Shindzela Tented Safari Camp

3.0 star property
your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for Shindzela Tented Safari Camp

Front of property
Outdoor pool, pool loungers
f) Safari Tent with en-suite Bathroom
Interior detail
Exterior

Reviews

9.4 out of 10

Exceptional

Popular amenities

  • Bar
    Bar
  • Pool
    Pool
  • Breakfast included
    Breakfast included
  • Laundry
    Laundry
  • Housekeeping
    Housekeeping
  • 24/7 front desk
    24/7 front desk

Explore the area

Map
1 Jonniesdale Farm, Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, 1380
  • Greater Kruger National Park
    1 min walk
  • Timbavati Private Nature Reserve
    1 min walk
  • Orpen Gate
    102 min drive
  • Hoedspruit (HDS)
    193 min drive

Room options

f) Safari Tent with en-suite Bathroom

  • 0.6 sq m
  • Water view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 1 Twin Bed

b) Safari Tent with en-suite Bathroom

  • 0.6 sq m
  • Water view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 1 Twin Bed

d) Safari Tent with en-suite Bathroom

  • 0.6 sq m
  • Water view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 1 Twin Bed

c) Safari Tent with en-suite Bathroom

  • 0.6 sq m
  • Water view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 1 Twin Bed

h) Safari Tent with en-suite Bathroom

  • 0.6 sq m
  • River view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 1 Twin Bed

g) Safari Tent with en-suite Bathroom

  • 0.6 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 1 Twin Bed

a) Safari Tent with en-suite Bathroom

  • 0.6 sq m
  • Water view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 1 Twin Bed

e) Safari Tent with en-suite Bathroom

  • 0.6 sq m
  • Water view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 1 Twin Bed

Similar properties

About the area

Timbavati Game Reserve

When you a stay at Shindzela Tented Safari Camp in Timbavati Game Reserve, you'll be on a river, just steps from Greater Kruger National Park and Timbavati Private Nature Reserve. .This tentalow is 15.3 mi (24.5 km) from Kruger National Park and 10.9 mi (17.5 km) from Selati Nature Reserve.

What's nearby

  • Greater Kruger National Park - 1 min walk - 0.0 km
  • Timbavati Private Nature Reserve - 1 min walk - 0.0 km
  • Andover Nature Reserve - 97 min drive - 44.2 km
  • Orpen Gate - 102 min drive - 24.6 km
  • Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre - 114 min drive - 75.1 km

Restaurants

  • ‪Surprise Breakfast in the Ngala Bush - ‬109 min drive
  • ‪Gin And Tonic bar & Beyond - ‬106 min drive

About this property

Shindzela Tented Safari Camp

Riverfront tentalow with free breakfast and a 24-hour front desk
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp offers 8 accommodations with complimentary toiletries and ceiling fans. Rooms open to furnished patios. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Rooms have partially open bathrooms. Bathrooms include showers. A nightly turndown service is provided and housekeeping is offered daily.
Guests can experience the thrill of a safari, and take advantage of an outdoor pool.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

Make yourself at home in one of the 8 guestrooms. Rooms have private furnished patios. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms have showers and complimentary toiletries.
You can experience a safari, and enjoy an outdoor pool. This tentalow also features complimentary wireless internet access and gift shops/newsstands.
At Shindzela Tented Safari Camp, enjoy a satisfying meal at the restaurant. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge. A complimentary buffet breakfast is served daily from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
Featured amenities include a 24-hour front desk, laundry facilities, and a safe deposit box at the front desk. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided for a surcharge (available on request), and free self parking is available onsite.
A complimentary buffet breakfast is served each morning between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM.
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp has a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Languages

Afrikaans, English, Italian, Zulu

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and public transport

  • Free self-parking on site
  • Return airport shuttle (surcharge) from noon to 7:00 PM
  • Airport shuttle at scheduled times, on request

Food and drink

  • Free buffet breakfast available daily 9:00 AM–10:00 AM
  • 1 restaurant
  • 1 bar

Things to do

  • Game/wildlife drives
  • Game/wildlife viewing
  • Outdoor pool
  • Safari

Conveniences

  • Front-desk safe
  • Gift shop/newsstand
  • Water dispenser

Guest services

  • 24-hour front desk
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Laundry facilities
  • Turndown service

Outdoors

  • Garden
  • Pool sunloungers
  • Terrace

Accessibility

  • This property does not have any lifts

More

  • Designated smoking areas
  • Mosquito nets

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bed sheets
  • Ceiling fan

Bathroom

  • Bathroom (partially open)
  • Free toiletries
  • Shower
  • Towels

More

  • Turndown service

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: noon; Check-in end time: 2:00 PM
Minimum check-in age: 15

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM

Special check-in instructions

This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
The property charges 4 percent for credit card payments
Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; front desk staff will greet guests on arrival
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 72 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation
Guests driving to the property should contact this property in advance (e.g., directions)
For more details, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation
Guests driving to the property should contact this property in advance. Safaris must be booked 30 days in advance of arrival.

