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Luxury Kruger Safari

Tinga Lodge Kruger Park

Tinga Lodge enquiries and reservations: bookkruger@madbookings.com

Tinga Lodge Kruger Park hosts two spectacular lodges:
Ledends:
Legends is named in honour of those whose vision and foresight ensured that one of the world’s greatest natural treasures exists today.
Legends exudes the atmosphere of a classic safari lodge. The thatched cathedral-like entrance leads through to the colonial comfort of the lounge, which opens onto the massive wooden deck overlooking the Sabie River.

Built around an enormous Jackalberry tree which is reputed to be over 200 years old, the deck affords magnificent views of the Sabie River, and regular sightings of the resident wildlife, including members of the Big Five.
Facilities at Legends include: a library stocked with an array of African literature, a wine cellar stocked with premier South African and international wines, a boma, bar and wellness treatment room. There is also a large eternity swimming pool situated next to the wooden deck allowing unobstructed views of the Sabie River.

- The suites at Legends are well-spaced, and each one is positioned to ensure the best possible view of the Sabie River and its surroundings.
- Each luxuriously appointed suite is air-conditioned, with en-suite bathroom and a double shower. The suites also have a private lounge, heated plunge pool, individual satellite television, DVD player, in-room mini bar, electronic safe, underfloor heating, heated towel rails - in the words of James Stevenson- Hamilton in his book South African Eden, ".all the things tending to mitigate the asperities of life!"
- In the heat of the day, there is no better way to while away the time than relaxing in privacy on the deck, or taking a dip in the plunge pool, whilst watching the daily parade of game coming down to the river.
- The bathrooms are designed to enhance your intimate Kruger Safari. The bath and double shower have large windows allowing unobstructed viewing of the Sabie River, whilst still retaining privacy. The double shower has a Victorian shower rose and a massage spray. There are double basins, heated towel rails, as well as a separate toilet and bidet.

Narina Lodge:
Although similar to Legends, Narina has a distinctly more African feel. Like the bird it was named after (the narina trogon), the lodge is unobtrusive, yet undeniably beautiful, blending perfectly with the riverine forest vegetation. The main deck is on stilts overlooking the Sabie River, and the suites are connected by an elevated wooden walkway. The lodge comprises nine suites.

Game sightings are exceptional at Narina. In winter, elephant and buffalo are seen daily, with large herds making their way down to the river in a cloud of dust. Lion prides are frequently seen, lazing in the shade of large figs and leopards make an occasional appearance. White rhino are sometimes seen grazing in the evenings below the main deck.
Resident wildlife includes bushbuck, nyala, kudu, warthog, baboons and vervet monkeys. Hippos and crocodiles are present in the river, and are often seen on the sandbanks. The large sycamore fig tree in front of the main deck attracts a myriad of birds, including broadbilled rollers, green pigeons, trumpeter hornbills and lilac-breasted rollers. Wood owls are often heard calling at night.
As with Legends, facilities include a main deck overlooking the Sabie river, a library, wine cellar, boma, lounge, bar and boutique.

- Each suite has a private viewing deck and heated plunge pool with magnificent views of the Sabie River.
- The suites are equipped with en-suite bathrooms, a large outdoor shower, mini bar, safe, two air-conditioners, overhead fans, direct dial telephones, satellite television and DVD players. The suites also have hairdryers, international adaptors and insect repellent spray.
- The bathrooms are equipped with double basins, a large freestanding bath with a view of the Sabie River, a double shower (with a Victorian Rose and a massage spray), a separate toilet with bidet, heated towel rails and for the adventurous, an outdoor shower.

Things to do at Tinga Lodge

Safaris
The Tinga concession has 5000 hectares of exclusive traversing. This includes 35 km of river frontage along the Sabie and Sand rivers. In addition to this, Tinga vehicles are permitted to traverse the entire Kruger network. To ensure the guest comfort, there are only six guests allocated to a vehicle.
Safaris are conducted in open vehicles, in the early morning and late afternoon. Drives are usually 3 hours in duration depending on game viewing and weather conditions.
Early morning drives usually stop for refreshments in the middle of the drive.
Afternoon drives usually stop for sundowners at a scenic spot (where possible) before proceeding with a night drive.

Drives are conducted with guides and trackers. The tracker's function is look to for tracks as well as wildlife. When fresh tracks are spotted, the guide and tracker may alight from the vehicle and follow up for a short period of time. The tracker is also responsible for handling the spotlight on the night drive and shows consummate skill in finding everything from a chameleon to a lion!
The vehicles have a cover to provide some protection from the elements. The raised seats ensure excellent game viewing.

