specifically to 988 rand, about €58 per night.

La Wild Card para entrar a Kruger y otros parques
Para acceder a los parques nacionales de Sudáfrica tienes que pagar una tasa de entrada por persona y día cuyo importe varía en función de cada parque.
Si tienes la intención de pasar varias noches en Kruger, lo que te recomiendo, y además visitar otros como pueden ser Addo y Table Mountain, que incluye Cabo de Buena Esperanza o Boulder's Beach, seguramente te compense comprar la tarjeta turística que te da acceso a todos los parques nacionales, y otras reservas, durante todo un año. Se llama Wild Card y aquí te lo cuento todo sobre ella. 

Where to sleep in Hlane, Eswatini

If you have the opportunity to include in your trip to South Africa, one or two nights in Hlane Royal National Park, in the neighboring country of Eswatini, don’t hesitate because you can have a unique experience.

The key is staying at Ndlovu Camp, a camp located inside the park itself that has two peculiarities that make it very special. On one hand, there is no electricity, so at night everything is lit with oil lamps. What might seem like a drawback at first becomes an advantage when you see the magic of being lit by the flame of a fire. Bring your batteries fully charged, but don’t worry because during the day, at reception and the restaurant, you can ask them to charge something for you, as they have a generator.

But what really makes Ndlovu Camp one of the most special hotels in South Africa I stayed in is the waterhole, where rhinos come to drink, among other animals like elephants, zebras, crocodiles, or hippos. The moment I arrived at the camp, up to eleven rhinos gathered at once! And you are there, a couple of meters from them, with only a couple of electrified wires separating you.

Here at Ndlovu Camp I chose a two-story family cabin, with three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a porch that cost 1,717 rand for the five of us, about €100 per night. One detail if you’re traveling with children is that they have cribs available that they can put in the room.

Although you can go on a safari with your own car, the camp offers game drives, guided safaris, at sunrise and sunset. It also has a restaurant with two areas where you can have breakfast, lunch, or dinner while watching the animals at the waterhole.

Where to sleep in Pongola

Upon leaving Hlane, right after crossing the Eswatini border and re-entering South Africa headed towards St. Lucia, we made a one-night rest stop at the Pongola Game Reserve. There, near the shore of Lake Jozini, there is a glamping option that is very worthwhile.

It’s the AfriCamps at White Elephant accommodation, one of the hotels in South Africa I liked best because it is a huge tent with two bedrooms, a living room with a kitchen, a beautiful porch with a barbecue and an original jacuzzi. Additionally, you can also cool off in the pool in the communal area while antelope and monkeys pass by in front of you.

One night for five people at AfriCamps at White Elephant cost 2,135 rand, about €112. Oh, and they also provided a baby crib.

The next day, before leaving, we did the boat safari on the lake, although to be honest, we didn’t have much luck in terms of animal sightings: many birds, one hippo, giraffes, and ostriches. But with luck, you can also see rhinos on the shores of the lake.

Where to sleep in St. Lucia

St Lucia is a charming, very touristy town that is the ideal base for exploring iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the largest estuary in Africa where, with luck, you can see everything from leopards to whales. What you will definitely see are hippos; there are so many that it is even common to see them at night wandering the streets of St Lucia. Be careful, they are very dangerous; it is the animal that causes the most deaths on the continent after the mosquito.

Here we stayed for three nights in this incredible home exchange with a garden, barbecue, private pool, and even a trampoline for the kids. The hosts were very kind and also had a lady who helped keep the house clean, who was lovely.

¿Sabes cómo funciona el intercambio de casas?
Si nunca has oído hablar de esta fórmula de alojamiento cooperativo que te permite viajar por todo el mundo alojándote en casas particulares mientras tú dejas la tuya, te invito a leer este artículo muy completo donde te explico cómo funciona el intercambio de casas. Yo siempre uso la plataforma HomeExchange en la que por solo una suscripción anual de 149 €, lo que en muchos casos te costaría una noche de hotel, puedes hacer todos los intercambios recíprocos que quieras o todos los que te permitan tus guestpoints. 




In my case, we stayed for two nights at the hotel Avoca River Cabins for only about 900 rands, around €52, per night. This accommodation in South Africa was a small wooden cabin by the river with an outdoor shared kitchen. Inside, it was a single room with a small living area with a sofa, double bed, two single beds, and the bathroom.

If you are going with children, in the community facilities there is a nice pool and they also have a small wooden children's playground. In our case, the cabin felt a bit small for us and it seemed a bit far from the gate.

If I were to return, a good value-for-money option with a better location is Addo Park Vista , which had no availability at that time. 

Where to stay in Tsitsikamma 

If you include the Garden Route in your trip through South Africa, you will probably stay at least one night in Garden Route National Park to visit one of the most famous sections, Tsitsikamma. Now, you can choose between staying inside the park itself or outside in the nearby town of Stormsrivier. In my case, I spent one night in each place.



