Review: Singita Lebombo Lodge Kruger Park

A bit over the top. I’ve been to 10 Lodges, and Makalali was the best experience by far.

I'd like to congratulate you on all your articles efforts and some "layout", I know by experience how long this takes, but then you are now on cruising speed and this has become a natural way.

Just a question : what is that seat at the front left of the rover ?
to check if the road has no holes ?
or kill an approaching lion maybe ?

I've been to six different Singita properties and this is my least favorite one. The room spaces could be designed better -- for example, the toilet area really lacks privacy (and when they redid Sweni they built a more private area with shower and toilet AND the "outdoor" one. The pathways up/down to the furthest out rooms also are showing a need for some maintenance. It feels like they're really cutting back on their wine program and for all the bottles they have, the selections on the menus recommended are often just okay, with an emphasis on 'cheap'. I would agree that Henry and Andrew are spectacular guide/tracker pair and deserve all the recognition they got.

@ OneWorld -- Thanks for the kind words! The tracker sits in the front, on the hood of the car. The logic is that they have the best chance of spotting animals from there, and also the best chance of looking for animal tracks, which is remarkably accurate in finding where the important animals are. However, when you approach any dangerous animals the tracker moves into the car, so they don't startle the animals.

@ Jeff -- Great point about the toilet and shower having a glass shield between them, added that to the post. Out of curiosity, since you've been to six Singita properties, how do you rank them? Happy you had a great experience with Henry and Andrew as well.

@OneWorld

It’s for the tracker. They sit up there for all game drives, looking for animal tracks and/or animals. It’s sketchy when you’re with lions and they just sit up there at the front

There’s been a 3 year gap in production of the Land Rover Defender (that’s the LR variant you were being driven in). It was launched in 1948 and, fundamentally, was unchanged until production ceased in 2016. The Queen us a fan and drives them on her private estates.

The new LR Defender was launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show a couple of weeks ago. Completely different, it looks awesome. And I say that as a non-car enthusiast. They go on sale in 3 or 4 months.

@Jodi
Apparently lions are so dumb they don’t realise they can attack people who are in open cars. I was assured of this by a biologist friend who spent a year on an African project observing lions from an open-back LR. Personally I’d be reluctant to put it to the test.

I just don’t understand why you tipped and you should have not been expected to, like I get your an American and you tip everywhere but when I’m spending $2000+ per night at a hotel no matter where in the world it is you can be damn sure that I am not tipping even is the service is so good they sacrifice themselves for me (ok maybe then) it already should be that good at that price point. I just can’t understand how you justified it and where would you draw the line as a point of comparison North Island Seychelles is $9K - would you tip there? I understand Uber rich Americans stay here hence the tipping culture but as an Australian I just don’t understand why you tip in this situation. That’s something I love about places like Japan and other countries in Asia I am never solicited for a tip and tipping is considered rude which makes sense to me. I tip when I am provided with good service at restaurants even in Australia on rare occasion, but for $2000 at night per person surely they didn’t pressure you into tipping , interested to hear your take.

@ The nice Paul

Lions may know also that "human" animals taste so bad compared to other four legs one.

Why bother to attack them, no ?

@Morgan
During my safari, we stayed at Kirkman's camp Sabi sands. They provided envelopes specific to tipping. I know it is an American thing, but I would like to point out that they kind of make it obvious that you should tip regardless of nationality. One of the guides at a camp in the Okavango delta told us how much we should tip (because a European couple in are 4x4 asked)

It looks simply sensational! It must have been hard to leave these places after 3 days 🙂

@ Morgan -- I don't disagree with your sentiment at all. However, the expectation is that you tip when on safari. This isn't just limited to Americans and their desire to tip for everything, but if you ask any property for "guidelines" on tipping your guide and tracker (and perhaps other lodge staff), they will provide it. I was informed that about 95% of guests tip, and I didn't want to be part of the 5% that wasn't tipping.

I agree on one hand it feels a bit odd to be paying $2,000 per night and then to tip someone about 1% of that. But at the same time, if that's the expectation/what everyone is doing, then I'll do it. These people do an exceptional job, and they expect tips based on the precedent that has been set.

There are lots of aspects of the tipping culture that I don't get, but my goal is to simply follow the local customs, and on safari the custom is that you tip.

Totally respect if you feel otherwise, but that just provides a bit of background on how I feel. I'd love to see a property hike rates by another $100 per night and have a non-tipping policy, but it doesn't seem like any lodge has that.

I stopped reading half way through because the ads have become too aggressive. It kept taking me out of the immersive moment. I’d recommend offering an ad free subscription option for your loyal readers.

