When it comes to going on safari in South Africa, there's no better place to start than the lovely little lowveld town of Hoedspruit in Limpopo province. Blessed with one of the most dramatic mountain ranges in South Africa as its backdrop and a fabulous year-round climate, Hoedspruit - or "The Hoed" as it is lovingly known - has an awful lot to offer both safari and adventure enthusiasts.

For South Africans travelling in their own country and for international visitors eager to sample some of the Rainbow Nation's outstanding private game reserves and the legendary Kruger National Park, Hoedspruit provides the perfect base from which to explore. It provides easy access to the Kruger Park's Orpen Gate and a host of award-winning luxury safari lodges that are literally on its doorstep, as is the fabled Panorama Route with some of the most spectacular scenery South Africa has to offer.

The town itself may be small, but it has a big heart, and being a safari town, visitors are made to feel right at home. Hoedspruit boasts an amazing range of marvellous restaurants and cafés (and one of the best food trucks in South Africa!) and its nooks and crannies are filled with interesting shops, galleries and curio stalls. 

Its western horizon is filled with the towering peaks of the Northern Drakensberg Escarpment and to its east lay the renowned private reserves that form the Greater Kruger National Park - the Balule, Klaserie, Timbavati, Thornybush, Umbabat and Sabi Sand - and the Kruger Park itself. This makes Hoedspruit a great stopover on any safari itinerary.

With a great selection of wonderful luxury lodges both in town and on its doorstep, visitors to Hoedspruit are spoiled for choice when it comes to accommodation options. From intimate boutique guest houses and superlative exclusive-use bush villas to fabulous safari camps in big five reserves on the outskirts of town, this is South Africa's safari capital. 

There's a host of exciting activities on offer, to boot. Top of these are full-day guided safaris in the Kruger National Park, spending a day in an open safari vehicle with an experienced professional safari guide exploring this world-renowned wildlife haven. 

Another fantastic day trip option is a guided tour of the Panorama Route, taking in the Blyde River Canyon - the world's third largest green canyon, the impressive Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window and The Pinnacle viewpoints where you can look out over the edge of the escarpment and the Graskop Gorge Lift. 

One of the newest attractions on the Panorama Route, the Graskop Gorge Lift takes you to the bottom of Graskop Gorge in a glass-sided lift where you enter another world, exploring the unique eco-system of the gorge floor, marvelling at the wonders of nature on an interactive walking trail. 

Other exciting activities include microlighting, helicopter flips over the Blyde River Canyon, tubing on the Olifants River, cruises on the Blyde Dam, hiking along the escarpment, mountain biking and horseriding. Or try a morning or afternoon game drive in one of the nearby private game reserves. If something more relaxing appeals to you, then how about a treatment or two at Hoedspruit's beautiful Africology Spa?  We can also arrange private spa treatments at your lodge.

So consider spending a few nights in Hoedspruit, perhaps combining it with a stay in one of the amazing lodges in the Greater Kruger reserves. With regular flights from both Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport and Cape Town International Airport to Eastgate Airport, Hoedspruit is easily accessible by air. It's also an easy five-hour drive from Johannesburg.

Talk to us today about putting together a safari to Hoedspruit for you and let us recommend where to stay and what to do.