Review: Singita Lebombo Lodge Kruger Park

We were so sad to leave Singita Boulders after an incredible three days, though the fun wasn’t over, as we were then headed to Singita Lebombo, considered by many to be the “flagship” Singita property.

Booking Singita Lebombo

As mentioned in the previous installment, Singita properties are expensive (though oh-so-worth-it if you can swing it).

You can find the rates for Singita Lebombo Lodge here. The property has a total of 16 rooms, and 13 of those are suites with identical pricing.

As you can see, the rate is around 2,000USD per person per night (marginally more expensive than Singita Boulders), and that includes VAT.

Since we booked six nights between the two Singita properties (in Sabi Sands and Kruger), we received one complimentary night per person, plus a complimentary flight between the two properties.

As before, there’s no supplement for single occupancy. So even though we had two suites and my dad was staying alone, he paid the same per person rate that we did.

Singita Lodges Are All Inclusive

Again, this is just a reminder that while Singita lodges are really expensive, they are all inclusive. They include:

• All meals and beverages, including premium wines, spirits, liqueurs, and more (the only thing excluded is French champagne)
• Two daily game drives
• Return road transfers between the airstrip and the lodges
• Laundry service
• Complimentary cigars and cigarettes

The only thing you’ll likely spend money on while at the lodge is spa treatments, purchases from the gift shops, and gratuities (see here for my understanding of appropriate gratuities at Singita lodges).

Singita Lebombo Kruger National Park Review

Now let’s get into the actual review of Singita Lebombo. I’ll follow a similar format to the previous trip report, first looking at how we got there, then looking at our suite, then the public areas, then the food and drinks, and then the service.

Getting To Singita Lebombo Lodge

I wrote a separate installment about our flights on Federal Air, which is the airline that Singita works with for flights to/from their lodges. You can fly with Federal Air directly from Johannesburg, but since we were coming from Singita Boulders in Sabi Sands, we just took the 20 minute flight from there.

From the airstrip that Singita uses it was about a 40 minute drive to the lodge. This drive was mostly on the paved roads of Kruger National Park, which are open to the public. That’s the case until you get to the private concession roads belonging to Singita Lebombo.

Public roads of Kruger National Park

This 40 minute ride also wasn’t in an open-air Land Rover or Land Cruiser, but rather was in an enclosed van.

Singita Lebombo Lodge Suite

Singita Lebombo has a total of 16 accommodations, including:

• 13 suites
• 2 two bedroom suites
• 1 villa

We had two suites near one another. To give you a sense of the layout of the property, here’s a map:

We were assigned suites 10 & 11. The layout of Singita Lebombo is different than Singita Boulders, since Lebombo is built into the side of a hill. So even though our suite wasn’t that far from reception, there were lots of stairs involved in getting back and forth between the suite and main area.

The path also wasn’t lit, and at night you had to be escorted by one of the lodge staff when traveling to & from your room, given that you’re in the middle of the wilderness.

Walkway to Singita Lebombo Lodge suites

Stairs to Singita Lebombo Lodge suites

Ford and I were in suite 11, which was at the very end of the path. The style of the suite was completely different than the style of our suite at Boulders — here we felt like we were in a treehouse.

Stairs to Singita Lebombo Lodge suites

There was a big door at the entrance to the suite, though when you opened that door there was still an exposed outdoor area before you were actually inside, which required going through a second (glass) door.

Singita Lebombo suite entryway

Hanging in this area were some blankets as well as a bag, which could be used while on safari.

Singita Lebombo suite bag & blankets

Our suite was beautiful — it featured floor-to-ceiling windows throughout, so you really felt like you were in nature. There was one main room, with the netted bed at one end of the room.

Singita Lebombo suite

The bed was really comfortable, with a great mattress and high quality bedding.

Singita Lebombo suite bedroom area

Next to the sleeping area was a couch, and behind that was a desk.

