BILLY SUTER has returned from two days of celebrating the wonderful wildlife, and the 20th anniversary of the eight-unit Luxury Tented Camp, at KwaZulu-Natal’s globally famousThula Thula Private Game Reserve in Zululand. A two-hour-and-a-bit drive from Durban, the reserve is home to the elephant herd made famous in the bestselling 2009 book, The Elephant Whisperer, by conservationist and author of three books, Lawrence Anthony, who passed away in 2012. His widow, Francoise Malby-Anthony, who has owned and managed Thula Thula since, and authored her own books about the reserve, has decided to run a great birthday special – a 40% discount to the Luxury Tented Camp, for all, from October 20 until December 20. See the end of this post for all the details!
IT IS said that a woman’s work is never done. And that most certainly applies to blonde, French-born Francoise Malby-Anthony – author, French cuisine expert and friendly, hard-working owner, managing director and marketing mastermind of Zululand’s 5 500-hectare Thula Thula Private Game Reserve.
Francoise is constantly on the hop organising the running, promotion, expansion and maintenance of both the reserve and its two lodges – the ultra-luxury Elephant Safari Lodge and the popular Luxury Tented Camp. She also oversees Thula Thula’s fenced off Rehabilitation Centre and, alongside it on a high hill overlooking the reserve’s man-made Mkhulu Dam, the popular Volunteers Academy.
On the occasion of the Luxury Tented Camp’s 20th anniversary my partner, Gordon, and I were invited for a weekend stay there – and found Francoise bursting with news when we sat for a chat over a light lunch at the camp’s circular, outdoor bar. Located just off an expansive lounge/diningroom and patio area, the bar overlooks the newly refurbished pool and is a few steps from the fenced boma where buffet dinners and braais (barbecues) are presented around a central firepit close to dining tables.
First focus of our conversation was the Volunteers Academy at Thula Thula, which occupies land that once was the private hunting grounds of the legendary Zulu King Shaka. The academy is where paying guests experience a hands-on approach to conservation during a one-to-three-week monthly course that has become so popular it is fully booked for the next six months, says Francoise.
The academy attracts visitors of all ages from all over the world – one American volunteer on my last visit to the reserve was a sprightly 82-year-old.They get to learn about and assist with the tracking of animals, wildlife monitoring, reserve maintenance, and environmental education. All money raised by the academy is poured back into conservation and the running of the reserve.
The academy has “become seven-star style now,” says Francoise with a widening smile, her hands fluttering as she speaks in her honeyed French accent. Tents that used to be the academy’s living quarters were being replaced so often, she explains, that it was decided it would be far better all round to upgrade to comfy cabins.
“We have eight units – now each with a queen-size bed, a table and en-suite shower,” she says, adding that the academy has now employed a fulltime ecologist in Craig Cordier of Westville. He is working on a number of research projects and is referred to by some academy volunteers as “the snake whisperer” for the way he so deftly handles these reptiles.
Francoise also points out that the Luxury Tented Camp has been upgraded in recent times – besides the refreshing of the pool area, all the units (six two-sleepers and two four-sleepers) are now fitted with see-out-but-not-see-in doors, and the interiors, as always, take glamping to a high level.
Tent features include Afro-colonial-styled, four-poster beds draped in mosquito netting, fans, and a luxurious en-suite bathroom with a Victorian, claw-foot bath. A nice touch at each tent is a private, outdoor, hot-and-cold shower.
At my unit, a small impala, less than three metres away, stopped suddenly during a scamper past to take in the sight of me naked for a few seconds… before storming off at an even faster speed. LOL.
Other news from Francoise is that the reserve’s ultra-luxury flagship lodge, The Elephant Safari Lodge, will soon have its dam widened to provide more water for wildlife during what is gearing up to be a killer summer. This is due to the El Nino weather pattern threatening lower rainfall and scorching temperatures.
The eight-unit Elephant Safari Lodge is still as popular as ever, offering guests lush lawns, a pool, thatched-roof chalets and delicious French cuisine. The cost of a stay here, as is the case with the Luxury Tented Camp, covers all teas, coffees, three daily meals and both a morning and late-afternoon game drive, each about two hours long with a stop for drinks and snacks.
The French cuisine is a big drawcard at the Elephant Safari Lodge – so much so, that in December Francoise published another book, Dining with Elephants, focusing on fun memoirs and recipes for some of her many ooh-la-la dining delights.
The book will be reviewed on this site within a few weeks – plus a signed copy will be offered as a prize. So watch this space!
