Overview
Tshulu Wilderness Camp is situated on the banks of the Mutale River in Hamakuya in the far north east of South Africa. Located near to rural villages, the camp is in a pristine natural area, surrounded by lebombo ironwood groves, baobabs and mopane woodlands. The camp is located outside North Kruger Park, only an hour's drive from both the Pafuri and Punda Maria gates and 40 minutes from Makuya Provincial Park.
Accommodation is in spacious 'meru-style' tents on raised platforms with en-suite outdoor type bathroom with shower. Self catering can be done in the communal kitchen with a gas stove, fridge and large freezer; basic crockery and cutlery is provided. The kitchen opens out onto a spacious central area for eating and relaxing. Solar power is available to charge cell phones, cameras and laptops, and provides light in the central area and tents. There is no mains electricity.
Tshulu Wilderness Camp is a wonderful place to rest and recuperate, and the birding is excellent. There are also several short walking trails from the camp, including a tree walk, and guides are available if you would like to venture further afield. Several kilometres from the nearest village, the soundscape is dominated by cowbells, baboon calls and the rush of rapids as the river spills out of the deep pools that mark the end of a dramatic gorge.
Getting there: please note that Tshulu camp is only accessible with a high clearance vehicle, 2X4 or 4X4 and is not suitable for sedan vehicles. Follow the detailed directions in the camp's listing.
Hamakuya Home-stays
The highlight of many people's visit to Hamakuya is staying a number of nights in a community homestead. Accompanied by guides who translate and facilitate, visitors are invited to take part in the ordinary tasks of everyday life in rural Venda. These include fetching water and collecting firewood, looking after cattle, driving donkey carts, and cooking traditional food over an open fire with ingredients gathered from Gardens or the bush. Visitors are also welcomed into their hosts' leisure and social lives, and may be invited to church, a football game, or a Tshigombela traditional dance practice.
Please contact the Tshulu Trust manager to organise homestays in advance of your arrival. Tshulu requires one week to organise homestays for guests. The homestay rate is per person and includes 3 meals a day. Homestays are important forms of income for the local community.
Getting there: access to Tshulu camp is via a dirt road, through several villages. The road requires a high clearance vehicle, 2X4 or 4X 4 and is not suitable for sedan cars. The camp is well marked from the main road that runs from Sibasa to Mutale.
Rates
Tent
Sleeps 4
Click image to enlarge
Each spacious Menu-style tent is on stilts and has a balcony and an en-suite bathroom. They can comfortably accommodate four single beds and six beds in dormitory style for larger groups.
| Date |
Unit |
Single |
PP Sharing |
| Month |
Year |
Wkend |
Daily |
Wkend |
Daily |
Wkend |
Daily |
| January |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| February |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| March |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| April |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| May |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| June |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| July |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| August |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| September |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| October |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| November |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
| December |
2019 |
|
|
|
R 350 |
|
R 300 |
NOTE: If a search was made without stipulating the month of occupation the rate shown on the search results page is for the lowest cost month and the least expensive room. Where pricing is "per unit" the Average Price Per Person based on maximum occupancy is used for the price range comparison. A search made for Homes and Villas however will always be based on the full daily rate of the unit irrespective of the number of people the unit sleeps.
Rates are deemed correct at time of publication and may fluctuate depending on supply and demand. Establishments maintain their rates online and any differences should be referred to the Establishment's staff. Quotations once accepted are binding.
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The beds and tented camp units are nice but not the standard I expected. There is just a general lack of investment into the bathrooms and the kitchen. It feels more like a backpackers lodge where all the cutlery are very old and you doubt if it is clean. The bathroom has a neglected feel as well. All pipes are exposed and toilet seat cover broken. But the biggest problem is the very bad 10km road to the camp. I drive a 4x4 but still dealt I should have known it would be that bad because I had expensive equipment in the back that should not be shaking as much as it did. There is no plugs for powering anything in the rooms. You have to plug it in 40m away in the kitchen.
It should have better pics of the kitchen and bathrooms.
- Hennie Le Roux30 Jul 2017