Tanda Tula Safari Camp

We stayed for 2 nights with work colleagues. We did not pay however when considering the rack rates I do not think it’s value compared to other lodges. No aircon is a complete deal breaker. Yes, it’s a glamping bush experience but it’s also R12k + a night!! It was oppressively hot. Couldn’t relax and nap in the afternoon after an early morning. There was no where to escape the heat at all. Staff were 100/10! Excellent!! Chad was excellent and our tracker was lovely too (can’t remember his name). Thank you! Thank you!! Game viewing fabulous! Off road, right up close. Excellent! Thank you. Food was good, I just don’t think it suited the vibe. It was a bit of an identity conundrum. 5* dining with a bug infestation. Then boma experience was 5* food... chef Ryan did make the BEST rusks and the BEST lunch sharing platter ever! The outdoor brekkie was amazing!! But breakfast at the camp was mediocre at best. African bush and there’s chicken quiche for breakfast and no pork sausages... we’ve stayed at many lodges and I just feel a suitable creative alignment could be established in respect of food. The afternoon tea was excellent- ice coffee was a tremendous idea!! The facilities are stunning at the main lodge, awesome pool. Lovely bar. Would I go back?? Not without aircon, but otherwise probably with a decent SADC rate like many of the the big reserves are doing now.

My husband and I spent 3 nights at Tanda Tula earlier this month. It was part of a 10 day visit to Zambia (where we stayed at Toka Leya) and South Africa. Our first impression was that this isn't exactly a luxurious place--the tents are rough with straw thatched sides, cement floors, average linens, etc. It really felt like indoor camping--no air conditioning, no easy access to afternoon tea or other snacks, nothing to do in the heat of the day but lay by the small pool, etc. I had in mind a newer camp, with better-appointed rooms and more amenities, paritcularly for the price. However, I can see Tanda Tula being the perfect spot for the right person. The staff were great--we didn't see much of the owner or managers and the woman who checked us in was a bit surly but our guide & tracker (Jack and Forman) and the servers at the lodge were exceptional. Polite, gracious, knowledgeable, helpful. The day begins with a 5:30am wake up call (your guide stands outside your tent and says "good morning!") and then gathering at 6am for your first drive, which lasts until about 9am. You then drive to a designated spot for bush breakfast--fruits, cereals, toast, and usually an egg-based dish. It is neat to eat outside and they have quite an impressive spread given they're cooking on a grill, etc. The 10am-1:30pm window is free. Lunch is served buffet style at the lodge at 1:30 and usually included a salad, entree (we had pasta salad and lasagna), and cheese for dessert. 2-4 is again free, and you do another game drive from 4-7pm. This includes a short stop for a sundown drink and snack (nuts, chicken wings, etc.) before you return for a quick shower and dinner at 7;30. Dinner is eaten communally, and again is a buffet. I found the food to be the most disppointing-it was lacking in flavor and extremely heavily buttered, overloaded with cheese & cream, etc. The bread was also often stale, which I found bizarre since it is apparently homemade.

An excellent well organised safari experience with a well informed and helpful ranger, nothing too much trouble. Good food and friendly, attentive staff. the accommodation was diappointing. The public areas and tented rooms are shabby and in need of refurbishment. The information (available in rooms) suggests that rangers may be tipped a concessionary amount between 400 - 500 ZAR per tent per day.This seems excessive and although we did leave a tip some guests were so annoyed they chose not to reward good service.

GORGEOUS tent accommodations and lovely common area - open on three sides with two fireplaces, great seating and great lighting. (Some other African accommodations seemed to be too dark for evening reading.) Delicious and abundant meals. Not as many animals as other safari locations.

What an amazing place! From our first greeting to our last goodbye, we loved every moment. We are a family of five and have travelled a lot and to many prestigious locations, so we are rather spoiled and picky and therefore not easily impressed. But Tanda Tula is a true gem. All common areas are spacious, clean and beautifully designed, the rooms (we stayed in a large family suite), feel huge and very luxurious with a lovely plunge pool and ample opportunities to see wildlife just outside your room. The in room bar is well stocked and had we wanted to, we could have had free cocktails and wine in the room 24/7. But the main purpose of going to Tanda Tula is the safari drives, one in the early morning and one in the late afternoon. We were privileged to be driven around by Scotch and Eric, to see a bit of their fantastic tracking and wildlife skills but also enjoy their charm, warm friendliness and super service, as they treated us with morning coffees or sunset cocktails in the bush and otherwise made everything they could think of to make us love the drives. Regardless of what animals you actually see - and we saw almost everything very close by - the drives in the beautiful and peaceful nature are a lifetime experience. Food is important to us and at Tanda Tula we had the best food during our South Africa trip. It amazes me that they manage to arrange a clearly better breakfast buffet in the bush than the one we had at a five-star hotel in Capetown. And all meals we had were fresh, healthy and very well composed. We also love good wines and although the wines included were not super exclusive, they were still of very good quality and the staff - particular thanks to Harry - guided us to great pairings. We were never hungry between meals but when our kids asked for milkshakes they got it within a few minutes, despite it not being on any menu. Overall I think the main reason for our wonderful impression of this place was the staff and their personal and very warm service. You could tell that they took pride in their work and that they actually have fun working with each other. It started with Smiling's very casual but still professional way of welcoming us and showing the room and then it just continued that way with everyone we interacted with - sorry for not remembering all names - being so warm in a very genuine way. I struggle to find anything to give negative feedback on and I cannot recommend this place any higher. I just wish all who work at Tanda Tula the best and hope that you have great guests that treat you well and tip you a lot :D, you deserve it.

Me wife and I stayed in 5 camps/lodges on our trip to Southern Africa (our first visit to Africa). Tanda Tula was our first, and it was the best accommodations of all five. This would be a great way to end a trip to Africa on a luxurious note. Our travel agent would no doubt have scheduled that, but it wasn’t possible given our unavoidable last-minute trip planning. Tanda Tula has huge guest suites that are only cosmetically resemble tents. Each suite is air conditioned and has its own private pool, indoor and outdoor showers, mini fridge, coffee, etc. The game drives are led by a two-person team (guide/driver and tracker). The morning drive rolls out at about 6:15, so you get all the best light and the most active animals. It is possible to view the entire “big five”: Lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo. The only one we missed on our three-night stay was the leopard (though other groups had better luck and viewed a leopard). My wife and I had the rare pleasure of viewing a black rhino. This animal is seen at Tanda Tula only once every few years — our guide had five years at Tanda Tula, and this was his first black rhino. White rhinos are more plentiful — we had several rhino sightings, including a group of 13. In addition to 4 out of the big five, we saw giraffes, zebras, impalas, kudus, warthogs, a jackal, hyenas, and various other animals. Every game drive was loaded with sightings. Tibuvati Reserve is well organized. The guides share sightings over the radio, and rotate vehicles so no more than two vehicles at a time are at a particular sighting. We consistently got great views. At the end of each morning drive there was a huge “bush breakfast.” The bar was fully stocked with premium bottles (for instance, Blanton’s bourbon). Wine was excellent South African. The food overall was quite good, but not the gold medal on our trip (our food gold medal goes to Savute in Botswana). In addition to the small private pool for each suite, there is a large pool in the common area, It faces a very close watering hole which normally had many elephants drinking and splashing.