Jenny and I had the most amazing experience at Tanda Tula. I had high expectations for a safari, which was my childhood dream, and it did not disappoint. Our driver and tracker, Scotch and Patrick, were patient, knowledgeable and very engaging. The tent and the meals were awesome. Everyone on the staff helped to create a beautiful and memorable experience. Highly recommended!
Amazing luxury safari experience. Sleeping in tents really makes you feel like you are experiencing the African bush, being able to look out to the river bed and see animals and hear them. The tents are done up with all high end amenities including a claw foot bath and outdoor shower, making for a very comfortable stay.
The staff are friendly and helpful and really made our stay enjoyable. On the game drives our guide was very knowledgeable and we had a wonderful experience seeing many animals including elephants, giraffes, leopards and lions. We would definitely like to return to this camp and will recommend it to all of our friends.
Tanda Tula is amazing! I can't imagine any safari camp that is better than this. The style, the service , the game drives, the food, the attention to details… are all first class plus. We arrived late one evening. we were greeting by the GM, hot towels and cocktails. Knowing that we would be travel weary they arranged a dinner in our tent for us. ( and speaking of tents….these are so chic and so perfect that once you're inside you have no idea that you're in a tent.) I could describe the furnishings…..perfect. the Bathrom with a huge private outdoor shower and a claw foot bathtub… perfect. the food, the best we had in the two weeks we were in South Africa. every meal…bfast/lunch and dinner were totally different than the day before. ( no reimagining with leftovers). and the Bush Breakfast were ….perfect! This is the real deal. Ralph Lauren eat your heart out!
This was our 4th safari in Africa. We spent 3 nights at Tanda Tula in the Timbavati Game Reserve. It was an amazing experience. Our guide, Forman, was experienced and genuinely interested in the wildlife in the area. He and our tracker found us a huge array of exotic animals and gave us meaningful information on tracking, habitat, fauna and even astronomy.. That was a first!! I can't say enough about the wonderful permanent tented camp with so much charm and luxury. Finally Chef Ryan was such a colorful enthusiastic fellow with a great culinary talent. We couldn't wait each night to hear his colorful description of the much anticipated menu as all the guests sat in the Boma by a raging bonfire. This by far is my favorite camp.
We spent five days at Tanda Tula and loved every moment of every hour of every day. We were met on arrival with refresher towelettes and also when we returned from our drives. This is just a small example of the luxury you can enjoy at Tanda Tula. Guests' comfort is paramount to them and they certainly provide it 24/7.
The tents are really luxurious, lovely comfortable bed and very well appointed bathroom. Chocolates on the pillow every evening were a nice touch. A tea/coffee tray was delivered to our tent every morning at 5.30 ready for the 6 o'clock game drive. There was a telephone in the tent which we could use to request anything we required, plenty of storage space - although we tended to live out of our cases. A large deck outside the tent overlooked the rives and was a lovely place to relax. When we went the river was dry but I can just imagine how wonderful it would look in full flow. Animals wander around in the camp, kudu, impala and warthogs and after dinner guests are escorted to their tent by an armed ranger as there are no fences to keep the more dangerous animals out.
The quality of the food was just wonderful. Ryan is a genius, the menus were fabulous and the presentation equalled that of a top restaurant in this country. The chocolate brownies were mouth-wateringly good and went down well with a nice cup of tea before the afternoon drive. Breakfast was in the bush down by the river bed and was always hot and tasty - fabulous scrambled egg!
The drives were just incredible. Our ranger for most of our stay was Civilised, he is so knowledgeable and always got us as close as possible to the animals and at a perfect angle for photos. On our very last drive we were less than 2 feet away from a male lion - absolutely unbelievable. The information the rangers shared with us was so interesting, without that it would just be a sight-seeing tour but now we know so much more about the wildlife than we did before. The jeeps are extremely comfortable with thickly padded seats and fleece lined ponchos.
Tanda Tula is heaven on earth and we hope that one day we will have the opportunity to return and enjoy it all over again! This was our first safari holiday and we couldn't have chosen anywhere better to stay.
As many others, we labored over which safari camps to pick while in South Africa. Tanda Tula exceeded our expectations. Although it was 4 years ago that we stayed here, I have finally gotten around to reviewing this fantastic lodge. Trust me though, I have thought of it often.
The tents were incredibly well appointed and comfortable. You are surrounded by nature, and the game drives were awe inspiring. We saw the big 5 almost every day. We also felt that the wildlife we saw was "wilder" than all the animals we saw in Kruger national park. Think herds of elephants tearing down a forest in minutes flat with incredible force and strength.
All the staff were friendly and knowledgable. We were so impressed with our driver and tracker, and felt lucky to have such experienced guides on the safaris.
This lodge deserves every accolade it receives.