Singita Lebombo suite living area

Singita Lebombo suite living area

Singita Lebombo suite desk area

Then to the side of the desk was another chair and a minibar.

Singita Lebombo suite sitting area

The room had a selection of coffee and tea, bottled water, complimentary snacks, liquor, wine, beer, and more. Everything was complimentary.

Singita Lebombo suite coffee machine & water

Singita Lebombo suite minibar

Singita Lebombo suite minibar

Singita Lebombo suite minibar

Singita Lebombo suite minibar

The bathroom could be accessed by walkways on either side of the couch, and it was huge as well. The main part of the bathroom had a sink, a vanity area, and a soaking tub.

Singita Lebombo suite bathroom

Singita Lebombo suite bathroom

Singita Lebombo suite bathroom

Singita Lebombo suite bathtub

Then in a partitioned off area to the far right was another sink and a toilet.

Singita Lebombo suite sink

Singita Lebombo suite toilet

Then to the left was the shower, which was really cool since it also had floor-to-ceiling windows (though on one side it wasn’t exposed).

Singita Lebombo suite shower

The one really poorly designed aspect of the room was that there was a glass shield between the shower and the toilet. I’m not sure who on earth thought that was a good idea?

Toiletries were in reusable bottles, and seemed to be pretty good quality.

Singita Lebombo suite toiletries

Also in the bathroom was a laundry sheet and bag, as laundry services are complimentary. You’d just place it in the bag, mark what you need done, and it would be taken care of in no time.

Singita Lebombo suite laundry

The outdoor deck had an incredible view of nature, including the N’wanesti River. Really you could go on safari without even leaving the lodge, given how many animals we saw from there. The deck had a table with two chairs, as well as a daybed.

Singita Lebombo suite patio

Singita Lebombo suite patio

Singita Lebombo suite patio

At night they’d set up the daybed so that you could sleep outside, if you wanted to.

Singita Lebombo sleep outside

Wifi in the room (and throughout the hotel) was complimentary and surprisingly fast, and there were virtually no outages.

I’d also note that our room was refreshed multiple times per day. For example, even on our morning of departure our room was cleaned while we were at breakfast.

All things considered, what an absolutely awesome suite with great views.

Singita Lebombo Shared Areas

I loved the shared areas of Singita Lebombo. I think they did a great job of making the resort super luxe while still feeling mostly authentic to the area.

As you walk from the entrance to the main lodge there are bathrooms to the left, and then straight ahead is the main meeting point of the resort.

Singita Lebombo entry walkway

Singita Lebombo entry walkway

This is a lovely open air area that has couches, chairs, a bar, and more. It also has great views, thanks to the fact that the resort is built into a hill.

Singita Lebombo main lodge

Singita Lebombo main lodge

Singita Lebombo main lodge

Singita Lebombo main bar

Singita Lebombo main lodge

At the back corner of this main lodge area are a few more amenities many guests may not otherwise find.

Singita Lebombo main lodge

There’s a library area, should you want to enjoy the air conditioning for a bit.

Singita Lebombo main lodge indoor seating

Singita Lebombo main lodge indoor seating

There’s also a separate panoramic outdoor terrace, where you arguably have the best views from the entire lodge.

Singita Lebombo main lodge observation deck

Singita Lebombo main lodge observation deck

Then there’s also a wine room of sorts, where you can do a wine tasting or just check out their selection.

Singita Lebombo main lodge wine room

Singita Lebombo main lodge wine room

Just a short walk from all of the above was the hotel’s main restaurant, which is an indoor-outdoor area. While it is indoors, it has sliding doors that can be opened to make it feel like you’re outdoors. While we dined at four different venues at Singita Boulders, we had all of our meals here, because the weather wasn’t cooperating.

Singita Lebombo restaurant

There’s also a cool fire pit outside.

