Tuningi Safari Lodge, Madikwe Game Reserve

Situated in the world renowned 165,000 acre malaria-free Big 5 Madikwe Game Reserve. The private and exclusive, Tuningi Safari Lodge offers both local and international guests a superior product enhanced by an impressive Big 5 safari experience. Tuningi is one of the very few 5-star lodges in South Africa that welcomes children and in by doing so, avails them of the wonders of nature, wildlife and our delicate eco-system. The theme of the décor is ‘Colonial African chic’ and the main thatched lodge offers a sumptuous lounge, a spacious dining room and a well-stocked bar with an impressive rim flow pool that overlooks a watering hole, all interlinked by a sweeping wooden deck that leads to the boma area. As night sets in, lanterns and candles are lit and the mood goes from bush to baroque. Guests return from their game drive to be presented with a bush extravaganza dinner, prepared by Tuningi’s Executive Chef, in the boma with a blazing log fire to keep them warm.

Main Lodge
Tuningi Safari Lodge can accommodate 16 (sixteen) guests in exclusive villas and the lodge itself has been designed in such a way that it can be divided for families, intimate groups or VIP’s in search of utter privacy - a concept that is unique to Tuningi. All rooms at Tuningi and Little Tuningi have air conditioning, ceiling fans, gas fireplaces, en-suite bathrooms, beautifully appointed baths, outdoor rock showers and private wrap around wooden decks. The design brief was to create space by blending interiors with the bush through utilising retractable doors and windows wherever possible.

Little Tuningi
Accommodates only 6 (six) guests in unsurpassed luxury with a designer kitchen, boma area, dinning room, lounge, wrap around wooden deck and private pool. Purposely designed, ‘Little Tuningi’, is completely self-contained for those guests that are in search of ultimate privacy. Guests do of course have access to the Main Lodge area and its facilities.

About Madikwe Game Reserve
The 75 000-hectare Madikwe Game Reserve is located in the North West Province of South Africa. Prior to its establishment in 1991, most of the land consisted of cattle farms. Since 1991, the park has undergone an intensive phase of development as a premier game reserve, and this included an extensive restocking programme with game species that historically occurred in the region. Madikwe is managed by the North West Parks and Tourism Board (NWPTB), which was formerly the Bophuthatswana National Parks, a conservation organisation that is world-renowned for its pioneering approach to people-based wildlife conservation which it has practised since the late 1970s. Unlike almost all state-owned game reserves in Africa, the approach towards conservation that has been adopted at Madikwe puts the needs of people before that of wildlife and conservation. It is believed by the Board that if conservation is to succeed in developing countries such as South Africa, then local communities and individuals must benefit significantly from wildlife conservation and related activities. If local communities and the region as a whole can benefit through jobs and business opportunities that are created or generated, then firm support for protected areas will be achieved and important conservation objectives will be met almost as a secondary or spin-off benefit. Madikwe is run as a three-way partnership between the state (represented by the Board), local communities and the private sector. Without doubt, it is the private sector on which the entire project ultimately depends. The private sector develops and manages a variety of tourism developments and activities in the park. A portion of the revenue generated is paid to the Board in concession fees. These concession fees are used partly to maintain the conservation infrastructure and game stocks in the park, which underpin the private sector's investments and operations. A portion of the concession fees is also paid to local communities to help finance a variety of community-based development projects. In addition to community projects, communities also benefit from jobs and business opportunities that are created both within and outside the park. This in turn further stimulates the local and regional economy. This partnership, therefore, is of benefit to all parties involved. Conservation objectives are met, the private sector generates profits, jobs and businesses are created, communities are developed and valuable foreign exchange is brought into the country. Madikwe, therefore, should not be viewed solely as a protected area or tourism destination, in reality the park acts as a major social and economic core and engine around which the development of the entire region can be based. It is strongly believed that the approach being practised in Madikwe will have significant beneficial impacts on both local and regional economies, as well as greatly contribute towards the overall improvement in the quality of life of largely disadvantaged, rural communities. People-based wildlife conservation, therefore, should be considered as a viable development option elsewhere in South Africa and in developing countries in general. It is particularly relevant in rural areas where development options are often very limited. In this respect, it is believed that people-based conservation offers the only long-term successful approach to wildlife conservation in South and southern Africa, and the continent of Africa as a whole.

Children at Tuningi
On arrival at Tuningi Safari Lodge, all guests are welcomed with fresh hand towels and welcome drinks. After check in, the guests with children are introduced to the chef and given a chance to inform us on special dietary needs, preferred times for meals, allergies, etc, concerning the kids. All children will be issued with an activity booklet that will include games, mazes and colouring-in activities. Our policy is to allow children over five on the first game drive, giving the guide, parents and other guests the opportunity to determine if they should be allowed on the usual daily game drives, or whether they should be taken out on their own, for shorter “bumbles”. Children under the age of five will be taken on the “bumbles”. Those who stay behind during normal game drive times will be looked after by our nannies (at a baby-sitting rate). During the morning game drive, the nannies will stay with the kids until they wake up and then take them down to the main lodge for breakfast. Afterwards, they will entertain them until the parents return from drive. After breakfast, these children go on a 1 hour (more or less) drive (bumble) to one of the waterholes with a ranger. Before heading off on their drive, the kids are issued with a work book (for those old enough), in which they can tick off the things they’ve seen (dung, animals, spoor, birds and trees). The one with the most ticks gets a surprise on arrival back to camp. During afternoon game drives, the kids not on normal game drive get to go on a treasure hunt to find nests, bones, eggs, snakes skins and other items. We then give them an educational talk on all the items found and add other bush tales. In the evenings, on special occasions, the younger kids get to have their own, private boma dinner with one of the chefs, allowing them to make their own treats. IE: bread on a stick, boerewors rolls, marshmallow braai (barbeque), etc… To end the evening off, we talk about the stars and tell interesting stories about the animals and bush. * Alternatively meals will be provided in their room. On other evenings, they get to assemble their own pizzas and decorate their cupcakes for dessert. All other free time is spent drawing, clay modeling, building puzzles, swimming and relaxing by the pool. There is always a watchful eye of a nanny available, to ensure they are kept busy and safe, while the parents can relax and enjoy their stay.

Game Drives and Walks
Morning and evening drives are performed in 4x4 Landrovers conducted by highly experienced rangers. Traversing through the reserve, the wildlife is sometimes staggering in its diversity. Enthralling sightings of elephants, a sea of buffalo horns rising from the grass as they lie resting in the growing heat as well as prides of lions, awaits one. At dusk, a vantage point is chosen overlooking one of the many breathtaking vistas of the Madikwe Game Reserve. Sundowners are enjoyed while tales of the bush are told and a glimpse of what this unique wilderness has to offer is seen while being entranced by the ever changing colours of the sky as the sun slips into the timeslot of tomorrow. En route back to the lodge, nocturnal animals such as leopard, hyena and lion are often seen.