Francoise is no stranger to writing, of course – her previous successes include An Elephant in My Kitchen and The Elephants of Thula Thula. She is pleased to announce that in the pipeline is another book, which has no deadline yet, which will be illustrated and aimed at children, telling the Thula Thula story.
Francoise shakes her head slowly when I ask about any further news of plans for a TV documentary on Lawrence Anthony’s life, and also a feature film based on his book, The Elephant Whisperer.
She has no news to report there, she suggests, waving a hand when I mention Google searches which indicate that both films were simultaneously shot, over five days, at Thula Thula in mid-March 2024, and appear to be in post-production.
Francoise prefers to move along to news that makes her smile again: the reserve recently gratefully received a donation from a German guest of 20 infrared, thermal cameras for use by Thula Thula’s anti-poaching unit.
Talking of wildlife, the game drives at Thula Thula are always special and we had a particularly remarkable driver/guide in Bheki Tembe, who has been working at Thula Thula for only a year. I had been recovering from a back injury and he was particularly careful about riding too hastily over bumps and dips during the bush drives, constantly checking I was OK. I was fine and appreciative.
Bheki was also a mine of information during four, two-hour game drives over our weekend stay. Among interesting things he told us was that a specific cognitive study on captive giraffes tested their short-term memory up to only 30 seconds. Who knew?
During one 4pm-to-6pm drive we had a very special treat. We got up close and personal with Thula Thula’s oldest and most respected of the now-33 elephants at the reserve. She is original herd matriarch, Nana, now 62, who was part of the original rogue herd of seven that Lawrence Anthony brought to the reserve, a story highlighted in The Elephant Whisperer.
Co-written with Graham Spence, that book tells of those wild African elephants having been marked to be shot for dangerous behaviour until Lawrence intervened, gave them a home on his reserve, formed an incredibly close bond with them and watched them flourish.
When we came across her on our game drive, Nana, very wrinkled and plodding slowly, was accompanied, as she often is, by her doting daughter, Nandi. They and others from the herd had just enjoyed a mud bath on that scorching 38C day (freak weather for the late South African winter). It was a moment to cherish.
Nandi and the herd’s new matriarch, Marula, are soon to be refitted with new digital tracking devices. These are also fitted to the reserve’s four cheetah, which are very close to Francoise’s heart, in spite of the ostrich population at Thula Thula having been decimated by them. From an original dozen introduced in 2024, only one majestic bird now remains.
“At nearly R10 000 per ostrich, those cheetahs had a very, very expensive meal,” says Francoise with a brief chuckle.
Among other animals currently being digitally tracked by Francoise’s teams are nine rhinos – and two servals which were rescued as kittens and kept for six months at the Rehabilitation Centre before being released into the wild.
While tucking into a yummy passion-fruit cheesecake, Francoise’s reply to my question about her biggest unfulfilled dream for Thula Thula was this: “I want to preserve the cheetahs most of all… grow their numbers. I cannot believe there are only 6 500 cheetahs left in the world. That’s scary!”
She adds that she desperately wants to further increase the reserve’s size… “and I want to welcome more and more elephant babies!”
Thula Thula Private Game Reserve not only offers elephants – we got to see members of the herd twice during our game drives – but also rhinos, Cape buffaloes, leopards, giraffes, zebras, hippos, hyenas, cheetahs, impala, nyala, kudu, wildebeest, warthogs and more. There is also, of course, an abundance of birdlife.
The reserve is in a malaria-free zone and for those who want to arrive in style, note that the property has a private, 750m grass airstrip.
THINGS TO KNOW…………………………….
Thula Thula Private Game Reserve is a two-hour-and-a-bit drive from Durban. One passes through three toll booths, charging just under R100 in total for a one-way trip.
WEBSITE: http://www.thulathula.com
EMAIL: info@thulathula.com
PHONE: +27 (0) 82 259 9732 or +27 (0) 73 266 8577
SPECIAL DEAL FOR ALL – 40% OFF!
Celebrating 20 years of its Luxury Tented Camp, Thula Thula is offering 40% off normal rates for all – from October 20, 2026, to December 20, 2026.
**** Note: Limited space for these specials!
**** Not valid for the already discounted packages.
**** Conditions apply.
WEBSITE: http://www.thulathula.com
EMAIL: info@thulathula.com
PHONE: +27 (0) 82 259 9732 or +27 (0) 73 266 8577
(NOTE: THULA THULA ALSO OFFERS A 20% DISCOUNT AT ITS LODGES, ALL YEAR ROUND,
FOR RESIDENT SOUTH AFRICANS)
.....SoSuterBill..... 