To the west of the world famous Kruger National Park, nestled beneath the norther escarpment of the Drakensberg Mountain Range, lies the 22000 hectare Greater Makalali Private Game Reserve. This secluded corner of South African bushveld welcomes you for an immersive Big 5 safari experience. High profile endangered species like cheetahs and wild dog are also to be found here, as well as a spectacular array of bird life, with over 200 species waiting to be ticked off by the avid twitcher.
The Makhutswi river wends its way through the rolling hills and grassy plains of the reserve, and perched on a slight rise within it all is Little Garonga Camp.
The three gorgeous suites that make up Little Garonga are completely separate from Garonga’s two other camps. All three are fully en-suite, thatched and air-conditioned, each with a raised deck, complete with hammock and stunning bush views. They are located around centralised indoor and outdoor lounges, with a swimming pool overlooking the bush.
The Hambleden Suite in particular is our favourite, and is a two-bedroom private villa suitable for a family of four or a couple who wants an extra-special and secluded stay.
The bedrooms are spacious and centre around four-poster beds. The hand-beaten copper bathtub is the highlight of the en-suite bathroom, which includes indoor and outdoor showers. The suite has a central fireplace, mini-bar and air-conditioning.
The indoor living space opens out onto a covered outdoor lounge and open raised deck with own swimming pool.
Little Garonga is for honeymoons and romantic retreats that deserve extra privacy and exclusivity. As a self-contained and run lodge, there is a private team of staff ready to meet all your needs. For a small family or friends group, Little Garonga is also an ideal exclusive-use lodge for a special safari experience.
With full exclusivity at Little Garonga your family can enjoy their own safari lodge while still being part of all the facilities of the main camp. This includes their own private safari vehicle and guide/tracker team.
This Big 5 wilderness celebrates South Africa’s biodiversity and wildlife conservation, and is now a sanctuary for some of Africa’s most endangered species. All members of the Big 5 and various other game were the first to call the reserve their home thanks to important game reintroduction progams.
Now, African wild dog, cheetah and pangolin populations also thrive here under the protection of K9 anti-poaching units. The endangered ground hornbill along with various threatened vulture and raptor species are a special part of the nature-lover’s checklist.
If you want a truly immersive Big 5 experience, away from the crowds, and with the exclusivity of your own private camp, Little Garonga is the place for you, and if you want to experience a home-within-a-home, the Hambleden Suite is a must.
Get in touch with us through info@iconicafrica.com to find out more…
It’s rare to find a lodge where every luxurious comfort is available to you, yet you feel as completely at ease as though it were your own home. That is the overwhelming feeling you get when staying at Serondella Lodge in the Thornybush Private Game Reserve.
It’s the heart of Big 5 country – which is probably completely unlike home – but warm smiles greet you whichever way you turn, all your needs are more than met, and the relaxed atmosphere of the place somehow makes it feel as though you’ve been there for years.
And the game-viewing!
The Thornybush Reserve in which Serondella is situated borders on the world-famous Kruger Park, so there is no shortage of wildlife. Elephants rumble past the lodge at all hours of the day, the roar of a lion is an almost constant serenade from dusk until dawn, and all manner of other creatures abound in this diverse landscape of over 14000 ha.
Open-topped safari vehicles offer visitors an almost unrivalled wildlife-experience, as the animals in the reserve have become completely accustomed to their presence, and go about their business as if the vehicles were not even there.
Serondella is an intimate lodge, providing two private suites and two family suites with lounges, viewing decks & plunge pools. Each suite is air-conditioned and has WiFi, and a convenient Nespresso machine in each will provide you with that early morning caffeine boost needed when the alarm goes off for the dawn game drive.
The lodge is all about families, and the family suites emphasise comfort and convenience for both parents and children. Two bedrooms, a shared living area, a private kitchen, an outside deck, and a plunge pool offer a place for loved ones to feel at home together.
