By Chris Ronneseth, The Safari Partners
Last updated: 04 July 2026
THE SHORT ANSWER
Where they are charged, single supplements in the Greater Kruger’s private reserves typically run 25% to 50% of the per-person rate, and occasionally more at the very top end. But Kruger is the friendliest major safari destination for solo travellers, because several well-known lodges waive the supplement outright. Sabi Sabi and Singita both publish no supplement for up to two single rooms per booking, and lodges including Kings Camp and the Kambaku lodges in the Timbavati and Leopard Hills in the Sabi Sand waive it as well. Add year-round game viewing, easy flight connections and rand-based pricing, and a solo Kruger safari can cost no more per person than half of a couple’s trip.
If you are going on safari alone for the first time, the Greater Kruger is where we most often suggest starting. The private reserves that share an unfenced boundary with Kruger National Park, names like the Sabi Sand and the Timbavati, deliver some of the most reliable Big Five viewing in Africa, with leopard sightings that no other region matches. For solo travellers there is a quieter advantage too: this is the part of Africa where the single supplement is most likely to simply not exist.
We are a full-service safari consultancy based in Vancouver, and we plan and book trips across East and Southern Africa for travellers in Canada and the United States. We have covered single supplements in East Africa and Botswana in companion guides; this one covers the Greater Kruger’s private reserves, from well-run four star lodges to the most luxurious villas in the Sabi Sand.
How do the Kruger private reserves work, and why does it matter for solos?
The private reserves sit on Kruger National Park’s unfenced western boundary, so wildlife moves freely between the park and reserves like the Sabi Sand, Timbavati, Klaserie and Thornybush. What you are paying for at a private lodge is exclusivity and access: a limited number of vehicles per sighting, off-road driving to follow a leopard into the thickets, night drives, and guiding standards that are among the best in Africa.
The structure is good news for solo travellers in two ways. First, game drives are shared lodge activities by default, so there is no vehicle cost to split and no premium for being one person; you take your seat like everyone else, usually with the same guide and tracker for your whole stay. Second, competition in the Greater Kruger is fierce. Dozens of lodges compete across every price band, and waiving the single supplement has become a way for excellent properties to stand out.
Which Kruger lodges and brands waive the single supplement?
More than in any other region we book, and at every price level including the very top. The clearest published policies follow the same pattern: the first one or two single rooms in a booking pay no supplement. Sabi Sabi, the family-owned Sabi Sand operator, waives it for up to two suites per booking, with a 50% supplement only from the third single suite; the one caveat is that its villas and premium suites always carry the supplement. Singita, at the pinnacle of Sabi Sand luxury, applies the same mechanics with gentler numbers: no supplement on the first two single rooms, and just 25% from the third single room onward, which makes one of the world’s most celebrated safari brands unexpectedly fair to solo travellers.
In the Timbavati, Kings Camp and Kambaku Safari Lodge waive the single supplement by trade terms, and Kambaku’s sister property River Sands charges it only from the third single room in a booking. In the western Sabi Sand, Leopard Hills waives it as well. Elsewhere in the reserves, published supplements run 25% to 50% at several of the most famous lodges, and occasionally higher still on top-tier suites. The table below summarizes the solo-friendly policies as of mid 2026.
| Lodge or brand | Solo policy (2026, published or reported) |
| Sabi Sabi (Sabi Sand) | No single supplement for up to two suites per booking; 50% thereafter; villas and premium suites always carry the supplement |
| Singita (Sabi Sand & Kruger) | No single supplement on the first two single rooms per booking; 25% from the third single room onward |
| Kings Camp (Timbavati) | No single supplement year-round, per reported trade terms |
| Leopard Hills (Sabi Sand) | No single supplement, per reported trade terms |
| Kambaku Safari Lodge (Timbavati) | No single supplement, per trade terms |
| Kambaku River Sands (Timbavati) | Single supplement charged only from the third single room in a booking |
Treat those policies as a snapshot rather than a promise. Kruger lodges revise their rate sheets annually, waivers sometimes apply only to certain room types or dates, and the difference between a published rate and a trade rate can be meaningful. When we quote a solo Kruger itinerary, we confirm the current policy at every lodge before you commit, and this is a region where unpublished solo offers surface often, particularly for shoulder-season dates and shorter lead times.
