Nkala Safari Lodge
Whole-lodge rental for up to 16, self-catering · The private reserve on the western side · Nkala Safari Lodge (same owner as Ntamba)
Mid-range
Inside the park
Owner-run
The larger of two family-owned lodges that share an owner on the private reserve on the western side; the other is Ntamba. Nkala is let as a whole: five suites and a children's room for up to 16 people, self-catering, with two game drives a day. Its own site gives R25,000 a night midweek and R29,500 at weekends, about R1,560 a person midweek for a full house. Game viewing is guided only. Choose it for a big family gathering that wants a children's room; skip it if fewer than eight of you are travelling, since the per-head cost climbs fast.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Room for 16, the largest whole-lodge rental in our list
- A separate children's room
- Two game drives a day included
- Published rates, midweek and weekend
Cons
- The highest whole-lodge rate in our list
- Self-catering
- Guided only: no self-driving
- Whether the conservation fee is included is not stated
What's here
- Family rooms
- Self-catering
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
We could not reach a website for Nkala Safari Lodge, so this list is incomplete by definition. Ask them directly.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Pilanesberg National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryR748 per international adult per day at USD 1 = ZAR 16.36.
- $46per person, per day
- VehicleR168 per car per day, about $10.
- $10per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $306 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
Guests at lodges inside the park usually pay the fee through the lodge; several private-reserve lodges include it in their rate.
The full fee schedule for Pilanesberg National ParkRates at Nkala Safari Lodge
From $1,528 per night, whole lodge. Own site, read 24 Sep 2026: R25,000 (about $1,528) a night midweek and R29,500 ($1,803) at weekends, for the whole lodge, self-catering, with two game drives a day. For 16 guests that is about R1,560 a person midweek. Our source does not say whether conservation fees and VAT are included; the sister lodge Ntamba includes the conservation fee. Rand at R16.36 to the dollar.
Self-catering. You cook. Nothing else is included unless the entry says so.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked against our research of 24 September 2026 and converted at R16.36 to the dollar. Where a lodge publishes its own rate we use it with its date. The per-person figures for Ivory Tree, Shepherd's Tree, Kwa Maritane, Bakubung Bush Lodge, Tshukudu, Tsholo, Umoya, Mbazo and Dzombo are a named agent's or reseller's and say so; the guesthouses, The Kingdom and Tlou come from one Booking.com night (14 to 15 October 2026) or LekkeSlaap's list. The price filter and sort use per-person rates only: campsites, rooms, villas and whole lodges show their rate in the text but carry no sortable figure. The park conservation fee comes on top outside the gate: R748 per foreign adult, R168 per South African adult and R168 per car, per day since 1 December 2025, card only, and a new tariff could start on 1 December 2026.
Questions about Nkala Safari Lodge
How much does Nkala Safari Lodge cost?
R25,000 a night midweek and R29,500 at weekends for the whole lodge on its own site in September 2026, self-catering with two game drives a day. Ask whether the conservation fee is in the rate; at its sister lodge Ntamba it is.
Is Nkala good for families?
Yes, by design: five suites plus a children's room for up to 16 people. We found no published minimum age for drives, so ask.
What is the difference between Nkala and Ntamba?
Same owner and contact. Nkala sleeps up to 16 with a children's room for R25,000 midweek; Ntamba sleeps ten adults and five children for R19,000 and states that conservation fees are included.