South Africa Classic

Game drives at Tanda Tula Safari Camp are unhurried, immersive, and expertly guided by one of the most experienced teams in the Greater Kruger. With access to up to 15,000 hectares of traversing in pristine wilderness, guests encounter iconic wildlife in a landscape teeming with life. Each drive is tailored to guest interests, with professional guides and trackers sharing deep knowledge and passion for the bush. From golden sunrises to dramatic sundowners, every game drive is a deeply personal journey into the heart of wild Africa.

Lion Drinking Credit: Chad Cocking

Lion Cub Credit: Chad Cocking

Lioness and Cub Credit: Chad Cocking

Lions Credit: Chad Cocking

Mongoose Credit: Chad Cocking

Wild Dogs Credit: Chad Cocking

Rhino Baby Credit: Chad Cocking

Rhino Running Credit: Chad Cocking

Sunset Credit: Chad Cocking

Wildlife Landscape Credit: Chad Cocking

Zebras Credit: Chad Cocking

Elephant in the Dam Credit: Chad Cocking

Elephant Bull Credit: Chad Cocking

Impala Road Block Credit: Chad Cocking

:eopard Prowling Credit: Chad Cocking

Walking and tracking at Tanda Tula Safari Camp offers a thrilling, ground-level perspective of the African bush. Guided by highly skilled trackers and armed guides, guests follow wildlife footprints, interpret signs of the wild, and discover the intricate details often missed from a vehicle. It’s an intimate and sensory experience—feeling the earth beneath your feet, hearing the call of birds, and gaining insight into animal behavior and ecology. These walks foster a profound connection to nature, offering both quiet reflection and exhilarating discovery in one of Africa’s most pristine wilderness areas.

Walking with Elephants Credit: Tanda Tula Seeing elephants on foot is a deeply humbling experience!

Setting out on a Walk Credit: Tanda Tula We always gather for a briefing before setting out on a walk.

Safari Walk 4 Credit: Tanda Tula Once out in the bush, our guides often stop to explain the smaller things.

Safari Walk Briefing Credit: Tanda Tula Taking time on a walk to stop and discuss what you are seeing gives a deeper insight into the wilderness environment.

Tracking on Foot Credit: Tanda Tula Understanding tracks and the tracking process is a significant part of any walk.

Safari Walk 1 Credit: Tanda Tula Being out in the bush on foot is immersive and sensory.

Safari Walk 2 Credit: Tanda Tula Walking is also time to reflect and to make a connection with yourself.

Safari Walk 3 Credit: Tanda Tula Our guides and trackers help our guests to interpret and understand what they are seeing.

Spa treatments at Tanda Tula Safari Camp are designed to restore and rejuvenate in harmony with nature. Set in a tranquil bush setting, treatments draw inspiration from African botanicals and healing traditions. Guests can unwind with soothing massages and holistic therapies, tailored to individual needs and delivered by skilled therapists. Whether after a game drive or during a quiet afternoon, each treatment offers a moment of calm and self-care, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the wilderness. It’s a serene, sensory journey that nurtures both body and spirit.

Inside the Spa 2 Credit: Andrew Morgan

View from the Spa Credit: Kikitography

Portia our fabulous therapist Credit: Kikitography

Preparing for treatments 1 Credit: Kikitography

Preparing for treatments 2 Credit: Kikitography

Inside the Spa 1 Credit: Kikitography

Inside the Spa 3 Credit: Kikitography

View of the Spa Credit: Kikitography

Spa Massage 1 Credit: Kikitography

Spa Massage 2 Credit: Kikitography

Rejuvenate after treatment 1 Credit: Kikitography

The gym at Tanda Tula Safari Camp offers a unique workout experience, blending wellness with wilderness. Fully equipped with modern cardio and strength-training equipment, the space is designed for comfort and functionality. Large windows open onto the bushveld, allowing guests to stay active while immersed in nature. Whether it’s an early morning session before game drive or a midday workout, the gym provides a refreshing balance of movement and mindfulness in a serene, inspiring setting.

