Swimming pool
A dedicated pool area for guests. Recovery after a stalk, entertainment for kids, and honest relief when the thermometer wins.
The Lodge
Four kraals. One camp pulse.
Sleep in Roan Kraal · Eland Kraal · Gemsbok Kraal · Koedoe Kraal: the only beds on the hunt camp. Drink and eat at Vark Kraal. Pool, canopy boma, outlook, waterhole. Full board. Clay or a drive when the day loosens. Facts first: for you, for agents, for management.
On the brochure
Property snapshot
Facts sheetFacts below are drawn from how the camp actually runs. A few tiles use representative imagery until dedicated estate photos are available for that topic.
- Overnight
- Four chalets only. They are the only guest sleeping quarters on the hunting camp, with no separate guest residence
- Chalets
- Roan Kraal · Eland Kraal · Gemsbok Kraal · Koedoe Kraal · identical layout · 4–5 guests each
- Sleeps
- 4 to 5 guests per chalet · up to ~20 guests camp-wide
- Beds
- 4 single beds + 1 double bed per chalet
- Climate
- Air conditioning in all chalets
- Bathroom
- Showers · 2 basins · toilet (per chalet)
- Catering
- Fully catered, with snacks, lunch, supper, food, soft drinks, and alcohol on estate under responsible service guidelines
- Communal
- Vark Kraal (bar) · kitchen & chill · gas stove · electric oven
- Outdoor
- Swimming pool · canopy boma · outlook point & waterhole for game viewing and sundowners
- Activities
- Clay pigeon shooting · game drives
- Permit
- P3 Exemption Permit. Confirm current certificates with management when booking
- Valuables
- On-site safe facilities for storing jewellery, cash, and documents
- Cold chain
- Cold room facilities for meat and perishables
- Meat & hides
- Professional slaughtering · salting of hides · carcass weighing (coordinate with camp when planning your hunt)
- Taxidermy
- Outsourced to professional taxidermists you appoint. International shipping and export paperwork sit with you and your taxidermist. The estate does not process client trophy paperwork
- Transfers
- Optional shuttle service (enquire when booking)
- Security
- Gated access · falls under Matlabas Protection Service
Through a guest's eyes
Chalets for sleeping. Communal space for living loud.
You check in through a gated entrance, then split the week into two ideas: your chalet is where you crash, cool down, and reset with aircon after a day in the bush. The communal bar, kitchen, and chill area is where the group becomes a camp: long meals, fireside talk, and the honesty that only happens when nobody is rushing to an invoice.
Fully catered means snacks, lunch, and supper land without you playing project manager. Drinks and alcohol are includedunder the camp's responsible service guidelines, so the bar is part of the hospitality, not a separate meter.
Accommodation
Four kraals · Roan, Eland, Gemsbok & Koedoe
Each chalet carries a camp name (Roan Kraal · Eland Kraal · Gemsbok Kraal · Koedoe Kraal) with the same footprint inside so nobody draws the short straw. There is no separate main residence or guest house for hunters on camp: these four units are the full overnight inventory. Sleep four or five guests using four single beds and one double bed. Air conditioning takes the edge off Limpopo heat when you need real sleep before dawn.
Bathroom
Showers, two basins, and toilet per chalet. Enough elbow room for two people getting ready while a third still packs a daypack.
Aircons
Climate control in the chalets so midday rest and night recovery are predictable. The bush is wild, and your room temperature does not have to be.
Bed maths
Four singles plus one double fits hunting pairs, family combos, or a small group that still wants separate beds. Plan rooming when you enquire so we match chalets to your roster.
Communal space
Vark Kraal: bar, kitchen, and the slow art of the fireside
This is the shared basecamp: a proper bar, a kitchen that works for catering, and room to sprawl after a walk in thorns. It is not a hotel lobby. It is where rifles get cleaned on a towel, where someone tells a story badly on purpose, and where the fire team plates food without shouting.
Cooking hardware is real-world: gas stove and electric oven so chefs (or your hosts) can run breakfast, grill sides, and slow roasts the way bush kitchens should.
Fully catered
Snacks, lunch, supper, and the bar stays open
Snacks, lunch, and supper are included. So are food, soft drinks, and alcohol served on the estate as part of the package. We still run a responsible camp: pace yourself, respect firearms rules, and let the PH own the early morning.
If a guest has medical or religious dietary needs, mention them when you book so the kitchen can plan without last-minute drama.
