Roaming The Wild at Thanda Safari

Located in the heart of Zululand, Thanda Safari is a Big Five game reserve situated on over 14 000 hectares of bush.

I was invited to spend a few days at this elegant reserve that was ranked by Conde Nast Traveller as one of the top 20 Resorts in South Africa.

Thanda Safari offers three different accommodation types, Thanda Safari Lodge, Villa iZulu and Thanda Tented Camp.

I stayed in the super luxurious Safari Lodge which has nine bush suites – shaped like a traditional Zulu Homestead. Each suite has its own private plunge pool, viewing deck with a day bed, a Boma for private dining and an outdoor shower. All of the suites have panoramic views of the surrounding game reserve.

The rooms at Thanda Safari are just exquisite and the epitome of African chic. I slept like a baby in the king size bed, cocooned in crisp 100% Egyptian cotton linen. There’s a lounge area with super comfortable seating for reading, relaxing or sipping a glass of wine. On chilly evenings, a fire can be lit in the stone clad fireplace that has a dual hearth facing onto both the lounge and bedroom.

After a busy day of game viewing, you can look forward to luxuriating in the huge, egg shaped bath. Or if you prefer, take a shower with an indoor view – mine faced onto thick bush and on more than one occasion, I spotted wildlife grazing right outside. There’s also an outdoor shower.

Thanda, meaning ‘love’ in isiZulu, offers an authentic wildlife experience with excellent game viewing all year round.

Conservation and a sincere commitment to Zulu Culture underpins the ethos at Thanda Safari. The team is actively involved in wildlife research and work to uplift the local communities through their various projects.

On our first morning out we spotted Rhino, Water Buffalo, Zebra & Wildebeest. Sadly, we didn’t see elephant, but ranger Buselaphi and tracker Winneth comforted us with a spread of freshly baked biscuits and coffee – served with a generous splash of Amarula; as is customary on early morning game drives.

It was on our first afternoon drive that we saw a crash of Rhinos. What a breathtaking sight seeing these majestic creatures looking so calm and serene while grazing.

South Africa faces a pressing issue with rhino poaching, with statistics highlighting the urgency of conservation efforts. In 2022 alone South Africa lost 448 rhinos to poaching.

Thanda Safari’s adoption of advanced AI-driven technology represents a significant step forward in combating poaching and preserving these magnificent creatures for future generations.

In partnership with Rouxcel Technology – a leading conservation company specialising in advanced rhino collar technology – Thanda Safari make use of revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI) driven technology and real-time tracking and monitoring capabilities.

Previously, Thanda Safari employed various methods including foot collars and horn pods to monitor their black and white rhino populations. However, limitations with these approaches, such as the use of telemetry units requiring line-of-sight, with no direct data recording capabilities or GPS functionality, necessitated a more sophisticated solution.

The newly developed AI-enabled collars (worn on the the above Rhino’s ankle) continuously observe, analyse, and learn to identify behaviour patterns specific to each rhino. When registering ‘abnormal’ activity related to a possible poaching attempt, fighting, mating, giving birth or illness, the collar triggers an instant alert on ranger’s phones, pinpointing the incident’s precise location via GPS. This cutting-edge technology facilitates rapid response and investigation, enabling effective safeguarding of these majestic creatures.

At Thanda Safari all food is sourced locally, including fruit and vegetables, as well as meat. A lot of the fruit is grown in the area, including bananas, litchis and pineapples. Choose from a selection of three carefully thought out dishes at lunchtime and dinner, which changed on a daily basis. My favourites included a Bunny Chow, a Rack of the most tender, perfectly cooked Lamb and sublime piece of salmon.

We had an unforgettable sundowner surprise on our last afternoon game drive. The incredible Thanda staff had set up a temporary camp complete with rugs, vintage trunks, lanterns, fire-pits and stunning snacks. We sipped bubbly, laughed and remarked on what a privileged it was experiencing, first hand, the beauty that is the African bush.

On a final evening at Thanda, we enjoyed a dinner in the Boma. A highlight was the Zulu dancers that performed their traditional dances and songs. It was just lovely, and the international guests were enthralled. Dinner included barbecued warthog sausage, lamb chops and chicken. Sides included Chakalaka, pap, potato salad, beetroot and salads, while dessert was sticky, yummy Malva pudding.

Thanda Safari has a spa where a range of treatments are offered either in their tranquil therapy rooms or outside is the sala space which has glorious views of the reserve. The therapists are trained in a range of treatments that combine western techniques and ancient Zulu practices. I had a super relaxing 30-minute back, neck and shoulders massage. It was blissful! I can’t elaborate more because I fell asleep – as one should with any good massage.

RATES

Off peak season (8 Jan – 13 Dec) costs R6,477 a night, per person sharing.

Peak season (14 December 2024 – 5 January 2025) costs R7,254 a night, per person sharing.

Transfers from the airport are NOT included in the above rates.

Included in this rate are two game drives daily with a professional guide and tracker, all meals and selected local beverages (soft drinks, house wines, local spirits and beers), bush walks with specialist walking guides, minibar, wifi and laundry.

Thanda Safari is situated 23km north of Hluhluwe on the N2, approximately 220km north of Durban, and is easily accessible from the N2 by gravel road (no 4×4 required). Richards Bay is the closest commercial airport, with King Shaka International Airport, Durban being the closest international airport. Road transfers are available from and to Durban and Richards Bay Airports.

Find out more about Thanda Safari

E: reservations@thanda.co.za

T: +27 (0) 32 586 0149 | www.thanda.com

Follow Thanda Safari on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE