Thandile Country Lodge

Welcome to Thandile Country Lodge, where we offer both luxury accommodation with breakfast and dinner included, depending on the daily rate selected, as well as self-catering accommodation at our glamping site, known as the Timbaktu River Cottages. At the main lodge, we can accommodate a total of 22 people in a variety of rooms, ranging from standard rooms to two large family units with two bedrooms and a sleeper couch in the living area. The main building can house a total of 10 adults and 4 children (on sleeper couches), with an additional 8 guests accommodated in three units facing the inner courtyard. Each unit has a door leading onto the wrap-around veranda, and meals are served in the communal lounge and dining area. The Timbaktu River Cottages, located on the riverbank, are self-contained and can sleep a maximum of four people each. Each unit is equipped with its own bathroom (shower, toilet, and basin), kitchenette, and a covered braai area. All our facilities are serviced and cleaned daily in compliance with health management standards. We also have a large lapa area under thatch at the main lodge, featuring a fully fitted industrial kitchen available for rental for small functions of between 25 and 60 people. This beautiful space includes a big screen and conference facilities (OHP and Wi-Fi) with a large extended stoep overlooking a large fire pit and two dams. It is ideally suited for small weddings and special family celebrations or functions. For activities, we offer two year-round swimming pools and walking and mountain biking trails on our approximately 200-hectare game farm, home to kudu, impala, warthog, giraffe, vervet monkeys, bushbuck, and zebra, all at no extra cost to our resident guests. Paid activities, also available to day visitors, include guided horse trails, catch-and-release fishing, and a range of delightful picnic options, from a romantic picnic for two under the trees on our lovely lodge premises to a guided horse trail with a bush picnic at a scenic spot on our game farm. We also offer spa treatments to our resident guests. Advance booking for our paid activities is essential. In our area, you'll find a predator park and a charming coffee shop, Café Elle, just 900 metres from our main gate. We are situated 14.5 km from Bela-Bela, with only 4.5 km of gravel road. The Elements Private Golf Reserve is just 7 km past our main entrance.

Area Info

“Thandile” is a Zulu word which means “I loved it”, a past tense verb deliberately chosen to serve as an affirmation, carefully selected to capture the emotion expressed by everyone who has had the privilege to share in the magic of this “little piece of heaven” in the Waterberg.
Thandile Country Lodge started off as a family-breakaway for a Johannesburg based family when the owners tried to balance their respective Corporate- and entrepreneurial careers with fortnightly visits “to the farm” to regenerate their souls and to find inner peace, to connect with each other and to build the resilience to create meaning in their lives.
They succeeded so well in doing this that the farm became the regular “meeting place” for friends and family and as everyone loved it so much there, the idea of “Thandile Country Lodge” was born.
Thandile Country Lodge formally opened its doors to the public on 1 December 2012 and since then, it has often been said that “whereas you may arrive as a stranger, you’re always leave as a friend”.
Thandile Country Lodge is owner-managed and based in the original homestead built in 1848, beautifully restored to its former glory with 7 beautifully “Colonial-style” furnished units, all leading onto the wrap-around veranda, the majority of which overlook the beautiful surrounding of a typical game farm in the Waterberg.
Thandile Country Lodge offers luxury accommodation with meals in the main lodge. The Timbaktu river cottages were built in 2014 are available for self-catering guests. We cater for special events in our beautiful Lapa area, referred to as The Elephant Tree restaurant, that can be booked for a small conference; birthday (up to 60 people) or a small wedding.
It is locally believed to be one of the oldest farmstead in Bela-Bela and where possible the originally feature of the historic building was maintained e.g. The original fireplace in the Kitchen, the yellow-wood ceilings including the “Old Waenhuis” where the Ox wagon was stored.
The large Monkey Thorn Tree in front of the Lodge dates back to the time when the first owners (The Grobler/Botha family) planted the tree in the mid 1900s. This tree is captured in the logo of Thandile Country Lodge to commensurate the history of the farm.
Evidence of historic events are everywhere to be found at Thandile Country Lodge with the horse trail following the route of the Boer Ox Wagen’s trek across the Waterberg, including evidence of the South African War that can be found in the mountains on various places on the farm.