A rim-flow pool sunk into the main viewing deck provides the perfect place from which to view the wildlife drinking at the busy waterhole below camp, whilst a boma and fire pit with their attending bar allow one to enjoy dinner and drinks under the stars, weather-permitting of course…
Willem’s Den is another accommodation option; a self-contained suite for larger families offering space, privacy, and comfort with three bedrooms and bathrooms, a kitchen, lounge, private garden, verandah, boma and plunge pool. This is the perfect place to accommodate different generations in a home-like environment.
Serondella is the perfect lodge for smaller groups or a family on safari.
Get in touch through justin@iconicafrica.com or terri@iconicafrica.com, and let’s start planning your safari…
“Tanda Tula” means to enjoy the quiet, and if there is a place where serenity lives, Tanda Tula Plains Camp is it.
With spectacular views of the northern reaches of the Drakensberg Mountains to the west, a spectacular open grassland in front of the camp, and wildlife in constant attendance, this is a place where you can disconnect from the rush of modern living and reconnect with yourself and loved ones.
The Timbavati Private Nature Reserve is one of a contiguous series of wildlife areas that lie up against the western border of the Kruger National Park, South Africa’s – and indeed one of the world’s – most iconic. The lack of fences between the reserves allows for the free movement of wildlife, and the extended protected area is roughly 6 million hectares in size – larger than some small European countries!
Tanda Tula Safari Camp was previously the centrepiece of the Tanda Tula experience, but with an upgrade in progress to create a more ecologically sensitive camp with a lighter footprint in the wake of 2020 and 2021, Plains Camp has now arisen as the new hottest camp in the area.
With 6 luxury suites for up to 12 guests and 2 family suites which sleep 4 each, air-conditioners and fans in each room, as well as private plunge pools, the camp is well equipped to handle any weather conditions in any season.
Some of the Timbavati’s most experienced guides are based here, who are well versed in the natural history of the area, its cultural significance, wildlife photography, and pretty much anything related to the bush.
The best safari camps have a family feel to them, and Tanda Tula Plains Camp falls firmly into this category. As soon as you arrive you feel as if you are returning to a place that is completely familiar, whether you’ve actually been here or not. The welcoming smiles and warm demeanour of all who work here will make you incredibly sad to leave when that time eventually rolls around.
The Tanda Tula family has a passion for wildlife conservation, for the community of which they are a part, and for creating magical experiences. And a magical experience is what Tanda Tula is.
Game Drives are filled with some of the best wildlife in Southern Africa, and close encounters with the Big 5 almost come standard.
Plains Camp is about so much more than just the wildlife. It’s a true example of a lodge that has got it right. It is a place that understands that safari is about people – both guests and staff -just as much as it is about wildlife.
We are currently running specials to this wonderful little corner of Africa, so get in touch to find out more…
The three luxury camps of the Garonga Safari Co. lie in the 25,000ha Makalali Private Game Reserve, in the north-eastern corner of South Africa.
This region of the country is wildlife heaven, from the Crocodile River in the south right up to the Limpopo River along the Zimbabwe border and flanked to the west by the winding foothills of the far northern tip of the Drakensberg Mountain range.
The landscape of the reserve is spectacular.
Nestled among spectacular granite outcrops, Garonga Safari Camp, Little Garonga Safari Lodge and the new and exciting MCH Private Tented Camp offer the discerning safari-goer a choice of exactly what type of bush retreat they are after, yet all three camps overlap in their safari-for-the-soul ethos, immersing guests in nature by slowing life down to the pace at which one can really get in touch with everything going on around you, but most importantly, with oneself.
Enjoy a refreshing swim in the drowsy warmth of the afternoon…The game drive is the core of the safari experience, and the wildlife of Makalali won’t disappoint…
The Makalali Private Game Reserve in which the camps are situated is a stunning area of varying topography, offering ten kilometres of river frontage of the Selati River, and containing a superb diversity of wildlife, including Africa’s Big 5. Twice daily game drives with experienced guides and trackers are sure to keep your pulse elevated as the excitement of the bush unfolds around you.
