Tanda Tula Safari Camp

Next Gen Glamping

The reimagined, redesigned, and totally rebuilt Tanda Tula Safari Camp takes glamping into a new stratosphere. Once a charming and rustic bush camp, known for its warm hospitality and atmosphere, Tanda Tula was reopened and reborn in 2023 after an extensive rebuild, catapulting it to one of the most luxurious and gorgeous lodges in the Greater Kruger area. And fortunately for past and future guests they have managed to maintain their warm, welcoming and atmospheric tone in camp, now coupled with cutting edge design and every luxury at your fingertips.

Prime Location

Tanda Tula is located in the 55 626-hectare Timbavati Game Reserve which borders the Kruger National Park without fences obstructing the natural movements of the wildlife. It’s as wild as it gets in South Africa! This is big cat territory so expect to see lions, leopards, hyenas and a whole host of other iconic wildlife species. The elephants in particular love a drink and a dip in the waterhole right in front of camp. It is truly a spectacle as they seem to almost purposefully put on a show for the camp guests. It turns out both the gym and spa look onto the waterhole as well, making a work out or spa treatment that much more enjoyable. The immediate lodge location looks over a wide riverbed and is elevated to offer some impressive views from both the main area and the stunning suites.

In terms of getting to and from the lodge, your best bet is to fly into Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport and take a scenic 1-hour road transfer to the lodge. The good news is there are multiple daily flights from both Cape Town and Johannesburg with Airlink and CemAir airlines.

The Warmest Hospitality

You may think a lodge of this stature may lose it’s warm and welcoming, down to earth tone, but Tanda Tula has held onto the atmosphere of its once rustic bush camp routes where guests were made to feel like family. This has created the perfect blend of an ultra-lux lodge with all the bells and whistles, coupled with authentically friendly and helpful staff and that pulpable African ambiance in camp that we all love so much! Personal touches like a welcome letter in your suite, personalised water bottle, and staff greeting you by name as you enjoy meals catered to your specific dietary requirements are the order of the day.

The Suites Will Take Your Breath Away

A glass and canvas hybrid wall design takes the term glamping into a whole new stratosphere at Tanda Tula and we are here for it! The benefits of inviting the outside in with both views, sounds and even smells, and the added security of sturdy walls around you certainly speaks to all guests wanting to get the most out of their safari experience. We love that your room can be open air as you open up the floor to ceiling glass walls to invite the views and fresh air in as you relax in utter luxury and comfort. A mosquito screen can be drawn down at the press of a button to replace the glass walls, letting some fresh air in and the pesky bugs out. A very useful feature especially at night!

The suites are extremely spacious, well-spaced apart for privacy, and come with a whole host of amenities and facilities. Top of this list for us is the heated private plunge pool with views over the riverbed below, a treat all year round! The bean to cup coffee machine and well stocked minibar (worked into the price) will satisfy almost anyone’s cravings, and there are even a few games and books dotted around the lounge area for your entertainment. The idea is that if a guest had to spend the entire day in their suite, they’d be able to do so very comfortably. They have certainly got that right! You won’t want to leave your stunning suite or even your heavenly bed with linen as light as air. And we haven’t even mentioned the bathroom! In all honesty probably the most beautiful and impressive we’ve seen with it’s jade green walls, gorgeous central bath tub with a view, and indoor/outdoor shower. It is serenity envisioned where tranquillity and beauty abound. After all a good night’s rest is needed after all the excitement had out on drive and early mornings!

Ethical Game Drives in Big Cat Territory

The Timbavati Game Reserve itself is one of South Africa’s top safari and wildlife destinations with open borders to the Kruger National Park and other private reserves in the area. This translates into an extremely wild and authentic experience for guests and give the wildlife much more space to live as natural an existence as possible without human interference. But lodges like Tanda Tula go one step further and conduct their game drives with high ethical considerations and with conservation always at the forefront. This is the kind of lodge guests from around the world should be supporting as we all strive to preserve the wildlife we love so much. The guides are exceptional, experts in their field, and to learn from them as they guide you through the bush, is such a privilege. They are able to take the game drive experience to another level with their insights and hospitality.