Singita Lebombo fire pit

Singita Lebombo Pool

Right next to the main part of the lodge are Lebombo’s two pools. The pool at the top is 25 meters long, while the pool at the bottom is 22 meters long. What a gorgeous pool area, though I actually never saw anyone use it (in fairness, we were there in winter, and the weather wasn’t good during our stay, with the exception of the first day, when I took some of the below pictures).

Singita Lebombo pool

Singita Lebombo pool

Singita Lebombo pool

Singita Lebombo pool area

Singita Lebombo pool area

Singita Lebombo pool area

Singita Lebombo Gym & Spa

Singita has two properties in Kruger that are next to one another — Singita Lebombo Lodge and Singita Sweni Lodge. The two lodges share a gift shop, spa, and gym. While it would be easy to walk from the hotel to this area (it would only take a few minutes), due to the wildlife they ask that you let them drive you.

The spa area was beautiful, and while I didn’t get any treatment, an hour-long massage cost 1,060ZAR (~70USD), which seemed reasonable.

Singita Lebombo spa

The gym here was excellent for a secluded safari property, and we tried to go there as often as possible (which, in fairness, was like once, since they keep you damn busy here).

Singita Lebombo gym

Singita Lebombo gym

Dining At Singita Lebombo Lodge

In my review of Singita Boulders I highlighted just how often they feed you while on safari, and Singita Lebombo followed a very similar schedule. It’s outrageous how much food and drinks they try to serve you:

• You’re served a pre-breakfast before you go on your morning game drive
• You’re served breakfast after you return from your morning game drive
• Then you’re served lunch
• Then you’re served afternoon tea before you go on your afternoon game drive
• Then you’re served dinner after your second game drive of the day

It’s actually basically exactly like this:

The pre-breakfast and afternoon tea were served in the main lodge area, which is where we met up before each of our game drives. Then our three meals per day were served in the actual restaurant.

Singita Lebombo restaurant

Singita Lebombo restaurant

It rained quite a bit while we were here, so by comparison it was a bit disappointing that all of our meals were in the same place, but I guess there’s not much that can be done about mother nature.

Of course “disappointed” is way too strong of a term, but based on the standards that Singita Boulders set for us…

We were served all of our meals by the same person, who looked after us throughout our entire stay.

Singita Lebombo Pre-Breakfast

Our morning game drives started around 6AM, so we’d meet about 15 minutes before that for our morning cup of coffee, as well as a light breakfast, given that the real breakfast wouldn’t be for another four hours or so.

There were freshly baked muffins, yogurt, fruit, fresh fruit juice, and more.

Singita Lebombo pre-safari breakfast

Singita Lebombo pre-safari breakfast

Singita Lebombo Breakfast

When we returned from our morning game drives at around 10AM it was time for breakfast. The breakfast menu read as follows:

Their coffee drinks were excellent (especially their mocaccino with liqueur).

Singita Lebombo coffees

To start, some fruit, cereal, yogurt, and croissants would be brought to the table.

Singita Lebombo breakfast

I loved their mixed bean ragout.

Singita Lebombo breakfast

The omelets were great as well.

Singita Lebombo breakfast

Singita Lebombo Lunch

My favorite meal at Lebombo was lunch, because they have a tapas style concept. They have a rotating selection of six to seven options (plus dessert), and they always recommended just ordering all of them to share.

The lunch menu read as follows:

Service always began with some sinfully delicious focaccia, homemade butter, olive oil, and feta cheese.

Singita Lebombo lunch

Below is an example of the lunch selection one day — again, lunch was exceptional, and I appreciated the different format to the dinner.

Singita Lebombo lunch

Singita Lebombo lunch

Singita Lebombo lunch

Singita Lebombo lunch

Singita Lebombo lunch dessert

Singita Lebombo Afternoon Tea

At around 3PM, before the afternoon game drives, afternoon tea was served. This included a variety of dishes in jars, cheese, cold cuts, dessert, and more.

