Jock Safari Lodge - Kruger National Park
Jock Safari Lodge offers one of the best safari experience a private lodge can in the heart of the Kruger national Park. The ideal location had to be chosen when building the first private lodge in the Kruger National Park, and this is what gave Jock Safari Lodge its reputation for amazing wildlife encounters and a luxurious safari experience. The lodge is located in the park's southern westernmost region, in a breathtaking location. The Jock Safari Lodge rises at the apex where the Mitomeni and Biyamiti rivers merge, providing a breathtaking setting for wildlife sightings.
With its exclusive riverbed traversing rights and more than 6, 000 hectares of natural landscape, Jock Safari Lodge provides visitors with one of the best Big 5 game viewing experiences in South Africa. A stay at Main Jock is guaranteed to be private and in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape. Twelve private thatched suites are hidden behind lush trees and reed walls, offering complete privacy. Each opens to a private deck with a plunge pool and a Sala, a daybed outside, all with a breathtaking view of the riverbed. Your soul will be able to fully experience what it feels like to find inner peace amidst the cries of the wild at Main Jock Lodge.
INCLUDES
- Three meals daily & high tea
- Game drives & guided walks
- Local branded drinks
- Game drive drinks
- Tourism levies & taxes
EXCLUDES
- Park entrance fees
- Premium drinks
- Phone calls
- Personal purchases
- Gratuities
Family Safari at Fitzpatrick Lodge
Fitzpatrick’s at Jock is a 3-room stand-alone lodge offering families personal service in an intimate atmosphere. Upon arrival the host and/or ranger will discuss activity options with the family taking the family’s size, children’s ages and the weather into consideration. Child minding is available at an additional cost. Each child will receive a signature backpack containing small gifts, some of which they can use during their stay at Fitzpatrick’s at Jock.
Small groups and families can stay on an exclusive-use basis at the cozy Fitzpatrick's At Jock, which is elegantly furnished to provide the ultimate private villa experience. The villa includes a full staff and dedicated ranger, as well as two daily guided game drives to explore the 6,000-hectare private concession, which is renowned for its thrilling Big 5 sightings and other interesting game encounters.
Jock Safari Lodge – Video
Best Time to Visit Kruger National Park
In the Kruger National Park, the year is broken up into two distinct seasons, namely the dry winter season from May to October and the summer season from November to April.
Dry Winter Season (May-October):
The dry winter season is generally considered the best time for game viewing as sparse vegetation makes it easier to spot wildlife. There are also fewer watering sources, meaning wildlife will gather around more permanent watering holes. Furthermore, malaria risk decreases in the cool winter months.
Rainy Summer Season (November-April):
The rainy season, known as the Kruger’s Green or Emerald Season, starts in November. The bush is lush and dense during this time, and it’s the ideal time for birdwatchers and photographers to visit because migrant birds arrive, creating a symphony in the treetops. It’s also the best time to visit if you want to see adorable newborn animals finding their feet.
Kids on Safari at Jock Safari Lodge
Children ages 5 years and younger are restricted to drives within the Jock concession. Children aged 6 years and older are permitted on regular game drives.
A private vehicle will need to reserved for sole use of the family, the daily surcharge per day will be applicable for private vehicle use.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
▪ Junior ranger training while on kiddies drive
▪ Night walk within the camp
▪ Explore the dry riverbeds looking for skulls, frogs and bugs
▪ Visit the Stevenson Hamilton Museum in Skukuza
ARTS, CRAFTS AND GAMES
▪ Play dough session
▪ Mini Chef’s
▪ Arts and crafts
▪ Puzzles of varying sizes and difficulties covering a broad age range
▪ A selection of entertaining and educational children’s books
▪ A selection of fun board games
Guests Reviews
This lodge is a must-visit, stunning pool area, the ground staff work hard to give customers the best service, Game drives are educational and the
...moreThis lodge is a must-visit, stunning pool area, the ground staff work hard to give customers the best service, Game drives are educational and the best, we spotted all the big 5. Eddie and Michael are the best rangers. Food is super delicious.
Game guides are all world class. Their knowledge of the reserve adds incredible value to every visitor’s stay. All other members of the team are
...moreGame guides are all world class. Their knowledge of the reserve adds incredible value to every visitor’s stay. All other members of the team are welcoming and responsive. Food is delicious. Tents are spacious and include requisite amenities. Setting is iconic Africa. At the current price point, Honeyguide offers guests real value for money and memories that will last a lifetime.
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The History of Jock Safari Lodge
The lure of gold brought men from all corners of the world to Southern Africa. Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, author of the animal classic book, Jock of the Bushveld, was one of these pioneers. The gold-rich capital of Thula Mela, situated on a hill at the fork of the Limpopo and Lebuvu Rivers, 200 km north of Jock Safari Lodge, served as the trading centre of Southern Africa.
The prospectors passed through some of Africa’s most scenic, untamed wilderness. It is in this area that Jock Safari Lodge is based, with our Southern Boundary being the old Voortrekker road from Delagoa Bay (now Maputo) to the goldfields of the interior at Pilgrims Rest. Today, the wilderness experience we offer is unchanged from those early times and is an area noted for its diversity in game, particularly the Big Five.
Nestled at the confluence of the Mitomeni and Biyamiti rivers at the southern tip of the KNP, the legend of an intrepid explorer, Sir Percy Fitzpatrick and his trusted dog, Jock, lives on at Jock Safari Lodge.
The concept was born by the descendants of Sir Percy Fitzpatrick – the Niven family. They used the trust funds of Sir Fitzpatrick to fence off and build a lodge, in 1982 to protect the area, and indigenous trees, close to where the story of Sir Percy Fitzpatrick and his dog, Jock took place.
Sir Fitzpatrick was educated at Downside Abbey, near Bath (England), and later at St. Aidan’s College, Grahamstown. In 1884, he went to the Eastern Transvaal gold-fields, where he worked as storeman, prospector’s hand, journalist and transport-rider, travelling from Lourenco Marques to Lydenburg and Barberton by ox-wagon.
It was in Barberton, where he became editor of the Gold Fields News. His adventures during the pioneering days in the Bushveld are vividly described in Jock of the Bushveld, now a South African classic.
Rudyard Kipling persuaded Fitzpatrick to collect the stories in book form. The book appeared in 1907, and has remained a firm favourite in South Africa and has been widely read abroad, appearing in several forms and languages.
Jock Safari Lodge takes the utmost care to make your stay as unique and memorable as possible whilst bringing in historical elements of the Kruger area and indeed South Africa. Join us and relive the days of authentic safari experiences.