Waterberg
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Jembisa is an idyllic ‘exclusive use’ Safari Lodge, located within a Private Game Reserve in the heart of the beautiful Waterberg Plateau, in the northern Limpopo Province of South Africa (or you can also book on a sharing basis, if you’re happy to have other guests on site!). The reserve is a beautiful unspoilt wilderness of rivers, cliffs, gorges, woodland and open savanna – home to a beguiling array of animals, and all preserved through careful conservation management.
It’s the perfect backdrop for a family safari as, due to not being home to the Big Five (there are no elephant, rhino, lion or buffalo on the reserve), it’s safe for all ages to head out on not just game-drives but also bush walks and mountain bikes whilst also enabling the Lodge team to create the most unforgettable bush-dining and sleep-out experiences. This is enhanced by the interactive kids programme that encompasses bush tracking and survival skills; you’ll encounter magical memory-making moments at every turn!
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Facilities & Activities
The focus is very much on wildlife viewing opportunities and cultural excursions, but the lodge itself offers a library, with a special Africana section, a tranquil wooden deck overlooking the Palala River, plus a pool (heated in the winter months) with thatched shade, the newly completed Hippo Hide and a floodlit tennis court. Wild swimming has also recently been introduced along with a riverside picnic experience.
Jembisa offers guided game-drives and bush-walks, mountain biking, night-drives, campouts, birding and magical star-gazing alongside private visits to Bushman painting and Iron Age sites on the reserve and fishing. Other local activities include horse-riding, quad biking and visits to a Big 5 Reserve – these external excursions can all be arranged at an additional cost.
For golf enthusiasts, Jembisa offers access to one of South Africa’s most extraordinary golfing experiences. Just over an hour from the lodge lies Legends Golf Course, home to the famous Extreme 19th Hole — widely regarded as the most dramatic par-3 in the world. To reach the tee box, players take a helicopter flight 1,400 feet above the African bush before landing on a mountain peak. Not surprisingly, it’s the highest and longest par-3 hole in the world! Other nearby courses include Elements Private Golf Reserve as well as Koro Creek, Zebula and Euphoria Golf Estates. One of Jembisa’s professional field guides is also a PGA-affiliated golfer. So, subject to his availability, you can head out for a round with somebody who knows both the fairways and the bush.
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Dining
This is where we believe Jembisa truly excels!
All meals are freshly prepared by the chefs making use of fresh, local and seasonal ingredients; the cuisine is international with a local twist and served by an extensive array of beverages included in your rate.
As the reserve is not home to dangers game, there are a variety of exciting and truly unique dining venues on offer. Breakfast by the river, dinner in the boma or out in the bush, the memorable dining moments are endless.
Rooms
Jembisa Lodge has 5 king / queen bedded en-suite (baths and showers) bedrooms decorated in Afro-colonial style with mosquito nets, arranged across two wings. There’s also a very cute children’s bunkroom giving the Lodge the capacity to sleep up to a total of 10 adults & 4 children. Arrangements are flexible, to suit guests’ needs.
Family
Children of all ages are very welcome at Jembisa, and activities are tailor-made to suit. There is a spacious playroom where children’s books, games and wildlife videos are available. Fun activities for the children include spoor identification and tracking, bug and frog hunting and basic bush survival skills.
Cots and free baby-sitting can be provided and children’s meals and early dinners can also be arranged.
Sustainability
Jembisa is part of the Unesco International Waterberg Biosphere reserve and is an active member of the Waterberg Nature conservancy – an organisation comprising the owners of the majority of the land in the area with the aim of fostering good conservation practices, sharing ideas and support. The main international organisation that they support is Fauna and Flora International.
Location
The Waterberg lies approx 3 hours North East of Johannesburg by road, and 4 hours East of Madikwe and 5 hours west of the Kruger National Park. Private shuttle flights can also be arranged.
Since the Waterberg lies on an intercontinental divergence zone there is a wider variety of flora and fauna than elsewhere in Africa sustaining over 40 species of game including giraffe, sable antelope, nyala, gemsbok (Oryx), kudu, Livingstone eland, blue wildebeest (gnu), red hartebeest, zebra, impala, bushbuck, duiker, steenbuck, mountain reedbuck, waterbuck, warthog, blesbuck, baboons, bushpig, klipspringer, leopard, jackal, brown hyena, caracal, civet and genet to name but a few!
Jembisa is located in a malaria-free area. There are doctors, a paediatrician and a pharmacist in the local town of Vaalwater which is 40 minutes’ drive away.
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