Buhala Lodge
Colonial-style river lodge · South bank of the Crocodile River, near Malalane Gate · Buhala Lodge (family-run)
Mid-range
Outside the gate
Owner-run
A family-run colonial-style lodge on the south bank of the Crocodile River, looking across at Kruger, a short drive from Malalane Gate. It is outside the park: the river is the boundary. Eighteen suites, including Kruger Park River Rooms, start at R7,453 a room for two with breakfast on the 2025/26 table, which ran to 30 September 2026; ask for the new table. Activities, including private game drives into Kruger and golf at Leopard Creek Country Club (normally reserved for members), cost extra. Children of all ages are welcome with prior arrangement. Choose it for a comfortable base near the N4 with the park in view.
Pros and cons
Pros
- River view straight into the park
- Family-run
- Children of all ages by arrangement
- Near Malalane Gate and the N4
Cons
- Outside the park: conservation fee on every entry
- 2026/27 rates not yet published
- Activities and transfers extra
What's here
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
Read from Buhala Lodge's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Kruger National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryR602 per international adult per day at USD 1 = ZAR 16.65 (6 Oct 2026); R692, about $42, from 1 Nov 2026.
- $36per person, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults pay $216 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
SANParks charges no vehicle fee for private cars at Kruger.
Almost every private lodge inside Kruger excludes the SANParks conservation fee from its rate, so you pay it on top for each night.
The full fee schedule for Kruger National ParkRates at Buhala Lodge
From $224 pppn. Standard Room R7,453 per room per night bed and breakfast for two adults sharing, 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026 (own rates page, read 6 October 2026; about $448 a room, $224 each); R8,853 with dinner; Kruger Park River Rooms R9,022 bed and breakfast. Activities and transfers extra. The 2026/27 table had not been published when we checked. Staying outside, you pay the SANParks conservation fee on each day you enter the park.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked 6 October 2026 and converted at R16.65 to the US dollar (rate of that date); re-check before you book. SANParks does not print its unit rates online, so every SANParks figure here is a reseller rate from krugerpark.co.za (Siyabona Africa) for 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027, quoted per unit and shown per person for two sharing. Private lodge figures come from each lodge's own rate page unless the entry says reseller. The SANParks conservation fee is extra almost everywhere: R602 (about $36) per international adult per day until 31 October 2026, R692 (about $42) from 1 November 2026.
Questions about Buhala Lodge
Is Buhala Lodge inside Kruger?
No. It sits on the southern bank of the Crocodile River and overlooks the Kruger National Park; the river is the park boundary.
Does Buhala accept children?
Yes. The lodge says children of all ages are welcome with prior arrangement.
Can I play golf from Buhala?
The lodge offers golf at Leopard Creek Country Club, which it says is typically reserved for members.