Inside FedAir's new Baobab lounge at Hoedspruit

You arrive in Hoedspruit thinking the safari begins when you land. I used to think the same. It doesn't. It begins the moment you step out of the aircraft and walk into this particular room. The space between leaving home and entering the Lowveld is one most airports treat as wasted time. The new Baobab lounge treats it as part of the trip.

In short

• Where: Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport, the main air gateway into the Greater Kruger
• What: Federal Airlines' new private lounge, opened May 2026
• Who can use it: FedAir passengers, with limited public access for walk-ins from commercial flights
• Why it matters: The first room of your safari sets the tone for the next ten days

The walk in

I noticed the light first. The room is open. White corrugated walls, a natural-toned ceiling, woven rattan pendant shades hung at intervals so they break up the volume without closing it in. They catch the daylight rather than fight it. You can move through the space and feel held without feeling boxed in. It is, in the most quiet way, a room that has been thought about.

The seating tells you what kind of place this is

Cream upholstery. Rattan armchairs. Wooden side tables and a low hammered coffee table that has actual weight to it, not a prop. Woven baskets on the wall. A ceramic piece on the table. Plants positioned where they soften the edges without blocking sightlines. Nothing matches in a way that suggests it was done by committee. Nothing clashes in a way that suggests it was trying too hard. You can see across the space. You are aware of other people but not crowded by them.

The windows matter

You look out and there are trees. Actual Lowveld vegetation. Not the generic airport tarmac view, not the corporate transit pod. It is a small thing and it tells you something important: you are not in Johannesburg anymore. You are already here.

The details are where the thinking shows

A circular black tray holds a diffuser with dark reeds. Wooden beads drape beside it in loops. A book about wildlife sits within reach. A small white ceramic giraffe, geometric, understated, rests between an amber glass and more of the same beads. These are not styled for Instagram. They are chosen. Each one answers a question about what this room is for. Someone knew that the people sitting here are already thinking about Africa. Someone knew that restraint matters more than statement.

The palette throughout works for the same reason. Natural fibres, pale woods, woven shades, soft creams and stone. It carries a warm tone that echoes the colour of the Lowveld ahead of you. Light, not loud. Warm, not bright. It works because it is consistent.

Sitting with champagne, the room does its job quietly

I sat there for an hour with a glass of bubbles before our onward flight, looking out at the trees. The room had no urgency to it. I was not thinking about airport logistics. I was not anxious about the next leg or uncertain about what was ahead. I was settling into something. The room asks nothing of you. It simply holds.

Why this matters for a Marula Hill safari

Most airport lounges miss this. They are either aggressively corporate or aggressively distracting. They assume you want to forget where you are.

The Baobab lounge assumes the opposite. It assumes you are already thinking about where you are going, and it prepares you for it instead of interrupting it. For a region built on transition, where people fly in to step into something profound and unfamiliar, that small distinction matters.

It is the kind of detail we look for when we build a safari. The first room of the trip matters as much as the last.

Where it starts

When I plan a trip into the Greater Kruger now, this is where it starts. The lounge, then the light aircraft, then the dirt road, then the lodge. Each step ought to feel like a continuation of the one before it. The Baobab lounge does that work quietly and well.

FAQ

Where is the Baobab lounge at Hoedspruit airport?

The Baobab lounge is at Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport, the main air gateway into the Greater Kruger region of South Africa. It is Federal Airlines' private lounge, opened in May 2026, used as the departure point for their light-aircraft transfers into Kruger and Sabi Sand lodges.

Can I use the lounge if I am not flying with FedAir?

The lounge is built for FedAir passengers as part of their light-aircraft service. Limited public access is also offered to walk-in passengers from commercial flights for a small fee. If you are travelling with us on a Marula Hill safari that uses FedAir, lounge access is part of the itinerary.

What is included in the lounge?

Comfortable seating in cream upholstery and rattan, a quiet open-plan room with natural light, refreshments including drinks and snacks, washrooms, and an outdoor deck with views onto Lowveld vegetation. It is a calm holding room, not a high-traffic departure lounge.

Are there other Baobab lounges?

Federal Airlines has announced plans for further lounges, expected later in the year, alongside a rebuild of their Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport facility. The Hoedspruit lounge is the first of the new generation.

How do I include FedAir on a Marula Hill safari?

FedAir scheduled and charter flights are how most of our guests get into and around the Greater Kruger. When we plan a trip that uses lodges in Sabi Sand, Timbavati, Manyeleti or Klaserie, FedAir is usually the connecting link. We build the lounge stop into the itinerary so the transition feels seamless.

Vikki Jackson is co-founder of Marula Hill Travel. She has been visiting lodges across Southern and East Africa long before Marula Hill had a name. We plan boutique safaris for travellers who want the right room, not the biggest one.