Gym Exterior 1 Credit: Kikitography

Gym Exterior 2 Credit: Kikitography

Cardio Exercises Credit: Kikitography

The helicopter conservation patrol flight at Tanda Tula Safari Camp offers a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into wildlife protection efforts. Guests join experienced pilots and Timbavati field rangers on an aerial patrol over the Timbavati, witnessing vast landscapes, wildlife movements, and conservation operations from above. These flights support anti-poaching and land management initiatives, and guests gain insight into the challenges and triumphs of preserving this ecosystem. It’s an exhilarating, purpose-driven experience that deepens one’s appreciation for conservation and the scale of wild Africa.

Pilot and Field Ranger on a Helicopter Patrol Credit: Tanda Tula

Guest view from the Helicopter Patrol Credit: Tanda Tula

A view of wildlife from above Credit: Tanda Tula

Africa has been called the greatest show on earth, and Lion Sands presents a safari that plays out like a highlights reel. Our reserve conserves 5 000ha (12 500ac) of a habitat that is home to the highest and most diverse concentration of wildlife in the southern hemisphere. You will see all of Africa’s iconic species – lion leopard, rhino, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo, and zebra – along with a supporting cast of no less intriguing 137 mammal species and over 450 varieties of bird. Our safaris present an adventure that is wild, and then some!

Being entirely private, Lion Sands offers you an intimate safari experience. With only six guests to a game viewer and exclusive traversing on our reserve, you’ll have minimal encounters with other people. Though compelling sightings do attract more attention, the number of vehicles here is also limited. This ensures the animals aren’t put under stress and you are able to spend more time with them, observing their natural behaviour. While you are out exploring, you will by no means be roughing it. Your game viewer has cushioned bucket seats, waterproof device holders, blankets and ponchos – and stops off in a scenic spot for drinks and snacks.

Game Drive Credit: Lion Sands Private Game Reserve

Game Drives Credit: Lion Sands Private Game Reserve

Game Drives Credit: Lion Sands Private Game Reserve

Game Drive Credit: Lion Sands Private Game Reserve

Game Drives Credit: Lion Sands Private Game Reserve

These are our after-breakfast walks on the wild side. For those who wish to experience the bush, not just observe it, there is no better guided excursion. You are dropped in the thick of things and all five senses engage… Feel the scrub crunch beneath your feet, touch a velvety acacia seed pod, hear the crack of a branch indicating you are not alone, and spot the game appear just metres off – exhilarating! This is also a wonderful opportunity to encounter the smaller creatures, often missed on safari vehicles, and to discover more about the reserve’s plants – many with fascinating medicinal properties and traditional uses.

The African landscape stretches as far as the eye can see at Lion Sands, and we knew we had to find a special place to capture and enjoy its vastness and splendour. Guy Aubrey Chalkley once set up camp in a majestic centuries old Leadwood Tree to escape predators roaming the plains below.

We decided that this would be the ideal place to build the ultimate bush bedroom, the Chalkley Treehouse. The treehouse is a secure and lavish platform under the African stars, with all the comforts that a guest can experience at a five star safari lodge.

We take our guests to the tree house at sunset, where drinks and a scrumptious picnic dinner await them.The hours of African dusk can be enjoyed relaxing and absorbing the vastness of the bushveld as it transforms from day to night, before turning in for slumber beneath the incredible night sky.

Make your way through rows of magnificent white boulders and across a small drawbridge, and you will find Africa opening up in front if you. Set amid the pure and untouched wild, you will be surrounded by African bush and uninhibited wildlife at its best.

The Kingston Treehouse is constructed entirely from wood and glass, with contemporary décor in understated hues of greys, white, black and purple. No matter what the weather has in store, you will have a safe and luxurious setting with a unique window to enjoy the ever-changing views. In fact, we defy you to find two identical African sunsets.

The 60m2 Treehouse is situated about 5 minutes from the main lodge, and you will have radio contact with the rangers, should you choose to. You will also find some cellphone reception; but don’t expect any wi-fi in the bush. Kingston is equipped with full bathroom and shower facilities, and Africology products to complete your sensory experience.