In Stormsrivier, we stayed at  Forest Nest, a spacious ground-floor house with three bedrooms, kitchen, two bathrooms, a spectacular living room, and a beautiful garden, of course with its corresponding barbecue. I definitely recommend this accommodation, which cost 1290 rands, about €72. 

And once inside the national park, the only accommodation where we found availability was Storms River Mouth Rest Camp, a wooden cabin with a balcony facing the sea from where I was lucky enough to see a humpback whale jumping. Try to book in advance to choose the option that suits you best because there is also a camping area, for example.



Just a few steps away you have the famous suspension bridges and plenty of hiking trails that are well worth it. If you can, I recommend not missing this national park, which you can also access with the Wild Card. 

Where to stay in Mossel Bay

Continuing along the Garden Route, the next stop was the town of Mossel Bay. Here we slept at Flower Box Cottage a small ground-floor flat with two bedrooms in the city. Perhaps coming from sleeping in natural environments, staying at the foot of an urban street made this one of the hotels in South Africa that I liked the least. 



Even so, it is a good option, as it only cost 900 rands, about €52, and it was really fine for one night. Also, just a walk away there are two places for breakfast and dinner that I highly recommend: the first is Krotoa Cafe and the second is the restaurant Anchor Viking where you can have a fresh fish grill cooked on a bonfire in front of you and with live music.  

Where to stay in Swellendam

In this small colonial town with lots of history, I recommend staying at the charming Blue Mountain Farmhouse where sheep graze around you, you can cool off in a small pool, and children can jump like crazy on the trampoline. 



They have different accommodation options, I booked the three-bedroom house with a garden which cost me 977 rands, about €57. It is true that the interior was a bit dated, but the environment and the space, which was huge, more than made up for it.

Where to stay in De Hoop 

The De Hoop Reserve is a fascinating place where I recommend spending at least one night and seeing the incredible Koppie Alleen dunes. From there, with luck, you can spot whales and while walking along the beach encounter sea lions basking in the sun. But also, you can go on safari and then take a boat trip to see birds in its lagoon. 



I spent two nights at one of the hotels in South Africa that I liked the most without a doubt, a treat that is well worth it: De Hoop Collection. Specifically, I slept in Opstal House, a beautiful huge farmhouse with two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and garden with barbecue. Opening the door at dawn and going for a walk among zebras is priceless. 



It is located within the reserve on an old farm, on an estate that in the 18th century belonged to the Dutch East India Company. It has a restaurant next to one of its two swimming pools where you can have dinner or breakfast with views of the lake. 



Where to stay in Hermanus

Hermanus is the country's most important whale-watching spot. For this reason, if you travel between June and November, when these cetaceans arrive on its shores to mate and breed before returning to the cold southern waters, do not hesitate to put this place on your route.



And I recommend looking for accommodation in advance because during those months the demand is very high. In my case, I was lucky enough to find this home exchange house from HomeExchange: modern, comfortable, with an incredible patio that we enjoyed by having a barbecue and right by the beach. 

But if you prefer to book a hotel, the offer in Hermanus is very wide. A very good option is the One Marine Drive Boutique, right in the center, with breakfast included, a swimming pool and next to the cliff path from which you can see whales while you stroll.

 If you prefer something even more affordable, take a look at House on Westcliff, also with breakfast, but located further inland.

Where to stay in Cape Town

When selecting hotels in South Africa, you will surely look for one in Cape Town. And the fact is that the country's most striking city, in every sense, is one of the most visited because it offers great attractions such as, for example,  going up Table Mountain, going to the prison where Mandela was by visiting Robben Island or traveling along the Cape Peninsula until reaching the historic Cape of Good Hope.



However, in my case, I finished the trip here staying in this home exchange house with a garden from which I had views of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. I saved a lot of money by staying there for the last five nights. In addition, I had the help of the house hosts who gave me very interesting recommendations.

But if you are looking for a hotel where to stay in Cape Town, an excellent option right in the center is Designer Lofts on Prestwich which offers luxury apartments with a kitchen from €110. Another much cheaper alternative, also in the center just two steps from Long Street, is 91 Loop Boutique Hostel which has double rooms with breakfast from €52.

How much do hotels in South Africa cost

As far as prices are concerned, you have already seen that the range is wide. A good example of this range is Kruger National Park where I paid €168 for one night in a two-bedroom family cabin, but a day later I also stayed in a camp inside the park for €58 in smaller accommodation.



For what it's worth, on average I spent about €81 per night, but you have to keep in mind that I am talking about a large family of two adults and three children. In addition, those prices correspond to accommodation always with a kitchen such as a bungalow or apartment, not a simple hotel room. Booking in advance and being only two people, the prices of hotels in South Africa are very affordable and you can  average €60 a night.

Travel insurance for South Africa

Now that you are organizing this adventure, please don't forget to take out a good travel insurance policy that covers, among other things, all those hotels in South Africa you plan to book in case you have to cancel everything for a major reason.







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