Tangala Safari Camp, Thornybush Private Game Reserve

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Lionesses savour their kill.

© South African Tourism

Tangala Safari Camp lies deep in the heart of the Thornybush Private Game Reserve, a vast game park in the Limpopo Lowveld.

This is big sky and big game country. Thornybush Game Reserve is home to the Big Five of Africa - lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino - and you stand an excellent chance of seeing them all when you stay at Tangala Safari Camp.

Tangala is a small camp – there are only five tents – and there is no electricity. The camp's solar-powered restaurant and viewing deck overlooks a waterhole where there is plenty of animal action to be seen from the comfort of an armchair or pool lounger. Giraffe, kudu, impala and warthog make regular visits to the waterhole and, at night, you may hear the roar of lions or the cackle of hyenas.

Tangala is a wild place. Rangers will walk you to your room at night and you cannot move around unaccompanied – lions have been known to wander through the camp.

The atmosphere at Tangala is friendly, the decor easy on the eye. Tangala has a small and convivial bar, and at night you will eat around a fire and get to meet the other guests. Tangala has a long history as a safari camp, started way back in 1949 and has been a sanctuary for lovers of the wild ever since.

Thornybush is adjacent to the Klaserie and Timbavati private game reserves and together they make up a massive protected game area that is known for its excellent game viewing and birding. The closest town is Hoedpsruit, set in the foothills of the northern Drakensberg Mountains. The beautiful Blyde River Canyon, the world’s third largest, is an easy drive from here.