@ Mark G -- Appreciate the feedback on the ads! We are in the process of testing a new mobile ad system, so you may see different sizes and density of placements while we test and configure everything.

To share a bit of background, for the past 3-4 years we’ve made essentially nothing on the mobile site, with mobile ad revenue being less than 20¢ (yes, cents) per thousand pageviews. Earning less than a dollar for every five thousand times the blog is read obviously isn’t sustainable, and as more and more of our traffic shifts to mobile, we’re having to make adjustments.

We’re committed to finding a balance that doesn’t negatively impact the overall experience. Previously there were basically no ads on mobile (the majority of ads on the desktop site are in the sidebar, which on mobile doesn’t display until after all the content and all the comments, so was almost never viewed), so we know it's going to be an adjustment regardless. But you won’t see pop-up ads, auto-play videos, things that float and are hard to close, etc. — those types of ads are much more lucrative, but they’re also annoying.

So we’ll get this dialed-in, in a way that is hopefully not too obnoxious, and very much appreciate your patience and feedback in the meantime. Nothing has changed on the desktop site, if that helps.

Tipping your guides is a must as most guides get paid peanuts. My nephew works in a large 5 star resort down by the Cape and he told me what he makes and it's alot less than you would think. On the other hand he gets to live his life in the bush. Usually, your closest relationship on safari is with your guide and they don't earn alot so try to tip them well. I usually do R100 per drive.

Great pics. I've only stayed at Boulders. Curious why you weren't driven in open vehicle from airport to Lebombo for better animal viewing?

That focaccia bread and butter is all I noticed! Yummy. Otherwise, that's just too much food as I survive on two meals daily only. I am surprised that French Champagne is not included! Really, there is no other champagne if not French and, frankly, that's all I drink on vacation trips.

Champagne extra cost? No caviar? $2,000 per person per night? Thanks, not interested.

What happened to miles and points blog that shows us how to get five star hotels and first class flights for "free"?

Anyone can get a hotel paying full price. I don't see any value in these reviews. It would be totally different if you showed how to get this with points!

Dear tiffany,
Thanks for clarification regarding the Ads. I understands. Its just very weired to read about Safari in Krugerpark and get Air-Malta or Womens winter-clothing advertisements in between:-)

@Ben: if it is not a secret, how much tip did you leave in total for both stays?

It’s great to read articles like this. After all, not everyone comes to your blog looking for freebie hotel stays (that would be nice too but not a must). It’s good to have a variety of posts that caters to people who are looking for free/upgrade flights, and/or free/upgrade hotel rooms, travel news, etc.. I have not been to this particular Singita and appreciates all the pics and reviews so I can decide if I want to plunk down 2k per person per night with this lodge.

Blog is great as always. I am enjoying the safari blogs a good deal.

Appreciate the talk about the reasoning behind the adds. My main issue with the mobile adds is that they show up in amongst the pictures so it is very jarring. Cognitive dissonance.

The natural areas and animals that this whole trip was essentially built around are threatened by the extensive air travel and other fossil fuel intensive activities associated with a trip like this (climate is not the only threat certainly).

https://www.awf.org/blog/supporting-wildlife-species-face-climate-change

Would be cool if your blog addressed this in a meaningful fashion.

The ads are out of control. The ad photos are the same size as the trip photos and it is jarring to scroll through safari pictures with photos of dining, engagement rings, and beaches interspersed.

Lucky, cannot recall how I found your site but love it. The depth of your reporting is impressive to such an extent I wonder if you have much fun with so much time and focus spent on photography and data gathering! Many thanks for all the travel experiences you bring to us.

Love the reports. No offense but I’ve enjoyed the advice and info posted in the comments of both lodge reviews almost as much . For those complaining about ads you’ve heard of ad blocking apps or software, no? They work on almost everything and are unobtrusive.

@Morgan contrary to popular belief, the US isn’t the “only” tipping culture in the world. South African service and hospitality workers largely rely on tips to make a living as well. When I was on safari in South Africa, or at a restaurant, I tipped because local customs and culture say to do so. As I do in the US. Not tipping because you “don’t agree with it” just further cements the fact that most Australians are culturally close-minded. Whether or not you like it or agree with it, it’s still customary. And this is coming from a fellow Aussie.

Thanks for the post.
The pics of the septic tanks that I saw 3 times in the post, was it something special in the lodge worth highlighting or just an annoying ad?

Where are the animals? ( isn’t that the point of being there?)