Outdoor living
Swimming pool and a boma under the canopy
Midday heat meets water. Evening meets fire under trees with a canopy over the boma: embers, stars, and the kind of circle that does not need a ceiling fan.
Boma area
Outdoor fire and social space under the trees, with canopy cover. This is the chapter guests photograph least and remember longest.
Slow hours
Outlook point & waterhole
Between stalks and stories, the estate gives you places to watch game without a rifle in hand. The outlook point lifts the view, and the waterhole pulls animals in on their schedule. Bring binoculars, a jacket for the breeze, and time for sundowners when the light turns copper, the kind of evening that does not need a filter.
Outlook point
Elevated perspective over valleys and thicket lines, ideal for scanning movement, glassing at last light, and letting non-hunters feel the scale of the Waterberg without a vehicle bouncing under them.
Waterhole
A natural focal point for game viewing where patience beats horsepower. We keep voices low and respect the animals' rhythm. Sundowners taste better when kudu or zebra step in on their own time.
On the estate
Clay pigeon and game drives
Beyond the hunt itself, we run experiences that keep hands busy and binoculars up, with clay pigeon shooting for shotgunning rhythm, and game drives for guests who want the bush without a rifle.
Compliance & camp infrastructure
Permit, safes, cold room, and meat handling
Trophy hunters and international groups often need more than a bed, with secure storage, cold chain, and professional field support. The lines below are the services we highlight on camp, and numbers and permit references are confirmed on your booking pack.
P3 Exemption Permit
Vaalpenskraal operates under the P3 Exemption Permit framework relevant to our activities. Request the current certificate and scope from management or your booking agent so your paperwork trail matches what authorities expect.
Safe facilities
On-site safes are available for valuables, including cash, documents, watches, and small electronics you do not want loose in a chalet when the whole group is in and out of vehicles.
Cold room
Cold room facilities support proper meat handling after the shot, with hang time, hygiene, and handover to your butcher or export chain without improvising ice in a cooler box.
Slaughter, hides & weighing
Professional slaughtering, salting of hides, and carcass weighing keep the harvest disciplined. Discuss timing and species with camp when you build your hunt plan so crews and equipment are lined up.
International & trophy hunters
Taxidermy partners and shipping home
Many guests appoint a professional taxidermist they already trust. On camp we help with practical handover and timing with yourcontractor. The estate is not the taxidermy shop, and field prep, dipping, and paperwork follow your taxidermist's scope.
For clients who need trophies moved outside South Africa, the export path, permits, and courier paperwork are handled between you, your taxidermist, and the relevant authorities. Vaalpenskraal does not process client import or export paperwork, and we keep the hunt and camp services honest so your agents can do their job without mixed signals.
Optional shuttle service
Flying into Johannesburg or driving from Pretoria? Ask about an optional shuttle when you book. We line up timing with gate access and check-in so you are not solving gravel roads in the dark on three hours of sleep.
Safe camp · Matlabas Protection Service
The property is gated from the road and sits under professional security oversight. Vaalpenskraal falls under Matlabas Protection Service, so guests, vehicles, and equipment sit inside a managed perimeter, not an open roadside stop.
Same camp, different trips
Solo hunters, squads, and families
Solo or pair
One chalet, multiple beds, room for gear. You join the communal meals and bar when you want company, then retreat to aircon and a real shower when a long day in the bush has emptied you out.
Hunting group
Spread across four matching units, debrief at the communal bar, and let fully catered meals keep the schedule simple. Clay pigeon and game drives fill rest days without inventing entertainment.
Family & friends
Kids live at the pool. Adults trade off game drives and long evenings at the bar. The double bed plus singles lets you mix couples and singles without awkward sofa wars. Security and gates matter more when you bring everyone you love.
When management tweaks this page, the spine stays: four chalets only for sleeping, shared bar and kitchen, full board including the bar, pool, canopy boma, outlook and waterhole, clay and drives, P3 permit callout, safes and cold room, professional meat and hide handling, taxidermy via your contractors, and Matlabas on the perimeter. Swap photos and booking fine print, not the facts.
Media & crews
Film and editorial teams: share crew size, vehicle needs, and whether you are shooting clay pigeon or game drives. We keep other guests comfortable while you get your frames.
Hold your dates
Four chalets only for overnight guests, full catering, pool, boma, outlook and waterhole, field services, and optional shuttle. Enquire with group size and we map beds to chalets.