Fitzpatrick’s is a very small and intimate lodge located in the south of Kruger National Park. It is part of Jock Safari Lodge, a larger lodge located a few minutes away. Fitzpatrick’s is perfect for families and groups and accepts children of all ages, which made it the perfect option for us as we were testing out going on safari with a baby! Isla was just 5 months old so it was going to be interesting!
We were so excited about staying at Fitzpatrick’s as we LOVE self-driving Kruger and this lodge is located within Kruger National Park, making it super convenient for us (and very convenient for our guests looking to do a self-drive element as well). We also knew that Fitzpatrick’s/Jock Safari Lodge had their own awesome private concession plus they can drive the public Kruger roads (including after gates close), so we were also excited about the game viewing opportunities here.
Book Fitzpatrick’s or Jock Safari Lodge
Fitzpatrick’s Accommodation, Hospitality and Food
The lodge, rooms and service
Fitzpatrick’s is rated five star and can accommodate only six adults across three rooms (two rooms are adjoined by a common area while one stands alone). The lodge has a main lounge and dining area as well as a very lovely outdoor area, boma and pool. All the rooms also have their own plunge pool and very spacious decks with outdoor lounges to enjoy during the day. The rooms and lodge overlook a beautiful riverbed where animals roam all hours of the day and night!
Infants (like Isla) can be accommodated in a cot added to the room at no extra charge (yay!). While Fitzpatrick’s set up a cot for us, we opted to use our own – we recommend if travelling anywhere with a young baby to take your own portacot (camping cot). The rooms are large and very comfortable, with a coffee/tea station, minibar, a desk/chair, an arm chair, a queen bed, large bathroom, separate toilet and huge deck with small plunge pool. Two of the rooms are joined by a common area, making them perfect for families or couples travelling together, while the other is separate (this is the one we used). The rooms have air conditioning but no fireplace.
The lodge itself has a lovely layout that we really liked, it’s very small and intimate and the ratio of staff is fantastic – there are always people around to help you if you need it. We found the level of service to be perfect with staff members not too ‘in your face’, but always checking to see if you need anything. They were all very friendly and professional.
The Food
The food here is good quality – we scored it a 7.5/10. They serve a small cold buffet breakfast along with a hot cooked meal (made to order and based on a couple of options each day). Jock are one of the lodges that offer a proper lunch on top of a sizable breakfast – this alternates between a small buffet and an ala carte option (with a nice selection of options to choose from at breakfast or when you arrive). They also offer a dessert with lunch.
For dinner we had a boma/braai dinner one night which was tasty and an ala carte option the other night, where we chose lamb shanks and chocolate mousse. There is no high tea due to the big lunch, no snacks at the sundowner stop and we didn’t stop for coffee in the mornings either, which is typical for other lodges. This did not bother us at all as the game drives are only 3 hours and you have coffee before you set out and breakfast as soon as you are back so there isn’t really any need for it. The rate is inclusive of the non-premium drinks, which staff cover with you when you arrive (this includes house wines, cider, a selection of beers and some spirits plus soft drinks).
Going on safari with your baby or children at Fitzpatrick’s
I am in the midst of writing a separate piece all about taking a baby on safari but I can safely say that Fitzpatrick’s is an excellent choice to visit with a baby or children. The smaller size of the lodge makes it the perfect place as you can easily keep track of kids, and we were even able to leave Isla asleep in our room while we ate lunch outside right next door as we would have heard her if she woke up. Also the very small plunge pool we had as part of our room was perfect for use in winter as it was a warm temperature from the sun (it did get up to the mid/high 30’s while we were there in August). The lodge (per Kruger’s rules) is also fully fenced, so there is less worry about your kids encountering wildlife as they play around the lodge (or hang out on the deck).
Another thing that Jock does that is really cute is offer a little ‘kids on safari’ backpack for kids who visit, which includes a little activity book, pencil case and cap. Obviously Isla was a bit too young to appreciate this but she will like it when she’s older!
In terms of babysitting, Fitzpatrick’s charged us R150 per hour (about AU$15/hr), which was very reasonable. One of the lodge staff members looked after her during game drives (yes, we left our 5 month old while we went on drive!! Judge us if you want, but no regrets from us!). Both staff members (Maggie and Thoko) were very good with Isla and very competent, with their own kids and grand kids. We had no issues and never felt anxious or stressed.
Game viewing at Fitzpatrick’s
The wildlife
On our first game drive at Fitzpatrick’s we started driving down a river bed and almost straight away came across a female lioness who got up and drank right in front of us. We continued until we came across a rhino, then drove a bit longer until we bumped into a young male leopard (spotted only when we were literally right next to it!). After leaving him we ended the drive with another leopard sighting that involved a male, female and cub with a kill up a tree. We watched them for quite some time as the male was unhappy and he rushed the tree when the mum ran up the tree and grabbed the kill in one deft move and pulled it further up the tree! At all of these special sightings we were the only car (we left the lioness and the first leopard once one other car joined).