Yikes these ads are terrible

If the blog owner is booking two rooms at a $2,000 a night hotel And flying 3 ppl in revenue first on Air France, I’d think the blog was pretty profitable without the need to cram down so many more ads now. Your revenue is primarily cc based, so you are being greedy by killing the reader experience for a few extra bucks

Great post Ben! Adding one or both of the Singita properties to the bucket list 🙂

@Tiffany -- about ads on desktop site
From your reply to @Mark G: "Nothing has changed on the desktop site, if that helps."
From the article: "It’s actually basically exactly like this: ..."

I'm viewing this report from the desktop site and, for the first time, saw an ad (for "Great British Air") embedded directly below the report line at "It’s actually basically exactly like this: ..." This got me a bit confused, as the report was talking about dining at that point.

Was this a leakage of an ad on the desktop site? Or what was that about?

@ ConfusedOne -- That video isn't an ad, I posted it intentionally. Check it out, it's funny. 🙂

@Tiffany

Thank you for the reply. I do enjoy the blog and will be patient while you figure out your ad strategy. Keep up the good work.

@Morgan I completely agree with you 1000%. As a Brazilian who has travelled extensively around the world and lived both in the US and Europe, it is appalling to me how Americans have influenced places with their ridiculous tipping practices. I am 100% against tipping culture and to me it is absolutely ludicrous that when paying so much for a hotel, you are expected to go around throwing singles to staff. However, I very much appreciate and respect Ben's explanation and his point of view, and I agree that when traveling we should try as much as possible to follow the local customs regarding things. The good news is, tipping is optional, and no one is forcing you to do it, and if the staff is professional, they will go above and beyond and treat you exceptionally regardless if you tip or not.

Ben, another terrific review, I just wanna applaud your extensive and detailed articles, you're one of a kind. Fantastic content, as always.

and for those complaining about mobile ads, if you can, just read the articles on your laptop/computer. The experience is much better anyway.

@Tiffany - not to make it personal, but Ben is reviewing a 6-night safari vacation that cost him $30,000 for lodging alone. So it's hard to fathom that y'all have had trouble monetizing the website.

@ Eric: Once again, no one gives a crap about your pretentious whining about fossil fuels and how they supposedly "damage" the environment. And, once again, this blog isn't an environmental nutjob website, so why should Lucky address it? I bet that even if he does get around to it, you'll be one of the first self-righteous jerks to blast him in the comment section if he makes a small mistake while trying to address a topic that isn't his expertise.
Dude, enjoy the content or get lost. It's really that simple.

@Jesse: As far as I know you were not made a moderator for the comments on this website, so as long as Ben (or whoever he delegated that to) approves the comment, Eric is free to write as he wishes. Why don't you reduce your carbon footprint by holding your breath until you turn blue

...and by the way, it's not some "environmental nutjob website" but rather the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that says we should change our course

@Sven: On another post, one commenter referred to Eric as a "douche nozzle." I found it quite hilarious. The same can be applied to you, since you implied that I should go kill myself. Very classy. But, I'd wager that my education level and title significantly outweighs yours, so I'm not too fussed about you.
Again, if I cared about my carbon footprint then I would go to a website dedicated to discussing the massive lie called "global warming." However, this isn't one of those sites, so, again, bugger off with the self-righteous, pretentious comments. No one here wants to be force-fed that rubbish just so a few millennial crusaders (who probably are in debt up to their eyeballs) can control the narrative.

@Jesse (or should I say Endre, because you come across just as pompous and self aggrandizing as he does) You are still not promoted to a moderator for comments here, so as long as it's accepted by the website owners we can both write what we like.
I didn't imply you should kill yourself, we both know that it's totally impossible to hold your breath till you die. You on the other hand referred to other commenters as nutjobs and liked when they are called douche nozzles. Is that classy?
As you seem to deny scientific consensus I am really astonished that you even set foot on planes as it's physics and science that keep planes in the air. Global warming isn't a lie, it's a fact. It might appear disputed in a country where 8 in ten people believe in angels, but for the rest of the world and at least 95% of climate scientists it's a fact.

@Sven -- "As you seem to deny scientific consensus ... Global warming isn’t a lie, it’s a fact ... at least 95% of climate scientists it’s a fact."

Ad hominems aside, there seem to be a *lot* of people who are *ignorant* and also *naive* and totally *gullible* to the Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) *Lies and Propaganda*! Notice that I said AGW! Climate has always been changing ever since the Earth came to be ... but those who espouse that *Man* is *the* cause of Climate Change are totally Misguided and love to conflate Pollution, Weather, and Climate!