Be prepared for close encounters with Africa’s spectacular wildlife…
The three Garonga accommodation options are as follows:
Garonga Safari Camp
The quintessential luxury tented experience, in which all your needs are catered for, every comfort is on hand, and yet you still feel utterly connected to the wilderness that surrounds you.
An open plan main area and deck at Garonga Safari Camp provides a stunning view down onto the riverbed below, which regularly plays host to a whole ensemble of wildlife, elephants in particular.
The six luxury en-suite units are really what it’s all about though,
Elephants are regular visitors to the camp.Unobstructed views out into the bush are a feature of the rooms at Garonga Safari Camp.
With only canvas between you and the African bush, your experience is enhanced that much more by a heightening of the senses, reawakening those intrinsic primeval instincts that lie dormant in all of us. Lie awake at night listening to the distant roar of a lion, or the soft warble of the Fiery-necked Nightjar.
The main deck of Garonga Safari Camp provides a wonderful immersion into the bush.
Little Garonga
The smaller version of the Safari Camp, Little Garonga offers a slightly more private and personalised getaway, with only three thatched and air-conditioned suites. The Hambleden suite sleeps a family of four comfortably, whilst the slightly smaller Chiltern and Buckingham suites are designed for couples.
Little Garonga is aimed at those who want privacy and exclusivity, and is perfect for small groups or a travelling family.
MCH Private Tented Camp
The newest of the Garonga offerings, the solar powered and self-contained MCH Tented camp is ideally placed on a beautiful granite koppie (outcrop) with spectacular views over the bushveld below.
MCH has its own game drive vehicle, own staff, and operates independently from the other Garonga camps, meaning total serenity in a camp that is all yours.
Longer-stay guests need not fret about being isolated; a library featuring WiFi is available should you need to remain connected to what’s happening back home.
The luxury tents at MCH private tented camp make you feel as if you are part of the wilderness.A bath under the southern stars is an option from all the Garonga camps…
If it is an African safari in its purest form that you seek, distilled down to the fundamentals of what makes it so moving, the Garonga experience is what you are after. Authentic bush accommodation, wildlife passing below your deck at all hours of the day and a diverse set of extra offerings – bathing under the stars or even sleeping on an open wilderness deck – that add that magical finish to your stay; all are part of the offering at Garonga Safari co.
Click here if you would like to contact one of our sales team to enquire more…
Lions are one of, if not the, main reason people travel from all around the world to partake in an African safari. Apex predators in every environment they inhabit, they are the epitome of the wild nature of the continent itself.
Sadly, the reality is that over the last century, lion numbers across Africa have dramatically declined, primarily because of human encroachment and the subsequent loss of habitat for the big cats. Yet in major game reserves in a number of countries, their populations are stable if not recovering.
And lion viewing in one part of Africa may be very different to another.
Here then are our 5 suggested lion viewing destinations, chosen for their variety…
A lioness in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater
Serengeti/Masai Mara
For sheer numbers and scale, the great open plains of East Africa simply have no equal. Apart from the huge herds of wildebeest that make their way through the ecosystem as part of the Great Migration each year, every other animal seems dwarfed by vastness of these grasslands, the king of beasts included.
The scale of the landscape is what makes much of East Africa’s lion viewing special.
The contiguous Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystems boast roughly 4000 lions between them, and unlike the wildebeest herds that move between the two in a great loop, the lions – being territorial – are around all year, meaning viewing is constant and incredibly varied depending on which season you are in.
You won’t ever forget viewing lions with the endless grasslands of Africa stretching out to infinity behind them…
Duba Plains
Situated right up in the north of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, Duba Plains became famous a few years ago for the specialised lion prides inhabiting the area, that had learnt the knack of using the Okavango’s myriad water channels to hunt buffalo.
