ROYAL THONGA

Royal Thoga Excellent Value What a wonderful experience we had while en route for a work trip which turned into a mini holiday as we finished off the work day with a short bush... read moreWhat a wonderful experience we had while en route for a work trip which turned into a mini holiday as we finished off the work day with a short bush walk and leisurely swim in the pool. This venue is a tranquil bush lodge beautifully appointed and very comfortable. The staff were super friendly and the service was excellent. Evening sunset drinks on the deck and supper in the large domed dining room was wonderful. The game drive at the adjoining Game Reserve was a great safari experience. I would highly recommend this lodge and will certainly be returning back there. read less

Peaceful and beautiful We had a wonderfull stay at Royal Thonga.

The rooms are spacious and special. Although no airco or fan, the temperature at night was good to handle.
Staff is friendly and helpful... read moreWe had a wonderfull stay at Royal Thonga.

The rooms are spacious and special. Although no airco or fan, the temperature at night was good to handle.
Staff is friendly and helpful and do take interest in you.

There is no WIFI but we did not mind. Actually it was quite nice and enhanced our quality time. There are plenty books to read and games to play. read less

Wonderful stay at Royal Thonga Safari Lodge My family and I had the most wonderful stay at Royal Thonga Safari Lodge. The staff treated us like family, going WAY out of their way to help us with... read moreMy family and I had the most wonderful stay at Royal Thonga Safari Lodge. The staff treated us like family, going WAY out of their way to help us with a project that we were doing at a local school. The chalets and lodge are beautifully designed, blending traditional techniques with a modern sensibility, and built by local craftspeople. Our safari guide was highly knowledgable and skilled, as well as just the nicest person. We had excellent viewings of lions, elephants, giraffe, impala, cape buffalo, etc. I can't recommend Royal Thonga highly enough! read less

Great African Style Lodge This lodge is wondeful! It is off the beaten track, which makes it so peaceful, yet directly at Tembe Elephant Park! There is no wifi and electricity only 3h in... read moreThis lodge is wondeful! It is off the beaten track, which makes it so peaceful, yet directly at Tembe Elephant Park! There is no wifi and electricity only 3h in the morning and 3h in the evening. I thought that was great, as I like living in the most natural settings to enjoy Africa's beauty. There are boardwalks connecting the lodges, a pool and a lovely dining/lounge area. The staff is wonderful and the game drives are great! The guide finds game even in the thickest bush! The food is good and the beds comfortable. Everyone has their own chalet with outside shower and mosquito nets above the beds.
Highly recommended! More read less

Excellent stay Don’t miss this fantastic park and the Royal Thonga Safari Lodge. We had an unforgettable experience there. The staff is wonderful and the lodge is a dream. Our guide was... read moreDon’t miss this fantastic park and the Royal Thonga Safari Lodge. We had an unforgettable experience there. The staff is wonderful and the lodge is a dream. Our guide was very experienced and made the game drive an adventure. We highly recommend it! 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