When is the best time for a solo safari in the Kruger?
Kruger is a year-round destination, which makes the timing decision gentler than in Botswana or East Africa. The dry winter months from May to September offer the easiest game viewing, with thin bush, animals concentrated around water, and mild sunny days. The summer green season from November to April brings lush landscapes, newborn animals, superb birding and lower rates, with the trade-off of hotter days and afternoon thunderstorms.
For solo travellers the practical point is that seasonal rate swings in the Kruger are far smaller than in Botswana, and most lodge waivers are not season-dependent. That means you can choose your dates for the experience you want rather than chasing a waiver window, which is a luxury the other regions rarely allow. One more advantage worth naming: most Kruger lodges price in South African rand, and for Canadian and American travellers the exchange rate has made the private reserves one of the best values in African safari for several years running.
Is the Kruger a good first solo safari?
It is the one we recommend most often, for reasons that have little to do with money. The logistics are the simplest in Africa: daily flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town land at Skukuza and Hoedspruit, lodges collect you from the airstrip, and a meaningful safari works in as little as three nights, which keeps the total cost of a first solo trip manageable. There is no self-drive requirement, no visa for Canadians on short stays, and English is spoken everywhere.
Lodge life suits solo travellers too. Dinners at most properties are hosted affairs, often in an open-air boma around a fire, and the ranger and tracker team you drive with quickly becomes your table company and your safari family. I have watched plenty of solo guests arrive quietly on day one and leave three days later with a WhatsApp group. If you prefer privacy, every lodge we work with will arrange a private table without fuss; tell us your preference and we will brief them before you arrive.
When is paying the supplement actually worth it?
When the lodge is the point. The Greater Kruger has some of the most distinctive properties in Africa, and if one of them is the reason you are going, a 25% supplement on the right lodge beats a waiver at the wrong one. At the ultra-luxury end the picture is mixed: Singita’s waiver makes the top of the market surprisingly accessible to solos, while some celebrated names charge 50% or more, and villa products are usually priced for the villa regardless of how many guests sleep there. A solo traveller who wants that experience should simply budget for it rather than compromise the trip to dodge a surcharge.
The middle path we often build for solo clients is a split stay: two or three nights at a waiver-friendly lodge for the bulk of the safari, then a finishing night or two somewhere spectacular where the supplement is worth every penny. The reserves are close together, so the transfer cost of that structure is small.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a single supplement at a Kruger private lodge?
Where charged, typically 25% to 50% of the per-person rate, and occasionally up to 75% on top-tier suites. Several well-known lodges charge none at all for the first one or two single rooms.
Which Kruger lodges have no single supplement?
Sabi Sabi and Singita both waive it on the first two single rooms per booking, Kings Camp, Kambaku Safari Lodge and Leopard Hills waive it by trade terms, and Kambaku River Sands charges it only from the third single room. Policies change, so we confirm current terms before quoting.
Do solo travellers pay more for game drives or transfers in the Kruger?
No. Game drives are shared lodge activities included in the rate, and flights from Johannesburg to Skukuza or Hoedspruit are sold per seat, so a solo traveller pays the same as each half of a couple for everything except the room.
What is the cheapest time for a solo Kruger safari?
The summer green season, roughly November to April, when rates dip. That said, Kruger’s seasonal swings are modest and most solo waivers apply year-round, so choose dates for the experience rather than the discount.
Is the Kruger safe for solo female travellers?
Yes. You are met at the airstrip, hosted at the lodge and guided on every activity, with no self-driving required. Many of our solo clients are women, and the Kruger’s short, simple logistics make it a frequent first choice.
Do the waivers apply to villas and premium suites?
Usually not. Sabi Sabi’s villas and premium suites always carry the supplement, and villa products across the reserves are generally priced for the villa itself. If the top of the range is the goal, budget for the supplement and enjoy it.
The Greater Kruger quietly solves most of the problems that make solo safari travel expensive elsewhere: the supplement often does not exist, the logistics are short and simple, and the rand does the rest. What is left is the enjoyable part, choosing the reserve and the lodge that fit the trip you want. If you are thinking about the Kruger on your own and have questions about lodges, timing or costs, please feel free to let me know.