Huge cats, developing much thicker than normal upper body muscles from wading through the water courses, these lions use special tactics to isolate individual buffalos – even the big bulls – and drive them into the water where the bovines’ manoeuvrability and ability to defend themselves is greatly reduced
Duba Plains lions face down their eternal enemy. Photograph courtesy Leigh KempThe lions of Botswana’s northern waterways have learnt to use the channels to their advantage. Photograph courtesy Ed French.
There is of course no guarantee of witnessing such amazing buffalo/lion interaction, but for idyllic habitat and lions that have the know-how, look no further than this destination for your lion fix.
Sabi Sand Reserve
South Africa’s world famous wildlife reserve in the north-east of the country is essentially the big cat viewing destination against which all others are measured.
Not only does it boast a particularly high density of both lions and leopards (the leopard population is reputedly the densest in Africa), but the guides have an intimate knowledge of the prides and the individuals they contain. This means that sightings take on a life of their own as it isn’t just lions you’re viewing; it’s these lions…
Individual life stories and entire family trees are accessible through the guides and trackers, so even a sleeping cat can become the most fascinating creature on earth as its trials and tribulations are revealed to you.
Cubs like this will be known to local guides and trackers, and descriptions of the complex make-up of the pride will all be part of the fascinating viewing.
As the Sabi Sand is all privately owned, off-roading is allowed (conditions depending), so one is able to get intimate views of all wildlife, not just the local lion population.
Incredible lion viewing at Londolozi Game Reserve.
Click here to view some of our favourite lodges in the Sabi Sand Reserve…
Ruaha National Park
South-centrally situated in Tanzania, Ruaha National Park is one of only six reserves that can boast a population of over 1000 lions. It is part of the greater Ruaha Landscape, a 50,000 square kilometre section of East Africa that serves as one of the continent’s most important wildlife areas.
Its rugged scenery, prominently featuring the iconic baboab tree, is a haven for predators, particularly in the dry season (May to October), when wildlife centres its activities around the Ruaha River where the remaining water supplies are, and the lions in particular take advantage of the weakened state of the herbivores to hunt along the river fringes.
Ruaha is defined by spectacular landscapes…
Although not as well known as its sister reserves further north, Ruaha’s wildlife viewing is just as spectacular in its own right, and a multitude of luxury safari options that generally fly below the radar are available to those wanting a safari a bit more off the beaten track.
North-West Namibia
You are less likely to see lions in this inhospitable part of Southern Africa, but if you do manage to get a sighting (and many of the specialised camps are masters at finding where the roaming prides of desert lions are to be found), it will be like no other you’ve ever had.
Lions plodding their way over soaring sand dunes; lions threading their way along long-dry desert watercourses; lions on the beach…
The uniquely adapted desert lion population of north-west Nambia is highly specialised for their environment.
A lioness reclines on a sand dune. An incredibly special sight. Photograph courtesy Wilderness Safaris.
Some hunt the giant desert giraffes, some have been known to hunt seals on the beaches of the aptly named Skeleton coast, and some lions have even been known to eat the desert-growing Tsama melons.
Just a chance to see these unique cats is well worth looking into Namibia as your next safari destination with a difference…
A lion pride in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater
The beautiful thing about Africa is its sheer diversity of wildlife offerings. If lion viewing is your main reason for visiting, be sure to get in touch with our sales representatives, and we can start planning your dream lion-viewing safari…
It has been 26 years since I first journeyed to Londolozi Game Reserve, yet every time I visit I still feel the same sense of giddy excitement I did on that initial visit so long ago, the same sense of nostalgia when I climb up into the Land Rover for the opening game drive of the trip, and the same overwhelming sense of sadness when I leave.
It’s not just the amazing sightings of leopards in trees, lions wading through the Sand River, or being surrounded by the 7th herd of elephants for the morning. It’s far more than that.
