Aha Thakadu River Camp

An amazing experience, the staff were amazing from the backroom staff, catering, front of house & the rangers. The food was superb and could not fault the quality. The Rangers were fantastic and knowledgeable , we managed to see the big 5 which was amazing and the rangers also took the time to teach you about the animals and the environment of the park. We are so glad to have chosen this lodge Thank you Andy & Moira

Whilst travelling through South Africa we travelled to Thakadu River Camp which is in Madikwe, from Johannesburg as per of the 2nd leg of our trip (Joburg - Thakadu - Cape Town) Thakadu is a unique wildlife reserve which offers a magical safari experience, up close and personal with the native animals. We were greeted warmly on arrival and collected from the air strip by Tulu who also doubled up as our game driver. He took us out for 3 hours each morning and evening to see the animals of the reserve and we had a wonderful time doing so. Arriving at the lodge we were assigned 2 Tents, my wife and I in one and the boys in another, which was a 2 minute walk away from us. The “tent” was called so due to the the way the roof is covered (tent shaped tarpaulin) but in fact it’s a good sized wooden structured room with a very nice en-suite open plan styled bathroom and a balcony which offered views of the wilderness and a river where you could see animals grazing right underneath you. Meals came as part of an all inclusive package and we were certainly fed very well!! It was a non stop daily offering of a quick coffee or tea and biscuits at 6am before going on the morning safari drives. Breakfast was served after we came back from the morning safari drives) at roughly 10am. Lunch was then served at 1pm - tea at 3pm just before going out for the afternoon safari drive at 3.30pm. On our return at 7pm dinner was then served. There are a lot of meals & snacks squeezed into a short spade of time and so by day 2 you start skipping some of the breaks to allow time for the food to digest !! Each game drive also included a bush break (20 minute stop) for hot drinks (during the chilly morning drives) or sun downers (during the afternoon drives) . We were hosted warmly each day by staff on rotation who included Tulu, Joyce (chef extraordinaire) Veronica, Idah and Mods (Centre Manager). Special mention must go to Tulu - our patient and knowledgeable Safari driver who each day took us out on 2 game drives each day and allowed us to enjoy so many magical moments witnessing the animals in the wild. Favourite moments included watching a Mother cheetah and her 5 cubs as well as seeing 3 of the big 5 at the same watering hole at the same time (rhinos, elephants and lions) I’ve written a lot but there was a lot to mention and I could say more. I’ll end by saying we had a wonderful experience here and the children absolutely loved it. We chose Madikwe due to its privacy (only people staying there were on the game drives, there are no day guests who drive through like with the Kruger National park. Madikwe is also malaria free so there was no need for malaria vaccinations before travelling (unlike Kruger) Highly recommended - you won’t be disappointed.

What an experience of a lifetime, every staff member made sure we enjoyed our stay, the food was very good, good variety every day, game drives very good, saw lions and rhinos nearly every day, had close encounters with lions while they were eating - what an experience

10/10 from start to finish. Lovely staff who could not be more helpful. Delicious food. Amazing driver who went out of his way to ensure we saw everything. Loved the coffee and muffins in the morning drive but the G&T at sundown was the cherry on the cake. Really recommend booking this camp.

We have just vreturned from 2 nights at this little lodge. It is run by the community and wow do they do a great job. The staff are exceptionally friendly and very eager to help wherever they can. The food is delicious too. We saw 4 of the big 5 on our drives. Lots of elephants and rhino's. The other game vehicle saw a lot cheetah but we missed them.Did see wild dogs though. Getting to the lodge is a bit tricky as they are busy with roadworks in the little village just outside the reserve but we just stopped and asked. There are 12 glamping tents in total and all dotted along the river. We were in tent 12 which is quite a walk from the main area- probably 400metres . Wake up calls were at 5am- coffee/rea at 5.30 and by 6h00 we were on our way searching for game. The lodge has a really nice waterhole - you can sit and watch the elephants and buck all day long. There is a small swimming pool at the main lodge too. We would recommend this lodge to anyone- we absolutely loved it! Thanks to all the staff- we will be back for sure!

In the course of four game drives wa had lots of animal sightings, including lions and rhinos. The way to the outer tents can be long, but that is acceptable. Do not miss the sight of bathing Elephants in the thakadu river.