nThambo Tree Camp is a gentle oasis located in the midst of the wild Klaserie. Wooden chalets on stilts are dotted around a main central area and the camp is completely unfenced. A hint of a waterhole lies in front of the splash pool; and both sources of water are a major drawcard for a wealth of wildlife.
The elephant herds are particularly fond of weaving their way through the chalets in order to make their way to their drinking bowl – the splash pool. While you’re relaxing on the balcony of your chalet you’ll hear the familiar crunch of the bushveld below accompanied by excited trumpeting. That’s the call of the giant jumbos en route to the swimming pool!
The pool is on an elevated wooden deck and requires a certain dexterity to access the water. An elephants trunk contains over 40, 000 muscles, which means accessing the water is certainly not a problem. Elephant calves don’t have control of their trunks when born, so it’s always amusing to watch them attempt to soak up water. Our plains game tend to enjoy the clean water of the waterhole in front of the lodge and leave the pachyderms to enjoy the pool water.
Camp manager, Nadia, sorts out the logistics while rangers and guests head out on game drive. This means she’s always in the right place at the right time and has personally witnessed the wild shenanigans of lodge life. She’s seen it all – jostling of trunks and tusks at the swimming pool, plains game quietly replenishing their thirst and cheeky honey badgers destroying her perfect bar area. She has plenty more stories from lodge life at nThambo Tree Camp.
When the Klaserie rangers hit the open road, they can never anticipate what they’ll see. The beauty of being in a private reserve is the access to intimate wildlife knowledge form experienced rangers, the close-up sightings of predators and the ability to go off road if a sighting requires these skills. Chade, one of the rangers, managed to take a superb photo of a lioness casually strolling in front of the vehicle – just another average day in the Kruger.
nThambo Tree Camp certainly epitomises a wild life with wildlife in the Kruger’s Klaserie Private Nature Reserve.
Lucinda rossam