This for me was where my true love for the bush began, as I began to see exactly what type of experience it could – and should – be.
My first visit to Londolozi, 26 years ago (I am standing centre). Ranger Julius Ngwenya (sitting in front) has his son now working as a tracker at Londolozi.And our latest trip, out on game drive waiting for lions to wake up in the evening.
This is what Londolozi does so well. There’s no formula. That went out the window long ago. Yes there is a framework within which the lodge operates – out before sunrise each morning to catch the dawn chorus, night drives following lions on the hunt, bush walks to make you touch, smell, and truly listen – but the reality is that each safari, each time you venture out of the camp gates in fact, is tapered to suit your specific needs.
One of the many herds that inhabit the reserve wade across the Sand River (Pioneer Camp is just out of picture to the left).The winter months are an especially good time to see elephants in the South African bush.
Birding is your thing? No problem; the focus shifts to the myriad different habitats that the reserve features, with the guide and tracker fully aware of which species are to be found where. Photographically inclined, wanting to capture that magical silhouette shot of a leopard outlined against the vivid reds of an African sunset? The tracking team will find that leopard, and – conditions permitting – the ranger will know exactly where to position the vehicle and what camera settings to use to make sure you nail the shot. There is no such thing as homogeneity in the Londolozi experience. It’s always unique and always special.
You never know what will be around the next corner at Londolozi…
I try to get back there once a year, except these days it’s not just me and my husband but my kids as well, and my brother and his wife regularly accompany us.
We try to stay in Pioneer Camp each year, the most westerly of the Londolozi camps. One of Londolozi’s three Relais and Chateaux camps, Pioneer only has three rooms, perfect for a family of our size. The adults go into two of them while the kids squeeze into the third (which is connected to ours by a discreet walkway).
And for a magical ten days, the camp becomes home.
The camp manager this year was Shannon Dawson, the most wonderful person you could ever wish to meet, and she shares a similar history with us in that she has also been visiting Londolozi with her family since she was small. And now she calls it home too.
Nothing was ever too much for Shannon, and her delightful smile was always there to welcome us home after game drive, morning and evening.
This leopard was waiting for us just off the edge of the Pioneer Camp deck as we returned from game drive one evening!
Travelling out from Atlanta, GA, where I live these days (having moved from South Africa in the 90s), it makes far more sense for us to come for a longer trip, so ten days is usually the least amount of time we will stay. I cannot emphasise enough the value of a longer stay. It allows one to truly sink into a place, to adjust to the flow of the African bush, and get to know the ranger, tracker and camp staff far better than one would in what would traditionally have been a three night adventure.
Our coffee stop one morning in a treehouse overlooking the Sand River.
A young leopard cub peers down nervously from the boughs of a marula tree, still uncertain of the best way to descend.
Particularly for those coming from further afield, long stay safaris are slowly starting to replace the three night visits, which travel trends are definitely starting to reflect. The idea it seems, is to go deeper, not broader. Rather than hopping between lodges, discerning travellers are preferring to remain in one place, getting the absolute most out of a visit that they can.
This is certainly what we try to accomplish each time we visit Londolozi.
Tiny wild dog pups emerge from their den as their mother calls them out.
This was our first time back in a couple of years, Covid-19 and other circumstances having prevented us visiting since July 2018.
The best thing for me was just how easy travel was in these times: flights were not a problem, covid-compliant and everything almost seemed easier than normal, especially given that airports are far less crowded. A hop, skip and a jump, and back in Londolozi we were…
And what a return it was.
Lions taking down a buffalo on our first morning, male leopards roaring back and forth at each other, a female leopard with her cubs just learning how to climb, wild dog pups emerging from their den for the first time… The sightings were incredibly varied and seemingly endless.
And in between them was the Londolozi fun; Wimbledon-themed dinners, soccer games for the kids, tracking lessons from Joy Mathebula… Whenever we least expected it, there was something new and exciting on the cards.
