Everything was great.

My friend and I had a wonderful stay at Parson's Hilltop. On our first day, we saw a lion, an elephant, and all manner of other animals. On our second day we saw a large group of elephants that walked within feet of our vehicle. It was thrilling to say the least. On our final day we saw a group of three giraffes who walked up close to us when they heard us talking when we stopped for coffee and snacks. We enjoyed watching them for an hour. The facility is small and lovely with a Heminwayesque lodge with a gorgeous view. The tent was charming and very comfortable. The staff were wonderful and in particular our guide for the three days Lex. I can't recommend this safari lodge enough.

Stayed in January 2024

We enjoyed every single moment of silence, the great view, the authentic tents the excellent service and of course the fascinating animals everywhere. We even had an elephant visiting us.

Stayed in January 2024

Very kind staff, nice tent, very good food and amazing ranger

Stayed in August 2023

Everything was perfect

Beautiful breathtaking views, amazing food and friendly staff. Tent and jacuzzi was great.

Stayed in June 2023

Once we arrived we had a wonderful stay at the Parsons Hilltop ;-) do not use Google Maps for navigation. Great views, good food, amazing game drives - very special thanks again to our guide Lars for teaching us about the bush - helped a lot for the rest of our trip. Very friendly staff - we highly recommend a stay here.

Stayed in June 2023

This is a very intimate camp with 4 tents. This means you will be dining and going on the game drives with the other guests. This is perfectly fine if you are sharing the camp with a few different couples. However, during our stay we were sharing the camp with a family of 5 adults who were spread across the other 3 tents. At times we couldn’t completely relax as they were constantly bickering amongst each other and we sometimes felt like intruders in their family. We appreciate that the chef was able to pick up on this and separate our dining tables on the second day, however, we would have had a much better experience if we were able to have some more private space. We feel the intimacy of this camp is better suited towards couples.

We had a pleasant 2 night stay at Parsons Hilltop Camp. The camp is remotely located within the Balule Game Reserve with beautiful views out over the valley. The tent accommodation is superb! Our tent was very comfortable and had two private decks including a small plunge pool overlooking a small watering hole. The staff were friendly and every meal prepared by Patience (chef) was very tasty. Mirjam (host) even baked traditional Dutch olliebollen for NYE which were delicious! We had two game drives during our stay and saw 2 out of the ‘big 5’ animals - Raas (the ranger) was very informative and engaging. On our second day we decided to do a self drive to Kruger Park (Skukuza Gate) where we saw a lot more animals.

Stayed in January 2023

the only thing to Mention for longer stays, is the Areas size, which is comparitively a Bit smaller.

Our stay at Parsons was an Amazing experience. The Situation of the Camp on the hilltop is really beautiful and animals come into the camp often. We had a group of elephants strolling the camp at Night. The Best Part about our stay was the staff, especially our Ranger Ras who Made the Game drives a really fun and educative experience. We also enjoyed the food very much - They Made really good Vegetarian options for us as well, which we appreciated a lot. Last But Not least the Tranquility of our private whirlpool was so nice to relax inbetween activities.

Stayed in October 2022

The way from the gate to the lodge is 10 km on a limestone road which took us 1 hr to pass. We reccomand to have a high and thick tyre vehicle for it

We have received a warm welcoming by the staff and the room (tent) was at high standart and in a high qulity. The service was excellent and the served dishes were very tasty and enjoyable. Mark the ranger was very knowledgable and with patience and the game drive was very nice.

Stayed in September 2022

If we had to pick something we would say the envelope left on the bed asking for tips at the end of our stay. With the room rate and additional costs of game drives we felt that the staff would have been well compensated.

Amazing views Well located in the greater Kruger area. Our tour guide Mark was very very good and kept the drives entertaining. You get a ridiculous amount of food, from a two course breakfast, to a sizeable lunch, to a three course dinner every night. And all of it is incredible so prepare to gain weight. You get one free game drive per day and an additional is well worth the money

Stayed in August 2022

Great camp in the middle of the bush with knowledgeable rangers. The staff made us feel very welcome and safe in the (unfenced) camp! Furthermore, tents and views from the camp are top notch. And last but not least: we hade some very nice sightings in the Balule reserve!

Stayed in August 2022

The game drive and the view

The hospitality The food the staff is very friendly

Stayed in December 2021

It was an unbelievable experience, the camp is quiet, safe and surrounded by the southafrican bush with its wildlife. The tent was spacious, very clean and cured in every detail. Food is delicious and the team is just incredibly nice and welcoming. Everybody in Mirjams team does everything to make your stay unforgettable! And it definitely was unforgettable! Thank you again Mirjam, Kobus, Jeondre and Thupsie!

Stayed in November 2021

Nothing. The staff, the food everything was is much better than anyone could expect. If anything was done better it would be weird haha. This is a experience i would recommend to any one and everyone.