What we love about Tanda Tula and Timbavati is that there is are only 1-4 vehicles allowed at a sighting (depending on the sighting) giving guests more time to view the animal and of course creating less stress on the animal as well. Another benefit in this area is that Timbavati has a low lodge density and therefore there is not a lot of traffic around and the experience is a much more exclusive one. I mean, no one wants to be seeing traffic in the bush right!

The area is actually known famously for its white lion population which is exceedingly rare and draws in wildlife fanatics from around the world. The area is very prolific for lions, but is also well known for the other big cats and all the other culprits such as elephants, rhinos, buffalo, hyena, wild dog, giraffe, zebra, and numerous antelope species. Although nothing can ever be guaranteed, guests almost always see the sought after Big 5 (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, rhino) on a 2 or more-night stay.

Tanda Tula’s traversing area size is a very decent 12 500-hectare chunk of the Timbavati, more than enough to explore new areas for a good couple of days to a week stay, and your guides will be able to get you close up with the wildlife due to the ability to drive off road.

One last thing to mention is the new game viewing vehicles at Tanda Tula are extraordinary! 2 outrageously comfortable seats per row (6 guests max on a vehicle) with a pair of binoculars to share per row, and personalized water bottles make drives about as comfortable as if you were sitting in your arm chair in your living room back home.

Foodie Heaven

Runner up for the best safari cuisine in Africa in 2024 says it all! Expect every meal to be a culinary experience and an absolute treat for your taste buds! The meals are varied in both their ingredients and setting. Dinners are held either in the atmospheric boma, extensive deck and indoor dining room, or even in the riverbed on occasion. They like to mix it up to offer guests unique experiences, and you can be assured all are magical! We thoroughly enjoyed our bush breakfast at the end of our morning game drive, not too far from a herd of elephants and surrounded by nature and the sounds of birds, the setting is truly dreamy. Tanda Tula describes the food themselves as follows: “Old school traditional family favourites with a quirky flavour-full contemporary twist.” We found it hearty, extremely flavourful, and beautifully presented.

Again, from the team at Tanda Tula: “At Tanda Tula, dining is more than a meal. It’s a celebration of togetherness, a moment to be fully present, and a way to honour life. We embrace simplicity, letting Africa’s vibrant flavours and fresh seasonal bounty speak for themselves.”

Thankfully after gorging yourself on food fit for a king/queen, there are many facilities in camp to help burn off a few calories in the most stunning setting imaginable!

Facilities To Fill Your Day

Most impressive for us was the gym and spa, very conveniently located right next to the waterhole where there are almost always some elephants splashing about. It’s impossible to beat a view like that whilst you exercise or enjoy a relaxing massage watching nature unfold outside. There is also a hide called The Bird Nest next to the waterhole where guests can relax, or even have a meal set up, and watch the activity at the waterhole up close. We love lodges where we can always keep an eye on the water source near camp to see what visitors may pop in, and Tanda Tula has nailed this! The inviting swimming pool and deck also face the waterhole as guests can relax, cocktail in hand, and appreciate the beauty of the wildlife in front of them.

And the facilities don’t stop there. Tanda Tula also has a library, wine cellar, a wonderful bar (human waterhole) and lounge area, and beautiful viewing deck overlooking the riverbed below. There are many options for filling your time between meals and drives and we even found some more active guests going for a run through the bush as a guide followed them in a vehicle for protection. A more daring activity sure to burn some extra calories, and a lovely offering from Tanda Tula.

Conclusion

The special thing about Tanda Tula comes back to the fact that they were once upon a time, not too long ago, a rustic bush camp focused on creating a magical and incredibly warm camp atmosphere for their guests. And this atmosphere and hospitality has now been carried through to their new ultra-lux safari experience! They have created a perfect balance of being down to earth, authentically friendly and attentive, whilst being a world-class, cutting-edge safari lodge with all the bells and whistles. One gets the feeling that the staff feel honored to work at Tanda Tula and guests often leave feeling like they have made life long friendships with staff members.

This on-point hospitality, the gorgeous suites, the many facilities, the location in the Timbavati, and the sensational wildlife viewing opportunities make Tanda Tula brilliant value for luxury safari travellers.

If you’d like to find out a bit more about Tanda Tula watch our YouTube review video here:

If you’d like to see a list of our 12 favorite lodges in the Timbavati Game Reserve then read our blog post on this very topic here:

And if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on info@nalaafrica.com