Enjoy a dinner of tapas or a full meal with Champagne, under the splendor of an African starlit sky.

From boma feasts to safari refreshment stops, dining promises to be a highlight – for all our guests, with any dietary requirement, including kosher, catered for. Our chefs transform local recipes into contemporary dishes, giving you a taste for Southern Africa. Paired with premium wines from the Cape, dining becomes an experience. Our wine tastings are also a favourite of connoisseurs and dabblers, alike.

Between game drives, find spaces to simply breathe. Lion Sands' wellness experiences restore what daily life depletes - deep sleep returns, tension melts away, and time slows enough to reconnect with yourself. Massage therapies work through safari-tired muscles to the soundtrack of birdsong drifting through open windows. Facials and deeply hydrating body treatments use TheraNaka™ and TheraVine™ products infused with African shea butter, CBD oil, and Pinotage botanicals. Hand and foot rituals bring softness after days in open safari vehicles. Couples enjoy shared spa experiences whilst the wilderness continues just beyond your treatment room. All treatments feature indigenous ingredients that nourish skin left dry by bush air. Exfoliation rituals leave you smooth and radiant, combining luxury with plants that have thrived in this landscape for millennia - shea butter, healing botanicals, restorative oils that restore and rejuvenate.

Lion Sands River Lodge - Spa and Wellness Credit: MORE Collection

Lion Sands River Lodge - Spa and Wellness Credit: MORE Collection

Lion Sands River Lodge - Spa and Wellness Credit: MORE Collection

Lion Sands River Lodge - Spa and Wellness Credit: MORE Collection

Lion Sands River Lodge - Spa and Wellness Credit: MORE Collection

Lion Sands together with More Community Trust assists our local Huntington and Justicia B villages, and you can get involved, too. Take a community tour, the proceeds of which go to our development projects here, or roll up your sleeves to help out through our Get Your Hands Dirty initiatives.

These centre on education, infrastructure, health and environment, and you can choose the area best suited to your skills and interest. These are extraordinary social experiences that bring you to the heart of Southern Africa to make your own and others’ dreams come true.

This tour gives a very personal and authentic look into life in the townships.

The tour begins with a stop in at the MORE Community Foundation-supported Injongo Educare Crèche, Mfuleni where guests can help to make or serve the children breakfast, and read, play ball and have singalongs with them. This is followed by a short walk down the road to where the crèche began at the home of inspirational founder, Mavis Ngcongolo who will be there to greet the group.

Then it’s on to the township of Khayelitsha where guests can see the whole of Cape Town’s biggest location from Lookout Hill at the Tourism Centre, before taking a drive through the streets, hearing about its history and people as they go.

The tour’s last stop is Langa (meaning ‘sun’) and arguably Cape Town’s most vibrant and progressive settlement. Here, guests visit Langa Heritage Museum in The Old Pass Court building, Guga Sthebe Arts & Culture Centre for local empowerment, and Langa Quarter where the Ikhaya Le Langa project is furthering social enterprise and creating a tourism hotspot.

– Departure times: After breakfast and lunch – meet at hotel reception
– Travel time: ±40 minutes (one way)
– Tour duration: 3–4 hours
– Number of guests: 2–7
– Cost: POA

As the sun dawns on your special day, celebrate the occasion with a sunrise picnic on Signal Hill. Romantic, exciting, it’s befitting any event from a birthday to anniversary, or proposal… At the most scenic lookout point, we’ll pop the bubbly and lay on treats especially for you.

– Cost: POA

Our Cape Cadogan Wellness Centre is where skilled therapists provide treatments tailored just for you, using the TheraVine™ range developed through extensive clinical and scientific studies. Whether you are looking for a targeted express treatment or a leisurely massage, we have a range of options that will provide just the glow you need. And for those looking to stay active, our fitness centre is ready to keep you on track. Here, you will find the perfect balance between relaxation and energy.

Our spa is open 8am - 7pm daily spa@capecadogan.co.za | +27 21 480 8080