Every meal was prepared to perfection. Mirjam, Kobus and Juandre ensured a spectacularly awesome stay. We did not want to leave. The staff was amazing, the venue spectacular and the experience is something we will carry with us for the rest of our life's. We have seen quite a few places in our lifetime but parsons is by far the best we've experienced. Thank you once again for a great experience that has completely revitalized myself and my wife and were ready to tackle the rest of the world again :)!!

Stayed in September 2021

A beautiful luxury safari getaway, perfect for couples. A truly peaceful and relaxing stay which provided a much-needed break from city life. Kind staff who dote over you, and great catering. Excellent views from private decks, with great game-viewing opportunities. Highly recommend.

Stayed in August 2021

Our time was just too short and will book for a week next time!!!!

Where do we start...... Kobus and Mirjam how can we ever thank you for such an amazing time spent with you at Parsons, it was a holiday we will never forget!!Your hospitality,kindness and attention to detail blew our breath away! Absolutely the best of the best,every little detail that you have put into making our stay just that much special is World class and we will have memories that last a life time,thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Kobus thank you for all the laughs out on Game drives,let's not forget the proposal,you were a rock star in helping Mark arrange everything without me even knowing and of cause arranging the Lioness to have a drink from the waterhole below the lodge just before we checked out😀 well done and thank you. Tub's....our Chef ....WOW! You are just the most delightful,cheerful and kindest person always busy in the kitchen creating a work of art.Each time we had our meals your presentations were so beautiful and of cause your meals are the most delicious.,You are a wonderful Chef so thank you for looking after us and feeding us so well. Let's not forget Andrea, From the time we arrived you are just so helpful and welcoming and nothing was ever too much for you,setting our romantic table up a few times as the August winds welcomed us back from drive,you just smiled and moved everything to were it was more comfortable, your service was outstanding,thank you so much. WHAT A HOLIDAY!!!! We will be back soon and again for the Wedding next year😀 We highly recommend Parsons. Much love Mark and Terry

Stayed in August 2021

Better weather!

Delicious. Healthy, well presented, fresh.

Stayed in August 2021

We spent our Honeymoon at Parsons Hilltop and we honestly do not know how to describe our experience. A wonderful location tucked away in the bush. The lodge is beautifully decorated with a luxury bush flare.. Complete privacy with the Parsons team ready to fulfil our every need. Tapsi, the head Chef, provided us with creative and delicious VEGAN dishes for our entire stay!! Our meals were one of many highlights of our day. Kobus is certainly the king of customer service and game drives. He is not shy to share his knowledge of animals, tracking and everything to do with the bushveld. We enjoyed his company very much. Unfortunately, we did not meet Mirjam in person, but she was extremely helpful with organising everything prior to our stay. We hope to meet her next time. The Parsons team know how to show you a good time.

Stayed in May 2021

We booked to stay for 5 nights in December. We made our reservation back in March. This was the first place of a once in a lifetime trip. We arrived at Parsons after a 12 hour flight followed by a 6 hour car transfer from Johannesburg to be told that we could stay for the first 2 nights but then we were going to be moved for 2 nights somewhere else and then back again to Parsons for our final night. We arrived on Christmas Eve. We were shocked. Turned out they’d double booked us and the other people that hadn’t yet arrived needed our tent. The poor employee that had to give us this news had only been working there for a week. The owner, the manager/ranger and the chef were all offsite. I spoke to the owner who was abroad. She told us there had been issues with builders. To be honest I cannot recall the details as it just didn’t feel like our responsibility. I begged her to let us stay. We had deliberately booked 5 nights so that we could completely relax. And we’d paid £1500. After a truly awful year, we wanted to sleep, spend time together (I was travelling with my husband) and enjoy the peace and quiet. We were gutted we were being told we’d have to pack up and move twice during our 5 day stay to accommodate other guests. The owner finally agreed to let us stay. Note that we had already paid. I couldn’t understand why they had waited to tell us the day we arrived rather than in advance; we could have tried to find alternative accommodation for the 5 days. Sadly, the owner felt it appropriate to tell the other guests that we had ‘refused to move’. They shared that with us over a very awkward conversation during dinner. We were horrified. To make us feel so uncomfortable, unwelcome and then blame us felt really wrong. We were offered nothing in the way of compensation for this and I heard nothing more from the owner about it.

I’ve given a low score to everything because of how upsetting our experience was.

Stayed in December 2023

Amazing accommodation in a fabulous location with the best hosts you could hope for! The game drives were fantastic - I was lucky enough to see leopard, jackal, giraffe, elephant and numerous lions in my three night stay. I also loved the bush walk with Russ who is a very knowledgeable ranger and lots of fun! The luxury tent with adjoining plunge pool was a delight as were the views and the yummy food. Thanks Mirjam and team for a truly wonderful stay! You really made me feel like a special guest. Highly recommended!

Stayed in December 2022

There are no comments available for this review

Stayed in February 2024

There are no comments available for this review

Stayed in October 2023

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Stayed in September 2023

There are no comments available for this review

Stayed in December 2022

There are no comments available for this review

Stayed in November 2022