Off-road driving is permitted on the Tinga concession, ensuring some close encounters with Africa's big five. This is conducted in a very responsible manner, and all areas are rehabilitated after offroad driving and the concession is closely monitored by the SANParks ecologists.
Although the safaris have a strong focus on finding the larger game, attention is also given to the smaller animals, birdlife, vegetation. As an ecotourism destination, it is important to ensure that guests are given a total bush experience. In keeping with the Kruger National Parks policy on open vehicle safaris, no children under six years of age are permitted on a safari.

Guided Bush walks:
The Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 147 mammals, 507 birds, 114 reptiles, 49 fish and 336 trees. With such a variety of fauna and flora, it would be sacrilege to focus exclusively on a quintet of large mammals (BIG FIVE). Whilst the game drives do focus primarily on finding the large wildlife, safari walks allow a closer scrutiny of the smaller facets of the Kruger ecology.
Tinga's qualified guides will gladly take guests on guided safari walks where the focus is providing an informative and interesting look at those aspects of the bushveld not seen from the safari vehicles.
Reading the "signs of the wild", tracking, listening to the bushveld sounds, feeling the different textures of leaves...walks at Tinga encourage the use of all the senses.
Given the location where walks are conducted, guest safety and respect for the wildlife is of paramount importance .
Our guides are trained to avoid any potentially dangerous situation, and conduct operations in such a manner that the environment is never compromised.
One of the highlights of a Tinga walk is a visit to the hippo pools on the Sabie River. Once again, this is always done at the guide's discretion.
The Tinga concession is situated in the oldest section of the Kruger. Consequently, there are a number of sites of both historical and archaeological interest.
In keeping with Kruger National Park policy on guided walks, no children under 16 are allowed on a walk.

Wellness:
Wellness is about making decisions that positively influence the balance between body, mind and spirit. Your decision to visit Tinga is your first step: the next step is to pamper yourself by indulging in our luxurious treatment selection, which is designed to ensure that you completely relax and de-stress.

Our expert therapists are available to spend time with you to understand your needs, interpret your requirements and ultimately restore, revitalize and renew your senses. In addition, guidelines on what to do before and after your treatments will be provided to maximize your enjoyment of the experience

Our select range of luxurious wellness treatments is designed to ensure that you completely relax and de-stress while being totally pampered. Enjoy this experience in the privacy of your suite, or on your deck, overlooking the Sabie River.

Cuisine:
"Tinga Private Game Lodge is not just an enjoyable and luxurious safari lodge, it also harbours myriad culinary delights for the unsuspecting visitor (Erik Wolf - International Culinary Tourism Association).
A visit to Tinga is designed to stimulate all the senses.
Tinga cuisine can be described as a combination of global fusion trends and the aromatic offerings of Africa.
Guinea fowl with warthog bacon and sage; fillet of ostrich marinated in rosemary, balsamic and olive oil or impala stir fry with oyster sauce: these are just a sample of the dishes our chefs offer Tinga guests.
A range of more conventional, but no less delicious, options are always available at each meal. There is also a range of vegetarian dishes available on request, and provided advance notice has been given, halaal and kosher requirments can also be catered for.

The Tinga culinary experience is further enhanced by the tranquil settings in which the meals are enjoyed. Breakfast and lunch are enjoyed on the decks of the lodges, under the shade of the 200-year-old jackalberry tree. The gently flowing Sabie river and the soporific call of the emerald-spotted dove provide the perfect accompaniment to the range of delicacies prepared by the Tinga chefs.

Evening meals are often serenaded by the some of the local wildlife - one can almost detect a wistful tone in the call of the hyena and jackal as the tantalising aroma of a bush barbeque drifts through the bush.
One detects a distinctive scolding note in the roar of the lion, as the fare his lionesses has provided does not compare favourably with the meal being enjoyed in the traditional bomas at Legends and Narina. There is a note of envy from the hippos grazing on the riverside vegetation as a romantic dinner for two is enjoyed by guests on the deck of their suite

Conference facilities:
Set on the banks of the Sabie River in the Kruger National Park, Tinga offers the perfect setting for exclusive conferencing combined with a much-needed leisure break for delegates.

The executive boardroom seats 14 delegates
- Standard equipment available
- ISDN lines
- Data projector
- Television
- Screen
- Whiteboards and flip charts

Weddings:
A wedding is the start of a lifelong journey for two people. Why not make a commitment to that wonderful journey in a place of stunning natural beauty?
The lush riverine vegetation on the banks of the gently flowing Sabie river will form the perfect backdrop to the ceremony, as a couple commit themselves to one another, under the shade of an ancient Jackalberry.

Tinga Lodge enquiries and reservations: bookkruger@madbookings.com