Mthembu Game Lodge

About Mthembu Lodge

Mthembu Lodge lies low on an embankment of the White iMfolozi River and allows you to get up close and personal with the bush. Seated on your private deck, you can watch different bird species fluttering through the thickets in front of you, and spot some larger animals drinking at the river. There is no shortage of wildlife here.

Morning and afternoon game drives focus on tracking the various species that are resident within the reserve.
An early morning sunrise in the African bush is an unforgettable memory within itself, add to this the potential of following a pride of lions setting out to hunt and you have a true bucket list experience.

An afternoon safari traditionally has a sundowner stop to take in the beauty of the surrounds. Leading from this a night drive with spotlight gives a glimpse into a world less known, where animals move under the cover of darkness.

Local Investment

Mthembu embraces forward-thinking sustainability and highlights a special history of past conservation models and heroes that are attached to the site on which the lodge is built.
5 tribal chiefs have contributed their land to increase the capacity of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi (the oldest proclaimed protected game park in South Africa) to allows species within the reserve to reproduce in a much larger protected area. The lodge is built on the site where Dr Ian Player, nature conservationist and activist, stabled his horses that were used on patrols. Dr Player initiated and led 'Operation Rhino’, which helped bring back the Southern white rhino from the brink of extinction.

"The team at the lodge welcome you with a warm Zulu spirit and are personally invested in uMfolozi Big 5 as the land belongs to them and their children. "

Each private villa was hand-built by members of the local Mthembu clan. Each stone set in place and the floors lovingly smoothed over by hand. The building of Mthembu Lodge was the first phase of skills upliftment uMfolozi Big Five brought to the community.
When you step inside each luxurious villa, you are immediately pulled into the uMfolozi Wilderness through the floor to ceiling glass doors featured in each space of the villa. From the lounge to the bedroom, to the bathroom – you have continuous views of the bush and river and access to your private deck.

Facilities