Tembe Elephant Park hosts all the Big Five, but above all it is a place for elephant lovers. This is one of the few places in South Africa, indeed anywhere on the continent, where you are still likely to see legendarily big tuskers.
The park’s only lodge offers relatively affordable all-inclusive packages and is owned by the local community. There is a limit to how many self-drive visitors are allowed to come into the park; only 4x4 vehicles are permitted.
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Best Time To Go
- May to September (Dry season)
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High Season
- October to March (The camp can get a bit busy)
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Size
- 300km² / 116mi²
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Altitude
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42-134m /138-440ft
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Pros & Cons
- Excellent elephant viewing
- Good wildlife viewing with the Big Five present
- Good photography shelter for watching elephants drinking
- Great birding in rare sand forest habitat
- Reasonably priced lodging in the park
- Limited number of self-drive day visitors allowed
- Only 4x4 vehicles are allowed because of sandy roads
- Only one accommodation option in the park
Wildlife
Tembe’s elephants are acknowledged giants. The bulls are huge in size and their tusks are phenomenal. The wildlife shelter at the waterhole is the best place to sit and watch them coming and going. The park is Big Five territory but big cat sightings are hit-and-miss.
More about Tembe Elephant’s wildlifeScenery
Tembe Elephant Park is a critical part of a planned transfrontier park on KwaZulu-Natal's northern border with Mozambique and Swaziland. It protects a tract of very rare sand forest, home to many birding specials. Other habitats include thick woodland and wetlands.
Weather & Climate
As Tembe is located close to South Africa’s east coast, rain sometimes falls during the dry months of winter (May to September). However, in general, the sunshine will not be hampered by cloud cover. The warm days of this period transform into cold nights. The summertime (October to April) sees frequent afternoon downpours, and the temperature shoots up, along with the humidity.
More about the weather and climateBest Time To Visit
The elephants and other wildlife in the park are most visible during the Dry season (May to September) when a lack of available water forces the animals to gather at the main waterhole. Conditions for game drives are also quite pleasant, with clear skies and little rainfall, unlike the Wet season (October to April) and its daily thunderstorms.
More about the best time to visit