Tracker Andrea Sithole – who our family have known for years – celebrates a goal with my daughter Brodi in a soccer game organised for the kids staying in camp.One of the dominant male leopards that Londolozi is so famous for, drinking only a few feet from our vehicle.
Londolozi doesn’t just thrill with the wildlife. They take you into their world and open your eyes. You get to see what this one wild life we have all been given should really be about: fun, connection, intimacy with nature and ultimately finding the best version of yourself.
I know I find that person whenever I’m at Londolozi.
And you can too…
Iconic Africa director Terri Abadi and family are currently on vacation at South Africa’s Londolozi Game Reserve, a place Terri has been visiting for over twenty years.
On their very first morning on safari, they headed into the north of the reserve to see what they could find, and soon came across tracks of a large pride of lions.
After tracking for well over an hour, the bellow of a buffalo up ahead was heard, and the vehicles involved in the search moved into the dense thickets the noise had emanated from.
This is the scene that met their eyes:
Standard practice among lion prides attempting to bring down buffalo bulls is for one or two to try and anchor the bull from behind while others distract him from up front, and slowly wear him down.
A local group of lions known as the Nkuhuma Pride had cornered an old bull buffalo and had already inflicted some injuries upon him, although only superficial thus far. Three other bulls from the bachelor herd would run in repeatedly to help out their comrade, but would get chased off by the pride.
After an hour-and-a-half things seemed to have reached a stalemate, with both the lions and the buffalo exhausted and not making any further moves. It wasn’t too long though before the adult lionesses in the pride had recovered enough to renew the attack, and this time the old bull could stand it no longer, and went down under their weight.
The old bull put up a valiant fight, but being so severely outnumbered the odds were never in his favour.
The rest of the pride swarmed in to finish him off, and with one lioness smothering his muzzle and a second clamping her jaws over his throat to asphyxiate him, the buffalo was dead within minutes.
The final moments as the lions move in to finish the buffalo off.
Although difficult to watch, the reality of this age-old scene is that in nature the weak go under in order for the strong to survive. The buffalo was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and despite probably having survived numerous lion encounters before, this day was when he finally met his match.
An African safari has the power to change you. To make you feel so truly connected to yourself and your surroundings that you feel that this is the way life should be lived. Far from the trappings of the fast-paced modern world with all its distractions, the African wilderness reaffirms the values that our humanity holds dear.
And almost inevitably, as your safari winds down, your mind lets itself wander into the fantasy of “If only I could live in the bush…”
Well Tulela, a magical 5-bedroom lodge in the Greater Kruger Park of South Africa, will make you feel like you are…
As close to a home in the bush as you can find, Tulela is an exclusive-use lodge that is so much more than just a base to see the Big 5 from. Bespoke safaris both in a vehicle and on foot, sleep-outs under the southern stars, conservation initiatives that guests can get hands on with… your stay at Tulela is far more of an immersion into the wilds of Africa than a simple stay in the bush.
The lodge was designed with that homely feel in mind. Situated on the banks of the N’tsiri river, the rooms and main area are nestled in the shade of magnificent riparian trees from which the gentle background ambience of the local birdlife emanates. A waterhole positioned in full view of the deck attracts a continuous procession of wildlife – particularly in the drier winter months – and the overwhelming feeling here is that you are part of nature.
With over 6000ha of the Klaserie Private Game Reserve to explore with your own ranger and tracker, you essentially are…
Tulela is child friendly, so is perfect for families looking to open their children’s minds to the wonders of nature.
Or, if it’s simply an exclusive getaway for ten friends that you are after, this is the perfect place to allow you to simply put your feet up and be free from worry, totally at peace in the tranquility of the African bush.
We can’t wait to share more about this amazing destination with you.
For more information about Tulela and all that it offers, feel free to get hold of us here…
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