Tamboti Satellite Camp
Tented camp on a riverbank · Central-west, on the Timbavati River about 2 km east of Orpen · SANParks (South African National Parks)
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Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (SANParks)
A tented satellite of Orpen on the banks of the Timbavati River, about 2 km east of Orpen Rest Camp and 4 km from Orpen Gate. SANParks calls it one of the most popular camps in the park and lists a boma and a bird hide. There are two tent types, from R821 and from R1,870 a unit; the reseller does not explain the difference, so ask SANParks which tents have their own bathroom. You check in at Orpen, where the shop and fuel are. Choose it for a canvas night near Orpen Gate; book the 11-month window early, because SANParks says it fills. Owned and run by SANParks.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Safari tents from R821 a unit
- Riverbank setting on the Timbavati
- Bird hide and boma in camp
- 4 km from Orpen Gate
Cons
- Difference between the two tent types not explained
- Check-in at Orpen
- Rates are a reseller's guideline
What's here
- Self-catering
Arranged from the lodge:
- Birding
Read from Tamboti Satellite Camp'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 Tamboti Satellite Camp
From $25 pppn (reseller rate). Reseller rates from krugerpark.co.za (Siyabona Africa), read 6 October 2026, for 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027, per unit per night, self-catering. SANParks prints no unit rates and asks you to request a quote via Online Bookings or Central Reservations on +27 (0)12 428 9111. Safari tent type 1 R821 (13 January to 18 March 2027; about $49 per tent, $25 each for two), R922 or R1,011; safari tent type 2 R1,870, R2,098 or R2,338. The reseller does not say what separates the two tent types. Check-in is at Orpen. Extra on top: the SANParks conservation fee (R602, about $36, per international adult per day until 31 October 2026; R692, about $42, from 1 November 2026 on figures SANParks has linked but we read through secondary sources) and SANParks' 1% community fund on accommodation and activities. SANParks says its rates and fees include VAT.
Self-catering. You cook. Nothing else is included unless the entry says so.
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 Tamboti Satellite Camp
How do I book Tamboti?
Through SANParks: Online Bookings at sanparks.org or Central Reservations on +27 (0)12 428 9111. SANParks opens bookings 11 months ahead, on the first working day of each month. Units may be occupied from 14:00 and must be vacated by 10:00.
Where do I check in for Tamboti?
At Orpen Rest Camp, about 2 km west (SANParks). Orpen Gate is about 4 km from Tamboti.
Do Tamboti tents have their own bathroom?
The reseller lists two tent types at very different prices without saying what separates them, and the SANParks page we read does not say either. Ask SANParks when you book.