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

No pets or service animals allowed

Children and extra beds

Children 10 and younger are not allowed at this property; All guests older than 10 are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

  • Airport shuttle transfer per adult: ZAR 1390 (one-way)
  • Resort fee: ZAR 220 per person, per night

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

Optional extras

  • Airport shuttle fee: ZAR 1390 per person (one-way)
  • Credit card charges are subject to a surcharge of 4 percent
  • Facilities fee: ZAR 220 per person, per night

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Tax ID - 4130203856
This property accepts credit cards and cash
Air conditioning and heating are not provided
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
Children 10 years old and younger are not permitted at this property
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property
This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly)

Property is also known as

Shindzela Camp
Shindzela Tented
Shindzela Tented Camp Safari
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Hoedspruit
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Lodge Hoedspruit
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Bushbuckridge
Bushbuckridge Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Lodge
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Lodge Bushbuckridge
Lodge Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Bushbuckridge
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Lodge
Lodge Shindzela Tented Safari Camp
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Bushbuckridge
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Safari/Tentalow
Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Safari/Tentalow Bushbuckridge

Shindzela Tented Safari Camp Reviews

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 9 out of 13 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 3 out of 13 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 13 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 13 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 13 reviews" "

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.8/10

Staff & service

9.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

HappyCamper, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Back to nature
Shindzela offers the type of safari experience that is sadly dying out, to be replaced by glitzy, costly options that separate visitors from the real bush. Our guide was excellent; calm & professional even when another group was shrieking and whooping (TIP, wild animals prefer quiet). Our tracker was keen-eyed, polite and focussed. The cooking/cleaning staff clearly took pride in their work. I feel Shindzela is excellent value for money and should form a part of many more travellers' trips. It is intimate and honest but not for people who expect a 5 star spa.

10/10 Excellent

Keith, Fakenham UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Animals and seclusion
Absolutely amazing place - great safari location

10/10 Excellent

Stuart, Leeds, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Bushcamp experience
My wife and I spent 4 nights at Shindzela Tented Bush Camp and were extremely pleased with the experience. From the outset, Carolien was very efficient in providing all requested information before we arrived and the driving directions were faultless. Although having no previous experience of a safari, we chose this because we would be in a small group (8 tents) in a comfortable but basic environment with the focus on learning about the environment and the animals and birds living there. We had 4 morning safari drives, starting at about 5:45 am and 4 evening drives starting at about 3:45pm. Each lasted 3 hours. Andre was our Ranger for the first 6 drives and then Wiann and Raymond (tracker) for the remainder. (We overlapped with another reviewer Alan B). Each Ranger was very knowledgeable and we had a great time in their company. Raymond certainly was a skilled tracker! We were lucky enough to see the Big 5 and multiple times. The encounter with lions and elephants was at very close quarters! Shadrack was the chef de parti and he also showed his comedy side on announcing each meal. The food was wholesome and filling. During the day between drives, we took lunch and relaxed. This trip has been a highlight of our South African tour and is among the best of any of our travel experiences. The Shindzela team have the right balance, we feel, between comforts and being at one with nature. Don’t change anything! (PS Good WiFi signal was a bonus). Thanks, Stuart & Sarah

10/10 Excellent

Dan, Weymouth, Dorset, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
You can't get closer to nature. Great place!
Beautiful place. Friendly well informed staff. The place to go if you want to be close to the bush. In my opinion better than places that cost twice the price. Thumbs up!

10/10 Excellent

SteveAndRegina, Switzerland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Authentic safari experience
We had a fantastic 3 day safari in early January 2012. The staff and the service was excellent! We wanted an authentic safari experience and found it perfectly at shindzela. The half tent / half hut give enough creature comforts while allowing you to feel that you are in the midst of the bush! Everything is kept very clean in this very well organized and maintained camp. The staff provide excellent food and create a very relaxed atmosphere that allowed us to get the most from our safari. Morning and evening safaris were mainly in vehicles but with the staff readily organize walking safaris on foot with a a day or two's notice - something hat is well wealth doing! Our guides were extremely experienced and very knowledgable about the flora & fauna. They have managed to avoid a commercial feel and offered us a chance to really feel we were close to nature. Thank you to Mike, Sam & team - you gave us a wonderful experience.

