1 Week rental- 10% more km/day

2 week rental 15% more km/day

3 Week rental 20% more km/day

4 Week rental 25% more km/day

Monthly rentals: 5% discount, plus 25% more km/day..

I need more information, please call me

Take Advantage of this Special Offer

I need more information, please call me

Take Advantage of this Special Offer

If you’ve never stayed at Tsendze Rustic Campsite in the Kruger National Park, you’ve never experienced how great camping can be.

1. Hate getting into a tug-of-war to secure a site at the increasingly busy Kruger campsites? I do. That’s why the camping-only Tsendze is bliss. There are just 34 sites and before you arrive you can request the specific site you want by phoning Mopani reception. Tsendze’s following is such that people book their special favourite up to a year ahead.

2. Each site is carved out of the natural bush. This gives you some privacy and a sense of being in ‘the wild’ even though there’s a perimeter fence for security. Many sites are along the fence, so you don’t miss out on passing animals. But unlike at other camps that also have perimeter sites, you don’t have to sacrifice your personal space to enjoy front-row seats.

3. The campsites are generously sized and come with everything a camper could want – bin, room to spread out, braai, water tap nearby, and shade for at least part of the day (our favourite site has an appleleaf tree).

4. The rustic nature of the camp means there are no power points at the sites, but you still have solar/gas power for the ablutions and kitchen. (Don’t fret, there are communal gas freezers for those who don’t come equipped with their own battery-powered fridges.)

5. Some people like all the bells and whistles of electricity, shops, restaurants and fuel stations, but I prefer the peace that comes from their absence at Tsendze.

6. Three cheers for Rodgers Hobyane and Elina Mona, who look after the camp. They’re high up on the list of reasons to love the place, friendly and helpful in a way that’s won them many hospitality awards. They come around in the evening to check everything is okay, or perhaps to share the secret hiding place of an owl. They’ll go out of their way to help you – even at their own expense, as when Rodgers offered the use of his own newly-acquired car so visitors could get the part they needed from Phalaborwa.

7. Nowhere in Kruger – or possibly in South Africa – will you find such a clean braai. Most places think sweeping out the dead ash constitutes cleaning a braai; not Rodgers and Elina. They have magic system of cleaning that leaves it as good as new day after day. We usually put our own folding braai grid on top of a braai so our meat doesn’t have to touch the age-old grease and ash left behind by previous fires, but at Tsendze we slap the meat directly onto the spotless braai, no question.

8. The same care and cleanliness can be found in the thatched ablutions and kitchens.

9. A nice touch is outdoor showers for a spot of star-gazing while you wash away the heat of the day. For traditionalists or cold-snap visitors, there are standard indoor versions too.

10. Tsendze (as a sign announces near the gate) is a low noise impact facility, so it generally tends to draw people who enjoy nature and are more interested in listening to the sounds of the bush than making a noise themselves. No generators are allowed.

11. You won’t be plagued at your campsite by thieving vervet monkeys or baboons because there are none here. You may, however, have some excitement when an elephant decides to try to push down the fence!

12. There are some fab game viewing points in the area, like  the Nashawu waterholes and Tihongonyeni on the Capricorn Loop.

Bonus point

You can still go on an early morning bushwalk or sunset drive from Tsendze; a guide from Mopani will pick you up from the entrance gate to Tsendze and drop you off again.

Source: http://blog.getaway.co.za/travel-blog/12-reasons-kruger-parks-tsendze-camp-tops/

We’ve come up with a variety of campsites well worth visiting, which offer something for everyone.

Kruger National Park

Probably the best camping sites if you are looking for the bush, the adventure, the animals and of course the facilities. The Kruger National Park has an abundence of camping sites to choose from. All the main camps offer camping areas for those who feel the need to have some comforts close by and then for those who are looking for something a bit more remote there is Maroela just past the Orpen Camp, Balule with it’s abundence of birdlife and the gem, Tsendze Rustic Camp just below Mopani

La Luna Guest Farm, Malelane

Malelane is a rather nondescript little town that, despite this, retains its right to belong to a part of the world known as the ‘Wild Frontier‘. It too is a stepping stone to the Kruger, if you’re on the other side of the park. La Luna guest farm is in Low’s Creek, roughly 20 km from the Malelane tollgate and a great place to base yourself if the Kruger is your destination. It’s quiet here on the working farm with none of the resort-type distractions that come with the Kruger. Aside from a real ‘backpacker’ army tent for school groups, La Luna also provides a low-key safari tent experience, with furnished tents that come complete with a bar fridge, two plate stove and wash basin. The tents are on individual decks, and aside from your own towels, you won’t have to bring anything (they’ll even provide dinner and breakfast if you would like it). There are only two tents, with a communal ablution area, and the rates are reasonable. Expect a swimming pool, dam, bird watching, hiking, and quiet.