Singita Lebombo afternoon tea

Singita Lebombo afternoon tea

Singita Lebombo Dinner

After returning from our afternoon game drive we’d first go to the main bar area for a drink or two, and would then head over to the restaurant for dinner. The front of house staff at the bar were excellent, and whipped up all kinds of excellent and creative gin & tonics.

Singita Lebombo drinks

Singita Lebombo drinks

My dad also enjoyed one (or about 11) of their complimentary cigars.

Singita Lebombo cigars

The selection rotated daily, though here’s an example of the menu one day:

Service always began with delicious homemade bread, olives, and some dips.

Singita Lebombo dinner

Food was excellent across the board.

Singita Lebombo dinner

Singita Lebombo dinner

Singita Lebombo dinner

Singita Lebombo dinner

Singita Lebombo dinner

Singita Lebombo Game Drives

For our entire stay were assigned the same guide and tracker, Henry and Andrew. Both of these guys were awesome, and we felt very lucky to be riding with them. While Boulders had Land Rovers, Lebombo had Land Cruisers, since apparently the Land Rovers are no longer in production. While these could seat 10 people, we were all on our own the entire time.

Singita Lebombo Land Cruisers

The morning game drives took about four hours, while the afternoon game drives took a bit over three hours. However, we decided to call off two game drives due to the weather.

It was super windy and rainy, and those just aren’t fun conditions in which to be on safari. In many ways that was almost a good thing, since it meant we had a bit of downtime to enjoy the lodge.

Singita Lebombo safari

In the next installment I’ll talk more about the actual safari experience, and my thoughts on Sabi Sands Reserve vs. Kruger National Park.

To provide a quick rundown, personally I thought Kruger had nicer landscape, while I preferred the layout of Sabi Sands.

In Kruger National Park, Singita has a 33,000 acre private concession. However, you can also use the public roads if there are any sightings there.

Singita Lebombo Service

Service at Singita Lebombo was excellent. There’s literally nothing about the service I could fault, and it was Aman-level in every way.

Just about every staff member we interacted with seemed genuinely friendly, and the level of customization at Singita is phenomenal.

That being said — and I feel sort of bad saying this — I thought service at Singita Boulders was significantly better.

The reality is that service at Singita Boulders was so over-the-top, genuinely friendly, and filled with a passion for hospitality. The staff there had the X-factor that you simply can’t train. By comparison, the perfectly executed, by the book service protocol used at Singita Lebombo couldn’t quite compare.

I guess what it partly came down to is that at Boulders I feel like we developed a personal relationship with so many of the employees, because they were all so open and kind and did everything they could to foster those kinds of relationships. By the time we left Boulders we were hugging everyone, and I’m not usually a hugger. It felt like saying bye to family.

Overall I didn’t quite get that feeling with the staff here — the exception was Henry and Andrew, our guide and tracker. They had over 50 years of experience between them, and were both so kind, personable, and passionate, and by the time we left we were giving them hugs too.

Singita Lebombo Bottom Line

Lebombo Lodge is considered by many to be Singita’s flagship property. It’s modern, has beautiful rooms and public areas, and has spectacular food and drinks. It has beautiful views of Kruger, and the lodge’s private concession really gives you access to wildlife that you couldn’t otherwise get.

I’d recommend this property in a heartbeat, and I thought the combination of Boulders and Lebombo was excellent.

That being said, I do think I preferred Boulders to Lebombo. I preferred the huge suites at Boulders, and in a way I almost liked the more rustic decor a bit more, as it really fit into the surroundings.

What impressed me most at Boulders was the service, though, which was the best I’ve experienced anywhere.

The thing I preferred about Lebombo was the food, which I thought was marginally better.

So I’d highly recommend visiting both Boulders and Lebombo if you can swing it, though if you can only visit one, I’d recommend Boulders.  For what it’s worth, I asked two friends who honeymooned at both properties which of them they preferred, and both said Boulders as well.

If you’ve stayed at Singita Lebombo, what was your experience like? For those who have visited Boulders and Lebombo, which did you prefer?