Authentic Africa in Luxury & Style

An early morning or late afternoon safari is the best time to look for the Big Five. With 14,000 hectares to explore and led by our experts of the African bush, you’ll see an incredible range of animals, including cheetahs, hyaenas, giraffes, warthogs and abundant bird and plant life.

A guided walk through the bush is a completely thrilling experience of the wilderness and all its inhabitants. Thanda’s guides and trackers will share their extensive knowledge and animal tracking ability with you, as well as ancient Zulu stories of the wild.

Help to conserve our rhinos! Extraordinary effort is required to protect these magnificent creatures threatened with extinction as a result of poaching by international criminal syndicates. Now you can actively contribute to conserving the rhinos on Thanda Safari by joining our specialist rhino monitors who daily locate and record data on our black and white rhinos.

3 to 4-hour activity, Additional cost, max 4 pax,  daily on request.

Guests have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in close contact with a rhino.  Witness the darting of this prehistoric animal and assist the wildlife team in notching the sedated rhino for identification and research purposes, before releasing it back into the wild.  The price includes the helicopter that is used in locating the rhino, as well as all costs involved in the darting, genetic sampling and notching.

Half-day customised activity,  Additional Charge, max 14 pax, on request.

Your Zulu cultural and community experience can include visiting a traditional homestead and village; spending time with a traditional healer (Sangoma); exploring King Shaka’s battlefields; meeting students at Thanda’s Star for Life schools or participating in community projects and Zulu celebrations.

Customised activity, Additional Charge, min 2 pax, daily on request.

If you’re a foodie looking for something a little ‘out of the ordinary’, need a unique event menu, or are keen to impress somebody special - then don’t miss the opportunity to take a front row seat with Executive Chef Kevin Joseph and his ace Team, for an extraordinary dining experience at The Chef’s Table in The Kitchen at The Oyster Box.

Your evening begins in the elegant Oyster Bar with pre-dinner drinks and live music from our resident musician, before being taken ‘behind the scenes’ where your culinary journey begins, with a tour of the working kitchen and your amuse bouche of Champagne and Canapes.

As the drama of this busy kitchen in ‘full service’ mode unfolds, watch as the Chefs prepare a delicious 5-course paired menu before your eyes. The Chef’s Table is available for groups of between six and 10 guests, from from Monday to Sunday for Dinner only.

Direct beach access to a swimming beach

Children between the ages of four and 12 years, have access to the supervised Holiday Club during their stay. .

Other vacation activities include story-telling, face painting, art and craft activities, pizza-making and movie screenings. Special programmes are offered during peak periods such as school holidays, Easter, Christmas and New Year.

The Holiday Club is open daily from 10h00 to 19h00

For a more intimate dining experience, the Wine Cellar, with its glass ceiling, is sunken just below the Oyster Bar and is unique for dinner parties, corporate functions, tastings or special events and offers a Chef’s Table for up to 10 guests.

Bespoke menus are created for every occasion and the resident Sommelier will present a selection of wines from the Diners Club Diamond award-winning wine list, which boasts the finest selection of South African and international vintages.

An intimate, 24-seater cinema/screening room is available to hotel guests. Each month a new schedule is set, running a new movie five times a day (10h00, 14h00, 18h00, 20h00 and 22h00).

24 hour access

We are dedicated to restoring beauty and balance through individual treatments and spa journeys, personalised for each of our guests by exceptionally skilled therapists. Our commitment to wellbeing focuses on holistic principles, combining ancient wisdom and modern expertise.

The Spa at The Oyster Box uses a variety of internationally-recognised treatment products as well as its own exclusive, signature range of all natural, body-care products and professional spa treatments B|Africa. This deluxe range combines indigenous African plant extracts and the natural goodness of West Coast Atlantic sea-salts.

B| Africa uses sustainable harvesting practices on renewable indigenous species, such as oil from the baobab tree, marula oil, avocado butter, honey, rooibos, Mongongo nut and Ximenia kernel oil. In addition, the range includes carefully-crafted B|Africa Spa treatment packages.

Our state of the art, 24 hour complimentary Business Centre, located on the first floor adjacent to the cinema, is available to all hotel guests. There are two desks, each with a computer, printer and a refreshment station offering thoughtful details such as dried fruit and mineral water, as well as tea and coffee on request. The Business Centre offers complimentary internet and the entire hotel has complimentary wireless Internet if you prefer to work from your room. The Business Centre also has a fax, black and white photocopier and secretarial services as available on request. Shipping and packaging, laminating and binding can be arranged directly with our concierge deck at an additional cost.

Clock Library

All safari activities are led by qualified guides who will educate and enlighten you in the secrets of the park. Game drives are conducted in open Land Rovers. We also offer game drives by spotlight after the sun goes down (returning to camp by 19:30). Drives by spotlight provide guests with the unique opportunity to see nocturnal animals and animal activity.

Walking Safaris are a very different option. They bring you in touch with the wilderness and tend to focus more on the minutiae of the park and the eco-system. It is a truly unforgettable experience striding out in country where you are on the same footing as a lion or elephant.

All walking safaris are led by expert and qualified walking guides and are accompanied by an armed scout.

A guided tour of “the Victoria Falls”, situated merely 7km from Old Drift Lodge, is included in the nightly rate, but excludes park fees, which are payable direct. This excursion can be booked in conjunction with a lunch at the Lookout Café.

Africa has an air of romance that sets her apart from anywhere else in the world. However, it is upon stepping into the Victoria Falls rainforest that guests are truly swept off their feet. There is no finer ambience than the gentle roar of the waterfall. The trees grow so closely together that their branches entwine, and their soft, wet drip across the stone path that weaves through this natural wonder. Submerge yourself in the fragrance of the fauna and the playful fauna in this enchanting and awe-inspiring space. A guided tour is included in the nightly rate, excluding park fees. Satisfy your wanderlust by visiting the more beautiful of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Morning and afternoon game drives in 4 x 4 game viewing vehicles will take you along the Zambezi River through the Zambezi National Park. Game that can be seen include elephants, buffalo, kudu, giraffe, zebra, eland, impala, warthogs, lion, wild dog and on occasions, cheetah. Tea baskets and snacks will be taken on the morning drives and Sundowners and snacks on the afternoon game drives.

Old Drift has two luxury 10 seater pontoon boats which will be used for morning and afternoon river safaris. Drinks and snacks will be provided on both safaris.

Morning and afternoon walking safaris will take place along the river but also in the spring lines of Zambezi National Park. Guests will be accompanied by a Professional Guide. Please note that children U 16 years are not permitted on walking safaris.

Guests have the option to enjoy a lunch at the Lookout Café, inclusive of drinks.

This can be booked in conjunction with the Tour of the Falls or for the adrenalin lovers, after they have taken part in any of the high wire activities that take place at the “Lookout”.