Aha Thakadu River Camp

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.

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.

We spent 4 nights at Thakadu, a very memorable experience. The staff are attentive and welcoming, and made us feel at home. The game drives were rewarding, with Percy our guide making sure we were all happy. The highlight for us was the meals. The kitchen staff could teach some of the more expensive lodges a thing or two about bush cuisine! In 4 days we didn't have any repeat lunches or dinners, everything was freshly prepared in the kitchen, and each dish was beautifully presented and delicious. Despite the extreme heat (40deg +), all of the fresh produce was perfectly fresh. The freshly baked muffins with coffee on the game drives went down a treat. We will be back!