One of the wilder reserves in South Africa, Tembe is only accessible with a 4×4, and only ten cars per day are allowed entrance. The elephants are considered by some to be the biggest in Africa, and lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino are also common, while the world’s smallest antelope – the 15cm tall Suni – is also found here. A group of endangered African wild dog has recently been reintroduced successfully. The reserve falls between the sub-tropical and tropical zones, and comprises thick sand forests and several wetlands. It’s co-owned by the local Tembe tribe, whose people have lived in this area for thousands of years. Size: 30 000 hectares. Situated to the east of Ndumo on the southern Mozambican border of South Africa.
June 2011 - July 2012
Tembe
Blog posts relating to "Tembe"
Tembe Elephant Reserve – home of the giants
My next stop was Tembe Elephant Reserve in the far north of Zululand, on the Mozambican border. To the left of Tembe is Ndumo Game Reserve, and to the right is Kosi Bay, which is the northern-most part of South Africa’s east coastline.
Tembe is very different to anything I have experienced so far on my Year in the Wild journey. The soil is ancient ocean sand, left by a retreating sea more than 130 000 years ago. In this thick beach sand grows some of the most beautiful and biggest tracts of sandforest, populated with huge mahogany, tamboti, saddlepod and Lebombo wattle trees and hundreds of other species (this part of the world has the most number of trees in South Africa). The trees' roots tap the ground water, which is Read more »
Not just elephants at Tembe Elephant Reserve
Tembe isn't only about elephants. In fact, you can see the entire spectrum of African wildlife here...including lion, wild dogs, buffalo, hippo, crocs and leopards. The lions were reintroduced a few years ago, and the original four have clearly enjoyed their time here, because today there are close to forty of them.
But spotting wildlife can be a bit challenging in the sandforest. There was a reason why the elephants came to these forests to hide from harassment...it would be ludicrous to attempt to track an animal through the thick vegetation. So if you come to Tembe, make sure you have a few days to absorb the spirit of the place. After a while, it's magic works on you, and you start to notice the trees, the grasses, the smells, the birds...and without realising it, you've forgotten Read more »
