Tau Game Lodge in the Madikwe Reserve offers the ideal luxe-sperience for individuals, families and groups wishing to create beautiful safari memories and we have found this established lodge a most affordable 5-star destination.
Tau offers an unsurpassed convivial, relaxed ambience. The family-friendly lodge is also a romantic destination.
During a recent visit, we encountered a honeymoon couple, as well as a couple celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary at the lodge, which had in fact spent their honeymoon here, when they’d vowed to return for their first milestone anniversary. This time, again, they were not disappointed and mentioned the upgrades since their first visit, plus the addition of the spa, to be welcome surprises.
Our favourite way to spend our afternoon, before departing for the exhilarating safari drives, is to recline on our private room balcony, preferred tipple in hand, and watch the animals come to us. The waterhole behind the lodge is a major attraction for the prolific birdlife as well as big and small game. Observing the pecking order and daily carnival of animals in their natural habitat is a heavenly experience. We even observed a very large crocodile sunning itself on an island outside our room!
Good idea to be quiet when the elephants troop in to interact with each other – after all, this is their space and whilst the lodge is enclosed to keep guests safe, the waterhole is part of the wide open bush. As our informative game ranger said: “The room decks are raised to keep guests safe from any game wishing to get up close and personal by wading into the waterhole deep enough, so, best to respect the wild and let them go about their natural drinking habits undisturbed.”
Guests with children seemed particularly charmed as they could enjoy some alone time whilst the kids were well looked after, and educated about the bush and it’s inhabitants. Children aged three to five-years old automatically become members of the Tau Cubz Club, which includes a short game drive after breakfast for the kids. After the children’s game-drive, they are entertained with bush related arts and crafts activities – and enjoy the Tau gift pack provided.
The 30 luxury chalets each offer a private viewing deck, ensuite bathroom and open-air shower. Accommodation includes 20 standard chalets, six deluxe chalets, a family unit and a family suite (both made up of two chalets joined by an inter-leading lounge).
Malaria-free Big 5 Madikwe Game Reserve boasts year-round game viewing and a bird population of more than 250 different species. Madikwe is one of the few reserves where one can view a wide variety of fauna, from breeding herds of elephant to the endangered wild dog and cheetah.
This is what a recent 2016 visitor added to the guest feedback on TripAdvisor: “This place is amazing. Our chalet overlooked the water hole, as are all 30 chalets and the views spectacular. The staff, the quality of the service, the food, the safari rangers, everything was perfect. The safaris are a “must do”. Having visited South Africa before, this safari was the best so far. Our room was air-conditioned, mosquito netting over the four-poster bed, an outside shower was exciting, the views over the waterhole from our private verandah fantastic. The ranger on our safaris was knowledgeable, passionate and informative. We got to go off road through scrub to find many animals including elephant, brown hyena, black rhino. You can tell the staff enjoy their job and are passionate about the animals.”
Tau’s proactive hospitality initiatives include constant upgrades and improvements as well as eco-tourism, such as the Rhinose project to preserve its animal kingdom and the environment for generations to come, not to mention a live webcam, accessible at http://www.taugamelodge.co.za/WebCams.asp – follow the easy steps to log onto the Wild Earth server.
