Wildlife conservation at Thanda Safari Lodge

Thanda Safari Lodge sits on an enormous 14,000-hectare reserve. Its sheer size means guests traverse only half of it on game drives. The other half is pure wilderness – undulating plains, ridges and mountains with scopes, scarps and staggering plateaus.

With such a low commercial footprint, the space allows our experts to carry out conservation in peace, sustaining animals such as the cheetah and rhino, both creatures with threatened existence. Behind the scenes our wildlife management team work on a 24/7 basis to maintain the reserve, combat poaching and participate in breeding programs that help critically endangered species survive.

Guests can join the team for the day tracking and monitoring the Big Five, helping with game counts or depending on the season, assisting with the translocation of animals. While working, you’ll gain unparalleled insight into our ongoing conservation strategies and how the team monitor different species. Learn how to thoroughly inspect elephant herds, identifying each one by their distinctive markings. Or how the team analyses footage from camera traps strategically placed to capture hyena in its nocturnal habitat. Then there’s the vegetation, critical to the sustainment of its wildlife. A day out in the field and you’ll discover how the land is assessed for its game-carrying capacity by measuring rainfall and veld condition.

Otherwise, choose from two half-day excursions tracking black and white rhino or observing cheetah. Extraordinary effort is required for managing such a magnificent beast as the rhino. You’ll help a specialist monitor them by tracking on foot, using binoculars and recording data from camera traps. Cheetahs are a little harder to come by but with the help of GPS collaring, you’ll be able to identify their locations and map their whereabouts. It’s all the more exciting with a crack of dawn start time.