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A wealth of day trips and activities on offer During your stay with us at Bundox Safari Lodge or one of our Wildstyle Villas, don’t be shy about getting out and about and exploring the breathtaking Greater Kruger region – we’ve got a wealth of day trips and tours available for guests, all designed to introduce them to the sights and sounds of this truly special part of South Africa…

What's it like to stay in an intimate, authentic bush camp surrounded by the African Wilderness? We unpack the guest experience at Bundox Explorer Camp and find out what makes it so special... Darkness takes on new meaning in the African bush. It’s somehow thicker and more tangible and filled with a cacophony of sounds that seem to imbue it with a life of its own. It waits, just beyond the flickering of Bundox Explorer Camp’s paraffin lanterns and the soft light cast by the crackling log fire in the boma, black and velvety, like a blanket ready to be pulled up from the bottom of a welcoming bed. That welcoming (and supremely comfortable) bed beckons in its beautifully and practically appointed safari tent, one of four that together make Bundox Explorer Camp a veritable tiny wonder. The old saying about great things coming in small packages applies, and in the case of this camp, the packaging is also worth mentioning because it goes to the heart of what sets it apart. It’s best described as “natural luxury” – a pared-back elegance that makes the most of the wilderness around it to blend in perfectly with its surroundings, doing away with unnecessary (and expensive) frills to create a clean, modern take on the traditional safari experience. The luxury is in the organic flow of the design and the materials used to create it – light, unvarnished woods, wooden decking, unfussy concrete flooring and counters in the interactive kitchen-dining area, neutrally coloured canvas…  Bundox Explorer Camp is a lesson in simplicity and how rustic doesn’t mean surrendering high levels of comfort and exceptional standards of hospitality. It also emphasises how a great safari experience does not depend on the bells and whistles that so many safari camps and lodges fill space with. Décor, such that it is, should never overshadow the experience of being in the wilderness, surrounded by nature in all its wild and magnificent glory. Africa is the luxury that drives the modern safari experience – its vast landscapes and fauna and flora are all the decoration required.

True relaxation is a rare thing, but at Bundox Safari Lodge it's been turned into an art form as you leave the stress of everyday life behind and tune in to the healing power of nature... Sunlight filters through the tall, riparian trees that encircle Bundox Safari Lodge like a welcoming hug from Mother Nature. The dappled light plays on the winding pathways that weave their way through the riverine forest on a small, private sanctuary filled with wildlife and birdsong. Every now and then a path leads off to a safari tent, cleverly concealed in the surrounding woodland. A nyala steps out onto the path and makes eye contact before heading back into the undergrowth, unperturbed by the human presence. High in the canopy a purple crested turaco calls before flying to its next perch, the bright red underside of its spectacular wings flashing as the sunlight catches them. An intense sense of tranquillity fills every nook and cranny as you wind your way along a small, seasonal stream, stopping every now and then to watch and listen to wild Africa all around you. Up ahead the lodge reveals itself like a mirage appearing through the trees. Secluded corners beg you to sit down and unwind, smiling faces ask what they can do for you and you slowly begin to understand what it is to truly relax… There’s a healing quality to nature that we don’t really understand, but at Bundox Safari Lodge it’s brought to the fore with the accent on encouraging you to do as much, or as little as you want during your stay. There’s no pressure to do anything, even though there is a long list of amazing activities on offer, from full-day guided safaris into the nearby Kruger National Park and game viewing on quad bikes to gentle cruises on the Blyde Dam and guided bush walks through the sanctuary.

Mankwe Bush Lodge has a new name and a new look Mankwe Tented Retreat is open for business and welcoming safari enthusiasts from across the world, with lots of big plans for 2023 and eager to make an impact on the African safari stage. If you aren’t familiar with the name, that’s because fate has intervened in the evolution of this beautiful and refreshingly original safari lodge, which used to be known as Mankwe Bush Lodge. Timing is everything when launching a new brand. It’s a lesson learned over and over again in the tourism industry and one that really hit home for Wildside Africa when it acquired Mankwe Bush Lodge and its associated campsite in Botswana back in 2016. Located on the eastern edge of the Moremi Game Reserve with easy access to the legendary Khwai region, it was an obvious choice for the fledgling safari company’s first major acquisition in this beautiful Southern African country. Filled with passion and enthusiasm for its new venture, Wildside Africa decided to close the lodge and significantly upgrade it and the camping facilities, scheduling a relaunch for August 2016 – the start of Botswana’s peak season. What happened next was completely unexpected, but another life lesson for all concerned… A day before the opening, a freak fire decimated the lodge, destroying all of the brand-new communal areas and laying waste to Wildside Africa’s plans.  Efforts at temporary fixes proved impractical, so the decision was taken to start from scratch and undertake a full rebuild and rebrand. That arduous process took three years but resulted in the unveiling of the renamed Mankwe Tented Retreat at the start of 2020. Weeks later a conflagration of a different sort struck – the world shut down as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. The rest, as they say, is history.

