Tintswalo Safari Lodge … old school glamour in the bush
We’ve visited Tintswalo Safari Lodge before – years and years ago, and besides loving the luxury lodge, were treated to some of the best game viewing we’ve ever experienced. So you can imagine how we leapt (Impala-like) at the chance to revisit.
One of only three commercial lodges in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve, which sits between the unfenced borders of the Kruger National Park, Sabi Sands and the Timbavati Reserves (so location wise, it really is prime territory … you couldn’t find better), the lodge boasts giving guests an authentic African Safari experience. A boast it lives up to … and then some.
From our arrival to when a guide returned our car back to the lodge for our departure, it’s just one well-thought-out, personal, mindful touch after another.
Let’s get the bags into the suite. Each connected by a wooden walkway but set apart so there’s total privacy, the suites are stately … befitting the 19th century explorers after whom they’re named. So there’s the Livingstone – no explanation needed for this well-known African explorer, and the Stanley – named after Henry Morton Stanley who searched for, and found, the then-ailing and lost David Livingstone. There’s the Kingsley, where reminders of Mary Kingsley’s fish discoveries are in carvings and paintings in the room, and the Burton – which may well be our favourite … all deep red shades and elephant lamps, with the hand-carved bed and baskets reminiscent of Richard Francis Burton’s link with the East. The suites are all four-poster beds and Persians, soft laze-in-me sofas and private plunge pools, inside-outside showers, wood-burning fireplaces and bar fridges (G&T in the pool after lunch, anyone?).
There are, for families or guests on safari with friends, two suites for four guests, and if that’s not enough, there’s the Tintswalo Manor House – a five bedroom lodge where children are welcome and your stay is completely tailor-made.
Ignoring the fact we could – given some good books and appropriate refreshments – happily stay for ever on the deck and watch the wildlife stroll along the dry river bed, we’re slap bang in the middle of 24 000 hectares of untouched African wilderness … and a safari is about the animals. Game drive!
The twice-daily drives (that early morning wake up call’s hell, but worth it) are in open vehicles, and here, too, there are conscious touches to cover every eventuality … blankets and hot water bottles for chilly mornings and night drives, ponchos for sudden downpours, insect repellent and sunscreen, and those all-important drinks and snacks for those who are a little peckish (top tip: ask for the Ranger Coffee on the morning drive … hot chocolate with coffee and Amarula).
The lodge boasts that the abundance of wildlife guarantees uninterrupted, intimate encounters with a great variety of animals … from the Big Five to the small (lion ant, rhino dung beetle, elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, and red-billed buffalo weaver), there are colossal herds of large game as well as around 300 species of birds.
After the drives – be they the crack-of-dawn or sunset versions – it’s back to the lodge for breakfast or dinner – sometimes out in the boma under the stars. And heaven forbid anyone go hungry, there’s also lunch, high tea. All served with carefully selected South African wines from the cellar.
In between eating, and drinking, and watching lions hunt and kudus graze, there’s a gym (no, we didn’t!), a gorgeous spacious deck and lounge where we could catch up with fellow adventurers, a fabulous elephant hide for some up-close-and-personal encounters, and a brilliant curio shop (our rule … buy one memento at each destination we visit). There is, for those who simply can’t help themselves, Wi-Fi in all rooms and up at the central lodge, and the luxurious Bushwillow Spa (yes, we did).
A stay at Tintswalo Safari Lodge is a proper treat … and we love the fact that it’s not over when you leave. When our first hard lockdown kicked in, and the lodges were deserted, the Tintswalo guides continued their early morning drives – to monitor animal activity and conservation in the reserve. And they filmed what is now known as the Tintswalo Safari Lodge Virtual Safari. The first broadcast on social media went live on 25 March 2020 with 41 092 views … now the safaris have more than 14-million views from around the world. So now we, every evening, pop over to the site, and watch as the guides track the day-to-day movements of a herd of elephants, see the madly exciting (and sometimes tragic) sightings of wild dog pups, follow the Manyeleti’s magnificent Mbiri pride and finding a lion cub in a tree. Gosh … we love Africa.
Details: There are often specials, and South African rates, to be found on the website. All the rates shown include accommodation and all meals, two game activities a day, house drinks and laundry. Visit tintswalo.com