While not all of our four drives were this exciting, it does give you a taste of the quality of the game viewing that you can enjoy at Fitpatrick’s! These were all within probably 10-15 minutes away from the lodge. We saw the Big 5 and wild dogs during our four drives plus the usual suspects (giraffes, zebras, antelope, baboons, monkeys, warthogs etc). The wild dogs were on a public road in Kruger but the rest was within the private Jock concession. We were very lucky with leopards, having at least four leopard sightings (total of six leopards) while there.
The Experience
The other really positive aspect of game viewing at Fitzpatrick’s (and Jock Safari Lodge) is the fact they don’t put more than 8 people on a vehicle (usually a max of 6 at Fitzpatrick’s) unless groups request it, and there are typically only a max of three vehicles out at once on their concession. This means that sightings are often enjoyed alone or with one other vehicle as opposed to sightings in highly populated game reserves like Sabi Sands, Thornybush and Timbavati where you most often have 2-3 vehicles per sighting and sometimes need to leave after only 10 minutes to make way for the next vehicle. What is also nice here compared to other reserves (like Sabi Sands for example) is the lack of man-made structures in their concession (eg. houses, solar panels etc), which means that you feel like you are in the true bush for the majority of your drive.
One consideration is that game drives here tend to be a little shorter than some other places, they are scheduled for 3 hours however there were a couple of times we came back slightly early due to it being a bit quieter towards the end of drive.
Here’s a short video we put together of some of our sightings while at Fitzpatrick’s… Don’t forget to subscribe to our YT channel as well!
What we love about Fitzpatrick’s
- Most drinks are inclusive – always a nice touch
- The game viewing is excellent – it is within Kruger after all! Great for the Big 5.
- The quality of guiding was very good
- The lodge is very small and intimate – usually with a maximum of six people, and fantastic to book out for groups (which is the main idea)
- The staff were very friendly and helpful – excellent level of service
- Great sized rooms – was still spacious even with a cot set up and various baby-related toys etc
- Every room has its own plunge pool plus there is a shared pool too
- The lodge and rooms overlook a lovely riverbed, where you can often see animals (eg. we saw elephants, buffalo and antelope but anything is possible!)
- It’s a great place to go with babies or young children
- Overall we LOVED being within Kruger National Park – it’s so convenient compared to lodges in neighbouring game reserves – there were no additional conservation fees on top of the usual KNP fees (we had a Wild Card that covered it) and it’s so convenient to combine with self-drive in Kruger. If you are not self-driving you can fly into Skukuza airport (also within the park) and the lodge offers a transfer service. This means you are already on safari as you land and transfer to the lodge! It also means there’s no need to drive outside the reserve at all plus the flights to Skukuza are generally cheaper than airstrips within private game reserves.
- The traversing area here was really big plus they can drive on all of the public Kruger roads after hours – lots of options for game viewing!
- Much less density of other vehicles on their own concession as there are just the two lodges (Fitzpatrick’s and Jock Safari Lodge) so typically a maximum of three cars out on drive. We had almost all of our sightings to ourselves at least for part of the time and barely saw other cars while out driving
- They are the only concession within Kruger that are allowed to drive down riverbeds, which is excellent for game viewing
Considerationsβ¦
- While the food was overall a good quality, it wasn’t as good as some of the other 5* places we have stayed – however we don’t visit lodges for their food!
- While Jock’s has a huge private concession that only they can drive on, at times they do drive on public roads (usually just when they are aware of a good sighting or something special in the area) – this means there may be some times where you are exposed to public cars. The difference is though that Jock can stay at sightings for longer in the afternoon/evening when public cars need to leave to reach the gate in time for when they close – so this is a pretty cool perk.
- The lodge is fully fenced. This is a good or bad thing depending on what you like – we generally enjoy the excitement of an unfenced lodge as you never know what animals might come through camp, however for young children fenced camps make life a lot easier. It also means you don’t need to be escorted to your room all the time when it’s dark, which can get a bit tiresome!
- They do not have any trackers, which means when tracks are spotted the guide will park the car and track the animals. This is not a great experience for guests who are left sitting on the vehicle waiting while the guide tries to find the animal.
- The lodge is rated five stars but is not quite as fancy/polished as some other five star places we have stayed – in saying that for the price it still offers excellent value for money. There is a big variance between five star places in South Africa but if you want the really premium experience, you will pay for it!
- The game drives are three hours (some places go out for 3-4 hours), and there was once or twice where we came back about 10-30 minutes early.
- Game drive vehicles have rooves and sides per the Kruger National Park rules. Some people prefer this (and it’s good to avoid the harsh sun or rain) but personally we prefer fully open vehicles.
So, should you stay at Fitzpatrick’s?
Absolutely – this is especially a fantastic option for those who are wanting to add a Kruger self-drive option to their trip (which we recommend if you feel comfortable / it’s not your first safari). The location is really convenient whether you want to self-drive or not. The game viewing is excellent and their traversing area is very big (meaning there’s good wildlife and wilderness diversity) while their guides are also very good. Staff are friendly, rooms are very comfortable and the food is plentiful and nice. Overall Fitzpatrick’s is not as fancy as some other five star properties we have stayed, but it has a very good vibe and offers excellent value for the price. We would recommend it and hope to stay again one day.