The benefits of being on safari, surrounded by Mother Nature in all her wild glory are many and various, and when you add in some fabulous wellness therapies and spa treatments the result is a new you and a deep appreciation for the power of the wild! Lay back, relax, listen to the sounds of nature all around you and allow yourself to unwind completely, forgetting all about the stresses and strains of every day life, work, juggling your job and family life and financial responsibilities… Does it sound like a daydream? Well, at Bundox Safari Lodge it’s our job to make your dream a reality as we help you unlock the healing power of the African wilderness! That’s right, going on safari is actually good for you and can help you to fight stress and bring body, mind and soul together in a wonderful synergy, especially when you have the healing hands of one of our talented spa therapists helping to rid your body of the stress stored up in it. That stress manifests itself as aches and pains and a wonderful massage or hot stone treatment is perfect for relaxing muscles, allowing all of that negative energy to be released. The result? A refreshed and rejuvenated you.  All of our treatments begin with an introductory traditional foot ritual designed to introduce you to your therapist and learn more about the healing power of nature in the beautiful, tranquil environment of our Spa@Bundox.

When it comes to Africa’s wildlife “star attractions” it’s hard to beat the iconic African elephant in terms of size, intelligence and personality. Indeed, the thrill of seeing these legendary animals in their natural habitat is one of the highlights of a Big Five safari… With so many amazing species in the African wilderness it’s always hard to choose a single favourite and much easier to compile a list of animals you love. Chances are that the African elephant, Loxodonta Africana, is somewhere close to the top of that list, thanks to its ranking as one of the world’s most recognised and admired creatures.  The world’s largest living land animal, the African elephant is perhaps the most enigmatic member of the Big Five – a grouping of the most dangerous animals to approach on foot that’s a legacy of the early, colonial days of safari. Along with the leopard, lion, buffalo and rhino, in modern safari terms the Big Five are now the most exciting animals to approach in an open safari vehicle and possibly encounter on a walking safari.

He's forging a stellar path as a pioneering safari chef For young Simanga Shongwe, music was everything growing up in Nhlazatshe, a small rural town in Mpumalanga close to the South African border with Eswatini. He had dreams of becoming the next, great South African sound engineer, but the reality of needing a steady income introduced him to food, and a new career path… “I knew about the pressure of finding work in the music business so when I left school with my Matric certificate I decided to be responsible and enrolled in a chef’s course at the culinary school in Thulamahashe, where my mom had moved when I was 16,” says the softly spoken Simanga. “The possibility of becoming a chef never really crossed my mind, but I knew I had to have a vocation to fall back on and a way to earn a living, so cooking became a backup plan. But I completely fell in love with it,” he laughs. “The more I learned, the more I loved it. Being around food was amazing and I became the first chef from Nhlazatshe. My mum is in the restaurant industry too so understood and supported me in what I was doing. So I gave it my best shot and graduated, applying for a placement in local lodges which included Bundox Safari Lodge. I got a six-month placement at Royal Malewane in 2019. It was a lot of pressure because it’s a famous, exclusive international lodge, but I rose to the challenge. They employed me after the placement but then COVID-19 came and I was retrenched. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I used that time to improve my skills and teach myself new things, especially basic cooking. So I went back to culinary school,” says Simanga.  “When tourism opened up again and Bundox Safari Lodge re-opened, I was offered a position there and I leapt at the chance. I shadowed the Head Chef there for a while, learning the ropes, and then they asked me to come to Bundox Explorer Camp Bundox Explorer Camp as a chef.”