A place made of dreams

The Mpala Safari Lodge is the result of our dream of having a place in Africa, which started on a journey back in 1989. Then, we were on our first African safari ever – a tented expedition among lions and elephants without any kind of luxury. In 2000, after a wonderful safari in South Africa together with our two children, we decided that time had come for us to find a place of our own for African safaris. Ole and Annelise were only 9 and 6 at the time, but they were as smitten with the African ambience as we had been 11 years earlier.

The following year, when we went back to South Africa, we found the perfect spot. Since then, we have built the Mpala Safari Lodge in the middle of the pristine nature right on the banks of the river Olifant in the world-famous nature reserve, Great Kruger National Park.

As a construction engineer, Per knew how to organise the construction process, and we got in contact with a brilliant architect and entrepreneur. Quality and architecture got top priority, and in January 2003 the lodge was ready to greet the first guests for an African safari. Except for a few times, when some lions and buffalos bothered the construction workers, everything went after schedule. During the construction, Helle took care of the planning of the interior decoration and inventory. She was in charge of everything from buying the right teaspoons to designing the furniture, which we had manufactured especially. We had a little help from a brilliant interior decorator, who gave us ideas and inspiration. But not a single thing was decided until we had seen and felt the goods ourselves. This process included numerous visits to markets and furniture builders. Estel, our excellent manager at the Mpala, have been with us right from the start – actually, many of our employees are still the same and we appreciate this immeasurably. We have become like family. We live in Denmark, north of the capital Copenhagen. We are so fortunate, that we can travel to Mpala 3-4 times a year, so we are never away from our paradise too long at a time.

Warm greetings and a hearty welcome to Mpala

Helle & Per Grunert

It is of great importance to us that our guests have the best possible experience when they visit us. That is the reason why we only have 6 double rooms. It is your guarantee for always having a front row seat to all the amazing experiences.

Please find the available dates by pressing Booking. Do you have questions, please send us an e-mail. .

 

 

 

 

Dear everybody at the Mapala. We have felt terribly spoilt, well treated, and we have enjoyed every minute. Our week has gone by in a flash. It is amazing the way the program for the week has been put together with new experiences every single day. The knowledge of the rangers and their ability to pass on this knowledge is top notch, their passion for their job, their empathy for nature so contagious that you just follow their lead. Whether you look for animal droppings or tracks, are animal spotting, or listen to information about the eco system in the bush from beetle to the elephants – and how everybody is depending on each other and each play their part. The visit to the school and kindergarten shows how important it is to help. The fact that Mpala have decided to give aid and support to these projects is very inspiring – so thank you, Per, that this also became part of our experience.