Umlani Bush Camp Timbavati Game Reserve

Umlani Bush Camp is an exclusive rustic lodge that accommodates only 16 guests in en suite reed and thatch rondavels. The camp offers early morning and evening game drives in open four-wheel drive vehicles, accompanied by experienced rangers and trackers. With a traversing area of more than 10,000 hectares, featuring over 40 mammal and 350 bird species, the camp provides a wonderful wildlife experience.

Umlani Bush Camp specializes in guided walks into the unspoilt wilderness, allowing guests to take a walk on the wild side, tracking the Big Five on foot and experiencing the thrill of following big game off-road in open Land Rovers, guided by knowledgeable rangers. The camp is home to lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo, as well as cheetah, giraffe, zebra, and various species of antelope. Walks, day and night drives offer guests a complete wildlife experience, involving game both big and small, prolific birdlife, and diverse trees, flora, and fauna.

Guests can enjoy a spectacular sunrise deep in the bush before returning to the camp for a hearty breakfast. During the heat of the day, they can relax with a cool box of refreshments at one of the hides, watching birds swoop down to the water and mammals materializing out of the bush, or laze in hammocks around the splash pool sipping iced drinks. During the evening drive, guests can witness the white light of the moon take over from the flame-colored sun while enjoying sundowners surrounded by the unique sounds of the African wilderness.

At the end of the spotlighted night drive, guests return to the welcoming comfort of Umlani, a bush camp in the tradition of old Africa, with the romantic glow of paraffin lamps to light their way. They can enjoy pre-dinner drinks in the convivial bar overlooking the Nshlaralumi river course or around a roaring fire in the boma, and watch the chef put the finishing touches to the dinner prepared on an open fire. The aromas will make their mouths water, and they'll be more than ready for a candlelit dinner accompanied by fine South African wines, while swapping stories and sightings with fellow adventurers.

The comfortable en suite reed and thatch rondavels beckon, and before falling into bed, guests can take a steaming hot shower under a blanket of wondrous stars in their own open-air reeded bathroom. The magic is complete when the haunting sounds of nearby hyena and lion lull them to sleep. The camp features traditional African reed and thatch huts, simplistic luxury, and a 'getting back to nature' philosophy enhanced by the romance of operating without electricity, providing an authentic wildlife experience in Big Five territory. The bungalows are built to enhance thermal storage qualities, ensuring warmth when cold outside and coolness when hot outside.