ROYAL THONGA

True bush experience We stayed at Royal Thonga with our 3 year old twins for one night. Venue gives one a true bush experience with the chalets isolated from each other so you... read moreWe stayed at Royal Thonga with our 3 year old twins for one night. Venue gives one a true bush experience with the chalets isolated from each other so you truly feel like you are in the bush. Girls loved the wooden walkways through the indigenous bush which connect the chalets, dining area, pool etc. Staff were friendly and accommodating, meals tasty and wholesome, well stocked bar and the game drive was a highlight. The lodge shares a boundary with Tembe Elephant Park and has its own gate so once you get on the game drive vehicle you are basically in Tembe. Great sightings of elephant up close as well as a number of other species. We will most certainly visit again. More read less

When the stars come out tonight…… Lots of email correspondence before visit about game drives and any dietary problems with Carrie – arrived early – 11.15 – room ready - welcomed by Fezile who is a... read moreLots of email correspondence before visit about game drives and any dietary problems with Carrie – arrived early – 11.15 – room ready - welcomed by Fezile who is a star in my book – checked-in – walked down the boardwalk to our chalet… Stayed in Chalet 3 “Knobwood” for one night on a half board basis from 29 March 2017 It is a large thatched building – bedroom – large comfy bed with mosquito netting around it – 2 easy chairs – hanging and storage space – a fan that only works during the 4 hours when there is electricity from the generator – through a door to large open roofed bathroom – large walk-in shower - toiletries – out another door into the open air shower which was very good well controlled temperature and pressure – no in room Wi-Fi There is a deck with 2 chairs and a table – just right for your sundowner and viewing the stars after lights out at precisely 9.00 pm – a battery operated lantern is provided as light source after the electricity goes off Each chalet is separated from its neighbour by a thick thicket of vegetation giving an almost like being in the bush like experience There is also a reasonably large sized pool with chairs under shade and again surrounded by bush There is a large open sided restaurant area – with bar – comfy chairs – pit fire – and dining tables and chairs - we had lunch and despite the lack of electricity the cook managed to deliver a good cheeseburger and chips for R65 per head plus reasonably cold beers – dinner – 3 courses – soup meat and pudding – good food well cooked - breakfast – cooked breakfast – again well done – started the day early and very satisfied Game drive – pm – left at 2.00 pm back just after 6.00 - only us on the safari vehicle – Lodge has its own private entrance to the Park less than 5 minutes away – a real bonus – windy afternoon – prognosis for game sightings not good – changed guides at one of the hides at a waterhole – saw our first elephant having a drink – then with Vezi at the helm tootled around following another safari vehicle for a while until they pulled off for their sundowners - we continued as our guide had an elephant in his sights – made contact but it turned tail – and then turned a corner to find a herd of 30+ elephants including some impressive tuskers – we went round a bend in the road only to have a very close encounter with 10 or so elephants including a baby from the same herd – earlier our guide had picked up some lion tracks – he followed his instincts and in the dying light of day we found 2 immature male lions just hanging out close to a small waterhole – we might not have had our G and T sundowners but we had an excellent afternoon’s entertainment for R750 - thank you Access to the Lodge is from the main road and then onto a sandy road for about 3 kms. to the gatehouse and about 500 metres to reception – we drove it in 2WD vehicle and had no problems One of the main benefits of being without electricity is the lack of light pollution in the night sky – there are a myriad of stars filling the sky that we can’t see at home – my photo does not do it justice On the face of it this appears to be a basic hotel with the lack of electricity i.e. no ac no fridge – no kettle – no Wi-Fi - but this lack of modern “essentials” is made up by so much more – friendly staff and great service – good food well-cooked – great game drives – easy access to the Park – big night skies – bed at 9.30 awake with the dawn – a feeling of coming back to nature – a recommended experience – thank you read less

Great location. Very friendly and attentive service Wonderful accommodation and an excellent adventure for kids. Even braved the pool in the winter, very refreshing after a long but successful game drive, thank you Wesi. The food was... read moreWonderful accommodation and an excellent adventure for kids. Even braved the pool in the winter, very refreshing after a long but successful game drive, thank you Wesi. The food was excellent and sitting by the log fire finished off the day brilliantly. read less

Umthayi Festival Visit Royal Thonga is a lovely establishment. The rooms are simple, comfortable and stylish. The food tastes really good and the dinning area is beautiful. It is best for a quiet... read moreRoyal Thonga is a lovely establishment. The rooms are simple, comfortable and stylish. The food tastes really good and the dinning area is beautiful. It is best for a quiet family or romantic holiday, not so much for business. Getting a phone signal was a problem. read less

Fantastic stay We stayed for 2 days as a University group at Royal Thonga, I am a staff member and led a group with a colleague- taking students studying for a module... read moreWe stayed for 2 days as a University group at Royal Thonga, I am a staff member and led a group with a colleague- taking students studying for a module on People Conservation and Wildlife. Everything was very well arranged, from allocating the students to rooms, to producing good meals (and lots of food!) at the times we requested and some excellent game drives in high quality vehicles. Game viewing is, as some other reviews say, not always easy due to the unique ecology of the park. However we had several close encounters with elephants from the vehicles and saw elephants at the hide, and over 2 days, were also lucky enough to see lions, plus buffalo, impala, nyala, zebra, vervets, mongooses and a range of birds.

This was the end of a trip where we had been camping much of the time so 2 nights in this beautiful lodge was a lovely end to a very busy 2 week fieldtrip.
Staff made us a fire each night and all (guides, bar and kitchen staff and cleaners) were very helpful and friendly. The manager, Wendy, went out of her way to ensure that everything went smoothly and even arranged a birthday cake and a birthday song for a student who turned 21 whilst we were there.
Several of us said we'd like to come back with a partner for a rather more romantic stay! read less

Tranquil venue with great service Incredible service from super humble team. Loved our room, the venue and the food. Very relaxed venue.

We were not fortunate with the game drives - did not have great sightings... read moreIncredible service from super humble team. Loved our room, the venue and the food. Very relaxed venue.

We were not fortunate with the game drives - did not have great sightings but our ranger tried really hard. read less