Tangala Safari Camp

After Cape Town, we flew up to the Kruger National Park area to stay at Tangala Camp. The employees and managers at Tangala, particularly, the safari guides Reason and Louis, were awesome! The managers, Johan and Madeleine, were also super nice and very accommodating. We saw a bunch of wild animals (painted wolves, hyena, leopard, lions, etc), and the driver/spotters knew everything about the animals and answered everyone’s questions. The camp is small with ＜20 people staying there, so we made friends with the other visitors in our car. The houses are really neat; they’re thatch roof style cabins that were fun to stay in. There are also various antelope that wander through the camp, which was fun to see. It was also my (now) fiancé and I’s engagement trip and first big trip out of the country, and Tangala was a great experience for new travelers!!

The main win was that we saw all the animals, nearly all on the first day already. So if this is your objective for visiting a safari lodge, your chances are very high. The host couple were genuinely friendly, helpful and down to earth, a plus for the camp with their authenticity. I appreciated that they were putting in solar panels for the camp. The camp itself is near some water, so you can sit by the pool in the afternoon with a book or a beer and peacefully watch the animals come and go. I enjoyed our comfortably large tented room and listening to the animals in the cold of the night. The camp is not overly luxurious, but homely and comfortable. The meals were a big positive, well prepared and with a willingness to provide something special for any vegetarians. The guiding was a little so-so in comparison with some of the other camps we visited, although we did see Leopard, Lions (a lot), Rhinos. I would definitely recommend Tangala for a 3 night visit.

Our stay with Tangala Safari Camp was our first ever safari and we couldn't have been more pleased with the overall experience. We were greeted warmly upon arrival, offered a delicious ice tea, and the staff took the time to sit down with us and explain everything about how the camp worked - meals, snacks, game drives, etc. It is a small camp and felt like a 'real' safari in the bush, especially the very nicely appointed tent cabin where we stayed. The high tea, and meals were all prepared onsite with homemade items (including desserts!) that we enjoyed very much. The game drives left before sunrise and returned after sunset. Our guides & trackers were knowledgeable regarding all the animals and plants within Thornybush Reserve, which added significantly to our overall experience and enjoyment of the wildlife viewing. The Reserve itself is also beautiful with rolling hills, washes and many trees / shrubs / grasses. Highlights included several up close leopard sightings, and herd of elephants drinking at a large watering hole. We highly recommend visiting Thornybush Reserve and staying at Tangala if you want to see all the 'Big 5' and many others. A great experience.