Everyone is *against* Pollution, which are local/regional phenomena, unless referring to the global catastrophe of micro-plastics Pollution that now pervades every corner of our vast oceans worldwide. Weather, as we know, is what we experience daily and even on a seasonal basis annually. Climate change, on the other hand, spans many decades (80+ years) and into centuries and millennia!

When referring to so-called "Climate Change," as induced by Man, there haven't been consistent *specific* records that have lasted 80+ years in duration to even begin to make *credible* judgements about human "causation"! So what goes on, instead? Everyone relies on computer models to "predict" what might happen if this, that, or the other events ensue! This is the core problem -- those hundreds of climate models have all *failed* to reflect *true* atmospheric behavior to be able to correlate itself with past historical climate behavior! And then the pro-AGW crowd intentionally *manipulates* the input data to try and *coerce* those *failed* models into trying to correlate! But we have a saying in the reality-based computer modeling profession --

Garbage In ==> Garbage Out

Why is this the case? The pro-AGW crowd loves to pin the culprit of AGW on Greenhouse Gases, but especially CO2! However, the *true* scientific *fact* is that CO2 is *not* the dominant Greenhouse Gas, anyway! What is? Just look up at the sky ... see those puffy white billowy "things" called clouds? H2O is many multiple times *more* prolific than CO2 and has a much more *direct* effect on Earth's atmospheric temperatures than CO2! Is it hotter on a sunny day than a cloudy day? You can actually *feel* the difference in temperatures from clouds (5+ deg F), whereas the computer models-based "best guess" at the effects of limiting CO2 is projected to be somewhere around 0.5-deg F over many decades!

Actual satellite temperature measurements across the Earth have most recently revealed that the global temperatures are actually cooling, rather than rising, anyway! Yet such totally *flawed* computer models are being used to perpetrate *insane* AGW regulations upon everyone worldwide, under the *Fake* threats of Extinction of Mankind! And now the *shameless* pro-AGW crowd has even resorted to engaging in Abuse and Exploitation of children (ie, Greta) in their Desperate attempts to *brainwash* the public about the purported dangers of Human Extinction from AGW! Totally Despicable behavior!

As for that overly abused concept of "Consensus," the pro-AGW crowd always conveniently forget that Nature is what it is, and does *Not* adhere to Anthropogenic "Consensus!" Recall what "Consensus" used to say about the Earth being "flat"? Or that Earth is the "center" of the universe?

Furthermore, you understated the "claimed" percentage of so-called "scientists" who believe in this AGW *Hoax* -- that figure is most often pegged at 97% instead of 95% (as you stated)! But let me give an illustration about how statistics can also be *manipulated* to totally *Lie* to the public --

Let's say that you have 1000 scientists at a conference and the pro-AGW crowd decides to conduct a "survey" about how many support AGW ... there are 100 pro-AGW "scientists" in this group of 1000 scientists ... they decide to interview 100 "scientists" (10% sampling -- very statistically significant!) ... so they include 97 of their 100 pro-AGW fellows and 3 others from the anti-AGW group ... 100 samples and 97 of them are pro-AGW so, therefore, 97% of "surveyed scientists" agree that AGW is a real phenomenon! Surprise! The other (900-3) anti-AGW scientists got totally ignored! Reminds us of how political surveys are conducted before elections?

Additionally, the former Chief-of-Staff for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), perpetrator of the so-called "Green New Deal" (GND) Insanity, recently *Confessed* that the whole AGW/GND movements have *Nothing* to do with Earth/Climate, but is merely a *Mechanism* through which to Consolidate Power and Re-shape World Economies through Wealth Re-Distribution!

Finally, does anyone believe that Al Gore and Barack Obama are worried, in the least, about AGW and another of its "Lies" about rising ocean levels, when they both purchased multi-$Million mansions on the ocean fronts of USA's west and east coasts, respectively?

Starting to understand *Reality* yet?

@Sven: The Endre comment was an epic comeback Unfortunately, I’m not “worthy” to be mentioned in the same sentence as him, as I don’t “only book paid, full fare first class” as he claims to do 😉
I’m definitely not that arrogant, I was just making a point 😉

@Tiffany - the new mobile ads scheme works perfectly on my iPad, to the point that I didn’t even realize there were ads! I had to go back and search for them.

@Ben - I stayed at Sweni, which I remember specifically choosing over Lebombo but can’t remember now why I made that choice - maybe all the stairs? Did you consider Sweni?

Ben - your reviews are amazing. I'm booking the combo Lebombo / Boulders trip as I type. Also, as gay man traveling with his husband, your insights traveling as a gay couple are very helpful. Great work.