Kruger Adventure Lodge, Hazyview

As it’s name suggests this lodge is situated in the town literally on the doorstep of the Kruger National Park. You’re only 12 minutes from the gate. The lodge is upmarket, but priced for locals, it’s also eco-friendly and contributes to the indigenous tree fund, keeping their impact on the environment to a minimum. Aside from a series of bush huts and self-catering units, the lodge provides tented accommodation that they claim is basic, but still promise en suite bathrooms and electricity, so your creature comforts will be more than catered for. And if roughing it in your own tent is more up your alley, they have camping and overlanding facilities too. Expect a restaurant, fitness centre, children’s playground, braai facilities, an outdoor swimming pool, nature walks with guides, and snake demos.

Machado Flyfishing Club, Machadodorp

Merry Pebbles Resort, Sabie

Olifants River Lodge, Middelburg

Panorama Chalets, Graskop

At the foot of Mpumalanga’s Hlumuhlumu Mountains, lies this Satour award winner famed for its’ hot mineral springs and surrounding Emanzana Game Reserve. The game reserve is habitat to white rhino and a variety of antelope. Accommodation consists of a 290 stand caravan park (all with power points) serviced by five ablution facilities.

Passing the Time in the Lowveld … Adventurously

Holidays that are filled with adventure are very often the memorable ones where youth is relived or new hobbies are discovered. Although the word “adventure” conjures up images of adrenalin junkies and risky activities, this does not necessarily have to be so. There are so many things to do in the Lowveld that can be enjoyed at any age and any fitness level. So why not tick off a few activities on your bucket list?

• Take in magnificent scenery while you gracefully “seil” down a cliff face, next to a waterfall.
• Experience things from a different vantage point and take a journey through the treetops.
• Watch the sun come up and toast the day from a hot air balloon.
• Enjoy a round of golf on some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world.
• Slow down and stroll through the Botanical Gardens and enjoy a cool drink at the restaurant while the kids expose the monkey in them on the jungle gyms.
• Time to bring your inner child to the surface and fly down a foefie slide or feel like Robin Hood and master the art of bow and arrow. Quad bike over rough terrain with a guide or without … your choice.
• If ancestry is your thing, visit one of the many tribal communities and experience the culture and traditions.
• Strike it rich and go gold panning in the “Mecca of Gold Panning”, Pilgrim’s Rest.
• See the many faces of the Sudwala Caves and hear the fascinating stories of their rich history.
• Be one with nature and enjoy a bush walk or elephant back ride. Open vehicle game drives or a booze cruise. What about a little fly fishing?
• On the culinary side, follow the Lowveld’s wine route or visit one of the many country pubs.
• Fly over the country side in a helicopter, fixed wing or micro light.
• Ride a horse in the moonlight.
• Tiptoe through a ghost tour.

Who knew the Lowveld has so much diversity to offer? With such a variety of activities, there is a little something for everyone.

Come on. Why not?

For further information please contact Linda on (013) 755 1988

© Simplify Vehicle & Truck Rentals

We cycled through Bwabwata National Park – it was a perfect day. The air was fresh after rainfall. The wind blew from behind for the first time in many days. Life on a bicycle was ‘Hakoena Matata’. But then an elephant bull walked out of the bushes ahead of us and stood next to the road. My bravery evaporated. Adding to the dilemma a shiny car sped past, and hooted next to the elephant. The elephant got a fright and charged behind, but the car disappeared as a twinkling speck in the distance. The elephant stood tall and bold in the middle of the road and looked obsessively big – I blessed the wind from behind for carrying our scent towards it.

Time ticked on, but we stood dead still… Eventually the elephant crossed over into the bushes to our right. His back was visible. We dared to cycle forward, but realized he was watching us. We turned around to move backwards again. Next moment the elephant charged: Hendrik shouted “Trap –p-p-p-p!” I struggled to clip my right foot onto the peddle, and peddled with my heel instead. I looked down at my speedometer indicating 24km/h, knowing that an elephant charged at 40km/h.

The bull stopped beside the road. My legs felt like jelly. A tourist van approached the scene but drove past us and the elephant. Luckily the driver turned the van around, drove back to us, and asked: “Do you need to be escorted past the elephant?” “Yes sir”, answered Hendrik, “but you can’t drive off if the elephant charges”. The driver promised to stand his ground. He would drive in between us and the elephant. Hendrik reminded him not to hoot. Should things turn messy, we would jump onto the step below the sliding door of the van and cling to the opened windows, before the van would speed off – fool-proof! The van pulled away and Hendrik started to peddle.

My heart bounced in my throat. The elephant walked up to the driver’s window with a dramatic sway in his gait, and ears stretched out wide. I watched him through the windows – one of the tourists stood up out of her seat, to take a picture of his eyebrow. I just hoped the exhaust gasses would conceal our scent…Slowly we progressed … After what seemed like hours, we finally passed the elephant. I never looked back, I just waved good bye to my new hero – the driver of the van, and scrutinized every bush ahead for more elephant.

© Ricolette von Wielligh

Follow our journey for the Rhinos on www.cycleafrica.co.za