aha Thakadu River Camp

Went to Madikwe with my wife to see the incredible animals in their natural habitat. Not only we saw these beautiful animals, but the Thakadu River Camp Staff were so nice, welcoming and attentive, that we are planning to come back.

My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary at Thakadu River Camp. It exceeded our expectations. As avid travelers, we have seen it all in accommodations. Besides being an amazing vacation, Thakadu was a comfortable, beautiful lodge. The staff were great. We learned while we at Thakadu that it is one of the two community project lodges in Madikwe. They hire only local towns people, which gives back to the local community and provides an authentic experience. They were so nice and accommodating. Kenny was our ranger. He was very knowledgeable and was able to show us 4 of the big 5. We had an amazing couples massage on the porch of our tent. The rooms, although they are technically tents, were so luxurious. You would never know that you were staying in a canvas tent. The hardwood floors, sliding glass door, air conditioning, and beautiful shower and tub were all enhanced by the monkeys that visited us every day on our porch. You could hear the elephants playing in the river just below. All of our meals were cooked by the chef and great. They featured authentic African flavors. The highlight of the culinary cuisine was our two meals outside by the fire. The barbecue style dinner was a great way to highlight a vacation in the bush. Our daily safaris were a lot of fun. Two a day, morning and evening, ensured that we were able to see all of the animals in their environments. This is a five star experience at a three star price. We will be returning

I did as much research as I could online, but it's a world away so you have to trust the reviews. Compared to the other lodges in Madikwe, Thaduku is the most economical lodge in the park. So I booked and hoped for the best. Believe me, do not hesitate to book at Thaduku, what they may lack in luxury compared to other lodges, they make up for with service and location. The staff is exceptional, because the lodge is owned by the town of Molatedi just outside the park, the employees have a sense of pride in working at the lodge and most have been there since it's inception. The location on the Marico river is unique in the park and we were delighted to find a herd of elephants that used the river each day for bathing and general horse play. The view from the Lodges pool allows you to watch 30-40 elephants all day long. Our game driver, Thsolo is very experience and is very respectful of the parks wildlife, getting close enough to view but giving the animals their needed space, besides seeing the big 5 we saw numerous, Giraffe, Zebra, Boks and Antelopes. So unless you have to have wifi that works, an espresso machine in your room, save your self 50% and book with confidence at Thaduku.

A little expensive for what you get...room was nice enough, food was good enough, but a little on the pricey side.

This was my second time to Thakadu, went 5 years ago. The Lodge is great and accommodation is great, but the choice of food was much less than first time I went, and it was the little things, never enough cups or wine goblets on the game drive, we were never asked what we would like to drink on the game drive, and with the water in the rooms not being drinkable, it would have been great if a 3rd small bottle of water was supplied for the kettle, as opposed to constantly having to purchase water. If I should ever go back I would take my own 5 liter of water. Animal wise the sightings were fantastic and we were very lucky.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable stay at Thakadu River Camp, from the moment Wayne (the General Manager), and Maans (our guide) met us at the airstrip on our arrival. To call our room a tent does it a grave injustice - although it did have canvas walls and roof, it had a very comfortable king size bed, reverse-cycle air conditioning, a spacious en suite bathroom, and even a room safe. The housekeeping staff did a wonderful (and very unobtrusive) job - our room was serviced by the time we returned from breakfast following the morning game drive every day, and followed up with a thoughtful turn-down service while we were at dinner, leaving some fudge and a bookmark with an African folk tale or bed-time story on our pillows every evening. All of the staff were friendly and helpful, and the quality and variety of food was excellent. Although we were warned at the beginning that they could not guarantee sightings of all of the "Big Five", our guide did get us multiple sightings of buffalo, elephant, lion, and rhino, and one sighting of the elusive leopard hunting at night. These, along with multiple sightings of giraffe, impala, springbok, wildebeest, zebra, and many other birds and animals, left us extremely happy with our game viewing experience and somewhat disheartened to be leaving.

Kenneth, our game driver, was knowledgeable and a safe and capable guide. We managed to see all 4 of the reserve's cheetahs. The facility is lovely. The food was delicious and the staff were attentive. The power cut out during the night so our toasty tent got colder, and then switched on in the AM...but not with quite enough time to warm up before having to do the morning drive. One other note - it might be useful to have driving directions on the website for those driving down from the north. I should have emailed for directions but decided to wing it instead. Friendly neighbor's on the route were kind enough to draw us a map. Overall it was a terrific stay and I will absolutely recommend it to friends.

Very nice weekend location, huge tented room, lots of game, excellent food, friendly and knowledgeable staff and management. We really had a great time !

A memorable place to stay. Our ranger was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The animals were very close to the vehicle and 4 of the big 5 were seen, including cheetahs and a leopard. A thoroughly enjoyable and recommended experience!

We had a fantastic time