Things to do
Make your dreams come true! Experience the big five, up close and personal. The Iconic Kruger National Park is one of the planet’s premier game reserves. Pristine and unspoilt for over 115 years, it is a massive 30 000 square kilometres and includes the Greater Limpopo Trans-frontier Park.
Your once-in-a-lifetime safari with professional guides can be arranged. We offer: full-day drives, sunrise drives, morning walks, and sunset drives, all in the Kruger National Park Other activities include: Tiger fishing and tours to Swaziland, Mozambique and the spectacular Panorama Route visiting the Blyde River Canyon.
Please enquire directly for pricing by E-mail to [email protected]
Full-day Game Drives
Experience the call of the African Bush, on your full-day safari with a qualified professional guide in open safari vehicle (OSV). Depart from Needles Lodge at +/- 05h00 in the summer or 05h30 in the winter. Enjoy the African sunrise, and see the first game on the plains. Perhaps you will be one of the lucky few to experience predators on the hunt! At approximately 10h00, stop and have breakfast in Kruger National Park.
Spend the day discovering the ‘Big Five’ and learning about the wonders of nature in its truest form. The game drives concentrate on the southern region of the Kruger National Park, internationally recognised as the best game viewing area for the Big 5. Visit Skukuza or Lower Sabie, the main rest camps, where curio shops are situated. Return to the comfort of the Lodge in the late afternoon for a well-deserved sundowner on the deck.
Sunrise Drives
As the bush awakens, an early morning start is made worthwhile when you experience the Kruger National Park come alive. The chatting of the birds, calls from the wild and the amazing sunrises will keep you enthralled on your 3-hour, professionally guided tour in an open-raised safari vehicle. Experience some of the nocturnal animals making their way to bed and the diurnal animals coming to life. Only for the brave at heart, the departure times from the Lodge are at 03h15 in the summer and 04h15 in winter. Return to the comfort of the Lodge at approximately 09h00 for a sumptuous breakfast.
Morning Walks
Bring your senses to life, when participating on a morning walk in Kruger National Park, an experience of a lifetime. See, hear, smell, touch and even taste the bush up close as professional rangers lead you on the game paths through the park. Two armed and trained rangers take up to 8 people out into the bush for 3 to 4 hours. Experience the fauna and flora up close and personal. You may just be lucky enough to have a Big 5 experience on foot to really get your adrenaline going! Once again only for the brave hearted as the Lodge departure times are 03h45 in summer and 04h15 in winter. Return to the comfort of the Lodge at approximately 10h00 for a well-deserved brunch.
Sunset Drives
Experience the fabulous African sunset and enjoy the opportunity of finding the Big 5. Depart the lodge at 15h30, and drive with a professional guide in the Kruger National Park. The nocturnal animals of Africa such as genets, bush babies and civets come out after dark and with the guidance of spot lights you may have the chance of spotting them. Return to the lodge at approximately 20h30, where your delicious, 3-course dinner will await you.
Tiger Fishing
Hook, line and sinker, experience fearsome game fish known for putting up quite a fight. Taking on a tiger fish will add a whole new dimension to your South African Safari. The Komati River, only 20 minutes from Needles, offers the perfect location to catch one of these awesome specimens. A professional guide, licenses, equipment, bait and your transfers are included to ensure you have a great experience.
Panorama Trip
Experience the breathtaking beauty of rock formations, picturesque waterfalls, landscapes and magnificent views of the Blyde River Canyon, God’s Window and Bourke’s Luck Potholes, as well as Pilgrims Rest, situated in the Lowveld Escarpment.
Eswatini (Previously Swaziland) Full Day Tour
- Visit a Swati Cultural Village: breakfast, tour & performance.
- Ngwenya Glass Factory – handmade glass.Ezulweni Valley.
- Craft Market – crafts & curios.
- Gone Rural – exclusive rural handcraft / weaving.
- Rosecraft (mohair products).
- Lunch at a local restaurant.
- Swazi Candles – watch the creation process and meet the artisans.
- Maguga Dam.
Mozambique (Maputo Capital City) Day Tour
- Stop at a local coffee shop.
- Samora Machel statue Catholic Cathedral.
- Steel House & Botanical Garden.
- Fortress & Train Station.
- Maputo Craft Market – Woodcraft & Batique vendors.
- Lunch at the Fish Market - prawns & local beer.
- Ocean Drive.
Walk or jog in Marloth Park and on the banks of the Crocodile River
Marloth Park – home to Needles Lodge – shares a 15 km border with the mighty Crocodile River and the Kruger Park. Enjoy a walk or a jog in the bush and along the Crocodile River. You could spot the Big Five, crocodiles, hippopotamuses and many other game species. Explore and learn about the different indigenous trees, grasses and wild flowers growing in Marloth Park's 4300 hectares. Sit with your binoculars at one of the hides or viewpoints, and see what strolls by.
Bird watching
Sightings of over 300 bird species have been recorded in Marloth Park. Join the many guests who have used our birdlife reference books to get acquainted with them. Get up close with your camera and record your memories of the wonderful species that are endemic to this region. Learn the various bird calls, and see how many species you can identify.
Self-drive safari
Needles Lodge is situated between the two main southern entry points to the Kruger National Park – 35 km to Malelane Gate and only 30 km to Crocodile Bridge Gate. This makes for quick, easy access to the Park for day trips, with time enough for you to view its southern – most popular – part. The Lodge's management will go over the maps with you, and where required give advice, including our guides' advice on the latest sightings of the Big Five.
Mozambique and Swaziland trips
Apart from its easy access to the Kruger National Park, Needles Lodge is the ideal springboard for your day trips to Mozambique and Swaziland. It is also a perfect stopover for travellers leaving these countries for either shopping trips or continuing holidays.
Maputo, Mozambique's capital is a wonderful experience. Tour the city with its wonderful architecture and history, visiting the various craft markets. A trip to Maputo would not be complete without enjoying the finest African/Portuguese cuisine, which incorporates in some of the finest sea-food and traditional fare on the Costa Do Sol beachfront.
Swaziland is also just an hour away, and this day trip offers a different yet equally enjoyable experience. Visit traditional cultural villages, see bushman paintings, visit art and craft centres, and view the beauty of one of Africa's last remaining kingdoms.
If you would prefer escorted tours to both Maputo and Swaziland, these are easily arranged.
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