Family hotels and homes in Timbavati Game Reserve

We had a wonderful vacation. The Thabamati team looked after all of our needs and we could not have asked for more. The location is beautiful and the nature fantastic!

We stayed 3 nights at King's Camp out of a total of 11 nights in South Africa and this was by far the best part of our entire trip. The place is immaculate - very large and comfortable rooms, extremely friendly staff and a beautiful location in the TImbavati game reserve. We were taken out for dawn and dusk game drives by our own dedicated ranger Cynet and spotter Sunnyboy, in vehicle we had to ourselves most of the time. All the seats were next to the side (so there were no obstructed views), there were warm blankets in the car for the cold and we stopped for sundowners every evening and watched the stars come out - and what stars - amazing views of the milky way. The game was excellent too - lions including cubs, leopard + kill, and all the rest of the big five (if that's what you're into), hyena and cubs. A big highlight was following a leopard through the bush in the car - simply unforgettable! Plus a multitude of birds from eagles to wax-bills - and our extremely knowledgeable ranger Cynet could identify them all! Our room was enormous and luxurious - private secluded pool and veranda area, carefully designed so that it was not overlooked but looked out into the bush with animals traipsing past! There's also a wonderful hide by the waterhole so you can watch the animals coming down to drink and mud-bathe - including a whole herd of elephants! The staff still have a sense of wonder about the animals they see and are just as excited as the guests. And there are steenboks and kudu who visit the grounds and wander around the rooms - and a lovely night-watchman who escorts you to and from your room after dark. The trouble with the food was that it was too good and too plentiful - hard not to gain weight! Well cooked, well presented and served by lovely, attentive staff. Every other night we had a buffet in the traditional "boma" around a fire with our guide.

Well appointed lodge. Fantastic game drives and daily visits from wild animals to the viewing deck at the lodge.

Thanks to all the team at Simbavati Waterside for a beautiful stay! Our room was very spacious and comfortable, the food was excellent and very warm service. Erik took great care of us and Kaizer is an amazing guide and ensured we had the best safari experience.

They have a nice comfortable hide overlooking the waterhole.

Everything!! Simone and Morne are the greatest hosts and we were welcomed like home. The lodge is elegant and effective, the yard, the fire the dining patio… wow what a dream!

The place is very clean and well-kept, beautiful, in the heart of a private and quiet nature reserve. The cabins: each cabin is isolated from the other cabins. Although there ia a shower and a hotub, there is (in addition) an outside (isolated) shower. The bed is insanely comfortable, the atmosphere is romantic and reminiscent of the movie "Memories of Africa". Each cabin has private access for the vehicle. The hosts: A warm local couple, Bryan and Lynn, loving and caring, even after we left the lodge. From the first moment we got the feeling of a "home away from home". Meals: we especially enjoyed breakfast and dinner thanks to the great cooker on site and we ate the dinners around the fire. One night we even spotted buffaloes while having dinner. In conclusion, staying at the place is highly recommended, even if it is necessary to get there specifically. Thank you so much, Bryan and Lynn.

I simply loved everything… if I tell you that I was actually depressed to leave to go to the second lodge we booked, would you believe this? - the room was really impeccable, this was my favorite part. We stayed at the Harrier luxury tent. The “lake” goes behind the tent so you can hear all the frogs and animals etc. it’s really amazing. The outdoor shower was crazy good. The room is soooo quiet otherwise. You don’t hear NOTHING except a bunch of different animals. We even heard leopard sounds and a giraffe in the morning. It’s really that amazing. - let me tell you I’m super picky with bedding and sheets and comfort of the bed and I was like AMAZED by how good the bed was. The sheets were high quality… was great 10/10 - the lodge is small so you get really individualized attention, which some might like some might not - they have lots of animals pretty much all the main ones minus lions and rhinos I think. The leopard and hiena are more rare but we did see them in the property so it was SOOO worth it. Flora the guide was super cool and we did an extra drive with her at ngiht to look for the leopard. This for me MADE THE TRIP. Because I felt like I was close to the people working there and we could talk and adjust and be flexible with the stuff. This was a big plus, since I don’t like these SUPER structured commercial lodges (we saw some like that…)

We were lost but they went all out to make sure that we arrive safely

Frome the Malachite king fisher lodge you are even able to spot animals while resting at your bed. Spot from a Serval, Civet heeps of different bird speacees, lizards ect.