This 4-day Timbavati tented camp safari stays at Shindzela Tented Safari Camp, an intimate unfenced camp in a private concession of Timbavati Game Reserve in Greater Kruger. Ideal for travellers wanting a shorter, authentic bush experience, it includes Big Five game drives, optional bush walks and night drives in a small-group safari camp.
At the start of this excellent-value 4-Day Timbavati Tented Camp Safari at Shindzela, you are collected from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Your shuttle transfers you to the Greater Kruger, stopping at a bush pub just outside of Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, stopping to admire the scenery along the way. From the bush pub, you are then transferred to Shindzela Tented Safari Camp, a private concession area within Timbavati.
Arriving at the charming camp, it's time for a tasty lunch surrounded by unspoilt nature, followed by leisure time. Sit back on your own little porch, splash in the pool, take a nap, or simply soak up the tranquil surroundings. Later in the afternoon, we embark on our first sunset game drive in the Greater Kruger.
All game drives are conducted in open 4x4 safari vehicles, specifically modified for game viewing in the African bush. Timbavati offers excellent game viewing, hosting the famous Big Five - lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant - and many more. At times, the guide may venture off-road to follow predator sightings and unusual animals - one of the perks of game viewing in a Greater Kruger Park concession area. We also encounter fewer safari vehicles on the game drives in Timbavati than in Kruger National Park, meaning we can spend more time at each wildlife sighting without being disturbed. Stop for sundowners, watching the sun set over the African bush. Another advantage of game viewing in Timbavati Private Reserve is that afternoon game drives can stretch into night drives with powerful spotlights. This enables us to spot nocturnal creatures, from bushbabies to porcupines and civets.
Back at camp, tuck into a hearty meal and relax around the campfire under a star-studded sky.
The next two days of your Timbavati Tented Camp safari, you can choose between game drives and walking safaris in this famous Greater Kruger National Park. Two safari activities are included each day, morning and late afternoon, with a choice of game drives or bush walks, depending on animal movements and your preferences. Game viewing is done early in the mornings and late in the afternoons as these are the best times to see wildlife in the bush.
Days at camp follow roughly the same schedule, beginning with a wake-up call at about 5h00 am. Start with a cup of tea or coffee and some rusks (tea biscuits), before setting off on your morning game viewing drive or walk in the Timbavati Game Reserve. Departing by 5h45 am, we are in the bush as day breaks and the creatures begin to stir.
Timbavati offers excellent game viewing, hosting the famous Big Five - lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant - and many more. Exploring Big Five country with the camp's knowledgeable game rangers, both on foot and by safari vehicle, is an incredible experience. The game viewing drives and walks focus on experiencing the wild habitat and the diverse fauna and flora that make this rich ecosystem so special, as well as seeing the Big Five.
Walking in the bush with an experienced guide is especially ideal for getting a closer look at the variety of animals, insects, reptiles, birds and signs of animal activity. The walking safaris are all about being immersed in the bush - encountering game such as antelopes, zebras and giraffes, and learning about the natural environment and its diverse inhabitants. You have plenty of opportunities to stop and watch animals and birds along the way, examining interesting features of the African bushveld, and taking photographs under the guidance of your ranger. You may also come across bigger mammals, including the Big Five, on the guided walks, so your guide is armed to ensure your safety.
Return to camp for a scrumptious brunch by mid-morning, followed by free time. Relax at the camp, take a dip in the pool and enjoy the natural surroundings. Lunch is served in the dining area at about 14h30 pm, and then we embark on an afternoon game-viewing activity, leaving camp between 15h00 and 16h30 pm. Your guide may suggest a combination game drive and short walk based on where wildlife is more likely to be sighted, or a game drive. On both walks and drives, we stop for sundowners in the wilderness, admiring the beautiful colours of the evening sky before darkness falls. Then we continue exploring the bush into the night, looking out for nocturnal wildlife in the safari vehicle. Those doing an afternoon walk will switch to a game drive after sunset.
End back at the tented camp by about 19h00 pm. Dinner is served at about 19h30, then we settle in for the night, relaxing at the bar or around the campfire under the stars.
Rise and shine early in the morning for the final game viewing adventure of your Greater Kruger Safari in the exclusive Timbavati Game Reserve. Start with a cup of coffee or tea and snacks, before setting off into the wilderness with your experienced guide. After spotting your last wildlife and birds, return to Shindzela Tented Safari Camp for a delicious breakfast. Then we leave Greater Kruger National Park, heading back to the bush pub to meet up with our return shuttle to Johannesburg. The shuttle takes you to OR Tambo International Airport, where this excellent-value 4-Day Timbavati Tented Camp Safari at Shindzela comes to a close.
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp is set on spacious, natural grounds along the banks of a dry riverbed, looking onto a small watering hole. This intimate safari camp provides a genuine African bush experience, situated in a private concession area, within the Big Five Timbavati Game Reserve. This camp is unfenced, allowing wild animals to roam onto the grounds freely. Guests are immersed in nature at the camp, where honey badgers and warthogs are often spotted. Elephants, antelopes and buffalo are sometimes spotted, and occasionally lions are sighted along the river banks.
Accommodation is simple yet comfortable, with an emphasis on being immersed in the untamed wilderness of Greater Kruger Park. The camp accommodates 16 guests at most, featuring eight permanent tents with double or twin beds. Each canvas-sided tented suite is set on a wooden platform with a shaded deck area overlooking the natural surroundings. The tents are topped with a thatched roof, and come with insect netting and canvas flaps to open and close the windows. They have semi-open en-suite bathrooms with shower, toilet and hand basin fixtures.
The thatch-roofed dining and bar areas of Shindzela Tented Safari Camp open out onto the tree-dotted grounds, featuring a splash pool with deck chairs around it. There is an open-air boma area with camping chairs for sitting around the campfire under star-studded skies. The tented camp runs mostly on solar power and uses gas geysers for hot water. The charm of this rustic tented camp is its back-to-nature atmosphere in the African wilderness.
Timbavati is an exclusive private game reserve which forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park of South Africa. Timbavati Reserve shares unfenced borders with the Kruger National Park proper, allowing the incredible diversity of wildlife to move freely between them.
Timbavati is one of the most prestigious game reserves in South Africa, offering outstanding wildlife viewing. This renowned reserve hosts the Big Five of Africa (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant), amongst its 40 mammal species. Sightings include hyena, jackal, giraffe, hippo, wild dog, zebra and a variety of antelopes, such as kudu and impala, along with 350 bird species. Timbavati Private Game Reserve incorporates private concession areas, one of which is reserved solely for Shindzela Tented Safari Camp.
See our 5-Day Timbavati Tented Camp Safari at Shindzela
See our 6-Day Timbavati Tented Camp Safari at Shindzela
Please note that we offer convenient pre- and post-tour lodge accommodation for before and after your Timbavati Tended Camp Safari, which can be added to your tour booking upon request. The 4-star lodge accommodation is located 10-15 minutes from the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. View pre- or post-safari lodge rates.
If you are looking for an excellent-value Kruger National Park safari, this 4-Day Kruger National Park Safari spends four days exclusively game-viewing within the Kruger National Park.
This tour does take children.
Children 10 years and older allowed at the camp.
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