10/10 Excellent

Anne, Alexandria, VA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
trip of a lifetime!
If you want to experience the real Africa, this is the place for you. This was our first trip to Aftrica. The staff make all the difference here. We saw so much in three days and learned so much more, even about the ones we didn't see. The "room" is a tent on a platform with a toilet and hot water showers. The food is outstanding. No electricity, but everything you need. Our travel arrangements from Johannesburg and back were made by the camp and timed perfectly. We thought it was a 'once in a lifetime' trip but we can't wait to go back! The sound of the lions at night, right outside the camp, is not to be missed!

10/10 Excellent

Donal + Laura, Ireland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Top Class
This is the first time I've bothered to review a hotel but Shindzela is deservign of all the praise it gets. Fantastic experience with great food, safari drives, rangers.... Could not recommend this highly enough.

6/10 Okay

Christian, Hamburg

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Gut aber nicht günstig
Vorweg muss man sagen: Wir hatten schlechtes Wetter. 20 Grad, Sturm und etwas Regen erwartet man einfach im Sommer nicht. Auf den Games Drives haben wir z.T. gefroren… Aber wir haben Löwen mit Jungen gesehenen, was absolut toll war, und ein Black Rhino, was wirklich sehr selten ist. Aber ansonsten muss ich sagen, dass wir doch von Timbavati Gebiet etwas enttäuscht waren. Wir hatten uns mehr Tiere versprochen… Und dazu kommt, dass das Essen (für den Preis) doch eher „überschaubar“ war (aber für mich wurde auch extra laktosefrei gekocht!). Die Zelte sind sehr dunkel und nicht wirklich gemütlich… aber das darf man bei Zelten i.d.R. auch nicht erwarten. Die Staff war sehr freundlich und hilfsbereit unser Guide und Sam als Tracker waren wirklich klasse und konnte uns viel (neues) über die Natur und die Tiere erzählen. Trotzdem (vielleicht lag es auch am Wetter) waren wir nicht ganz zufrieden – gerade bei dem Preis, der zwar im Vergleich zu anderen Lodges im Timbavati Reserve geringer ist, aber im Vergleich z.B. zu unserem Favorit Tshukudu Bush Camp doch trotzdem deutlich höher liegt. Und natürlich gibt es auch keine Garantie für Tiersichtungen. Vielleicht haben wir einfach Pech gehabt?!
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Bien si pas si loin et difficile d'accès
Une horreur pour y arriver! Google map pas à jour qui fait passer pas une route privée que l'on ne peut en fait pas utiliser. Résultat, le camp est à 2h de route de Kruger Orpen gate et non pas 30min! Nous sommes parties de Kruger à 4h30 et nous sommes arrivés à 18h30 au campement après 1h de route de nuit dans le bush à voir des éléphants et des hyènes traverser le chemin de terre sur lequel ns étions. Horrible! Frais supplémentaires à ajouter au prix de la chambre: 140ZAR entrée de la réserve + 400ZAR conservation fees qui n'étaient pas prévu! Mis à part cela, tout était parfait une fois sur place mais il faut réellement arriver avant la nuit.

8/10 Good

Dagmar

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Muss man erlebt haben.
Unvergleichliche Erlebnisse. Die Tiere, die Atmosphäre, duschen unter freiem Himmel...

10/10 Excellent

Benjamin, Schauenburg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfekt - mitten in der Natur
Perfekte Übernachtung. Immer wieder gerne.

10/10 Excellent

Fredrik, N/A

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastisk upplevelse
En safarilodge är mycket mer än bara ett hotell, så min recension och de betyg jag gav utgår ifrån vad jag tycker att man bör förvänta sig av en safarilodge. Detta är inte en av de lyxigaste lodgerna, utan ett "tältläger" där man offrar vissa bekvämligheter för en avslappnad stämning som jag tycker passar mycket bättre på en safari än ett "lyxhotell" (som många av lodgerna försöker vara). Oerhört duktiga och serviceinriktade spårare och guider, god och vällagad mat och en trevlig och avslappnad stämning. En helt underbar safariupplevelse med andra ord! Jag vill dock tillägga att detta var min första safari, så jag har ingenting att jämföra med. Huruvida den här lodgen är bättre eller sämre än någon annan låter jag därför vara osagt.