Tembe Elephant Park

Love Tembe. The elephant sightings are fantastic. Mahlasela Hide is a real highlight. The lodge si tented and community owned and run by a great team under Ernest. Love it!

Home of the big tuskers

It's one of those special places where you feel alone with the African wildlife.

I didn't just go on safari at Tembe, I actually worked there for over a year, and it became a home away from home. Of all the parks I've visited, no other makes you feel this intimate with the African bush. Although wildlife is a bit harder to find here thant other places, the sightings you will get are often very up close and personal. Elephants are a given, and there is no better place to go see them. They are amongst the largest on the continent and the bulls grow amazing tusks. The buffaloes are also very impressive compared to other parks, and even the lions seems larger here. During a stay at the lodge you'll get excellent guides, and most of the time you'll get 4 of the big 5 over a couple of days, although rhinos are a bit shy here. Leopards are very rare, but if anyone can find them, it is the lodge.

Scenery is dense but beautiful throughout most of the park, and the sand forest makes this park unique in terms of scenery, feel and look. The huge swamp spanning the east side of the park is the park's most open area, and the best place to find herds of elephants and buffaloes. In the dry season, May-September, the sawmp is also a good spot to find lions hunting. The prey base is massive here, and the numbers of the beautiful nyala antelope are staggering, so the carnivores are not lacking in any way.

My favorite time of year here is October, which is very early in the rainy season. Climate is warm, but not extremely hot, as it can be in summer, November-March. The scenery is becoming greener, but the vegetation is still low after the dry season so the animals are still easy to see. The dry season will, of course, give you a bit more action as wildlife stick around the few water sources, but the scenery is not as nice.

I never stayed at the lodge overnight myself, as I stayed at the research camp, but the people working there are very serviceminded and the lodge is very accomodating.

If you go here, be sure to spend a day at the nearby Ndumo Game Reserve for some fantastic scenery and birding! And a massive population of crocodiles!

live experiment

it was a live experiment to see this animals in the wild and so near bij.
het was een ervaring om deze dieren van zo dichtbij te zien, het is niet makkelijk om dit om te zetten in het engels, het maakt nog elke dag als ik er aan denk wat in mij los.

Absolute luxury, wonderful staff, great value

I will keep it brief,
Firstly, the staff were lovely, nothing was too much trouble and they were all very personable.
The food was incredible, the best we had during our 5 week stay in SA.
The safari trips were wonderful, the driver (patrick) was fun and insightful, clearly with a wealth of knowledge.
The price was the biggest shock however, the value for money was second to none, I am already planning another trip.
thanks so much tembe, experience of a lifetime!

Comfort and Country all in one package

I arrived at Tembe and was warmly greeted by the staff, many of whom I knew from a previous trip. Luggage was taken to my very comfortable tent and I had plenty of hot water to shower after my long drive. Then it was time for the late afternoon bush trip.
There were so many animals seen - antelope including suni, ellies, giraffes, lions and a rhino. And so many kinds of birds that I couldn't keep track of them all.
Then back to the camp for supper, which was taken in the open. It was atmospheric, convivial and tasty, with the special treat of a bushbaby hanging in a tree near my table begging for fruit. The bushbabies also raid the coffee station near the front desk for packets of sugar, and one little novice ended up stealing a packet with a tea bag in it instead, so I imagine he was very disappointed.
After supper the staff lit a big bonfire in a pit and chairs were placed around it so we could sit with out coffee or after-dinner drinks. There are various entertainments there, singing, dancing groups sometimes, or just quietly chatting as we wound down, getting ready for sleep.
Night in the tents is just magical, with the scent of the earth and growing things all around and the sounds of the animals as they move through the bush or hunt. Elephants sometimes come into the camp at night after everyone is tucked away to snack on the trees around the tents, and at least one nyala makes a habit of browsing through the camp during the day.
The daytime activity I liked best was getting a lunch from the kitchen and going to one of the hides and just sitting there, listening to the breeze, the birds and insects and watching the passing parade of creatures that came to drink. Watching a mom ellie trying to teach a little one how to take a mudbath properly was a hoot, and very special.
There is a small library of nature books and a few novels in case you just want to kick back and do nothing active for a while, computer access for those who must keep in touch, and plunge pool for those hot days. A leisurely, delicious breakfast eaten on the deck in the fresh morning air set me up just right for another day of wonderful discoveries.

A real bush experience

We saw elephants with the biggest tusks of southern Africa, lots of other animals and birds. The accomodation was good in tents with private bathrooms, the food was very good and served in a thatched boma. In the evening we enjoyed the shows of local singers and dancers. The Tembe staff, working in the lodge, kitchen and guides, are all people of the original Tembe tribe, who used to live in this area. You can only visit the park by 4x4 or with guides, because of the sand roads. Because of the habitat of sand forest, woodland, grassland, and swampland Tembe is a unique park to visit.

Last Encounter with Gentle Giants (Elephants)

To see these huge Tuskers is an awesome priveledge that few people get to see. Tembe is still far away from being touristy and one get's a magical experience in the bush with the local community that are hands on as rangers and camp staff. Loved staying in the safari tents and hearing the night sounds.
The highlight was sitting at the hides for hours watching the wildlife!
A true African bush/wilderness experience with lots of wildlife.

stuning meetings with elephant herds or solitary big specimens