Lion Sands Kruger National Park

Lion Sands Tinga Lodge is the kind of hotel that you dream of returning to, as much for the people as for the hotel itself, although the hotel itself is pretty wonderful. The hotel is very plush, with large rooms, excellent beds, and incredible wilderness views. The main areas are similarly comfortable and tasteful. You always feel connected to nature, which you actually are. The common areas are open air and to get to your cabana, you will walk along a wooden walkway where elephants, leopards, and lions also walk at times. At night, you will always be escorted by a guide, but you can also find yourself meeting wildlife during the day, from hooved creatures to ones with canine teeth and claws. On our first night at Tinga, we were escorted around holes in the wooden walkway that had been made just hours earlier by a herd of elephants. Later that night, the elephants did more damage. By breakfast, everything had been repaired and looked new. We were told that, a few months earlier, a family phoned before afternoon tea to say that they had been ready to leave their room, but when they opened the door they found a group of lions—4 females and a male—resting outside on the walkway. The staff came and scared the lions off and the family went on to tea. Similarly, at the nearby sister property, a family was told to stay in their cabana when it was discovered that a leopard had left its kill on the roof. Again, the staff knew what to do and took care of things. It’s more likely that the animals you encounter at the lodge, and will perhaps find drinking from your private plunge pool, such as kudus or monkeys, will be harmless and just add to the enjoyment of being there. The food at Tinga is very good and is varied, so you won’t get tired of the menu if you are there for several days. If anything, you will feel slightly disappointed that something that you had loved at breakfast the previous morning isn’t on the next day’s menu. We were there during South Africa’s winter, which was pleasant during the day, but was much colder at night than we had expected. For that reason, after the first night we always asked to have dinner in our room, which our butler, Amos, arranged beautifully, including a small dining table and chairs, white tablecloth, etc. Most people go to game lodges for the game drives. At Tinga they are exceptional. The guides are all trained by the More Family Corp. at a special training facility. Our guide, Mo, knew much more about the animals, animal social behavior, plants, geology, etc. of the region than any other guide we have ever had, and we’ve been on game drives in Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. We also felt that Mo was so competent that, no matter what happened, he would be able to handle it. And in fact, when another game guide’s jeep, carrying guests, broke down after dark, Mo knew exactly how to push the other vehicle and get it up and running. Mo was always a consummate gentleman. He was consistently helpful,

We were at Lion Sands Tinga Lodge for 4 nights as part of a tour. Our guide Aaron and tracker Hendry were fantastic. They clearly know what they are doing and went above and beyond to give us the best experience possible. The food was excellent and the rooms luxurious with fantastic views. Do take their advice though and get escorts to and from the rooms, we saw elephants, Leopards and hyenas on the paths!

Amazing lodge..amazing people..amazing food..overall it's just an awesome place to be. This is our third trip to a More Lodge and they never disappoint. They have some of the best lodges. We will definitely be back. Can't wait for the new spa to be finished.