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We have never seen leopard in the immediate vicinity of the camp but Biyamiti has never disappointed on that score.

We found one of the best waterholes was the Fairview one - seen lots of stuff at this waterhole and the one on the road when you turn right towards Rabelais - forget its name right now!

Stayed here aswell for my first time in December. Unit no.1 is great, quiet and peaceful, game is not prolific though!

We have stayed at Talamati and went to the hide on numerous occasions (with our spot lights )
I think you should really give it a try... and just watch where you step

It is really an awesome experience sitting there listening to all the night sounds.
We saw lions twice from the hide at night!

Talamati Spruit

Only seen the request now - below are some pictures of Talamati Camp - one of my favourite camps! We have seen the Big 5 on the Talamati Road.

Here are some more pictures of the camp:-
This is the main hide near reception. October 2003
This is Unit 15. April 2004.
There is a boma on the fence in the centre of the camp that was recently thatched. I took this picture in Jan 2005 just before completion.

A night ride here often reveals serval, worth 100 lions IMHO.

Some pics of Talamati

Cottage no 4



And it's view



The stoep



No 6 (where we stayed)



No 8

Some more

The boma:



Small bird hide:

From my perspective.. a lovely camp for people with slightly older children (old enough to play Scrabble).
The actual accomodation is really great for families, even big ones.
On the day we were there, it might have been a bad hair day, but there needs to be some hectic traiing of the staff. It did not inspire confidence.

Hi All
I really enjoy this camp.
My only problem with it is the limited roads around the area as has been pointed out by others!

I've stayed there 4 times and always had pleasant sighting which include the following:

- Lion close to camp on countless occasions
- Serval at waterhole (seen on night drive)
- Caracal (on Night Drive)
- African wild Cat
- Honey Badger (night drive)
- Sable
- Reedbuck
- Big male Leopard at Muzandzeni water hole

But the best of all was one morning in early January 2005 I went for a drive on my own at 4:30am (the rest of my gang couldn't keep up with the pace any longer as we had been at it for a week) I saw a few animals including hyena, Rhino and general game.
Anyhow I went back to the camp at 7ish to pick up the rest of the slackers.
On my way in I noticed a huge herd of impala close to the waterhole outside the gate and thought to myself what clever guys hanging around the camp hoping to avoid predation.

Anyhow I drove inside picked up the rest of the group (couldn't have been in camp longer than 5min) drove back out the gate to be met by a cheetah not more than 10m from the gate.

None of us could believe our eyes.
She looked very alert and had definitely given chase to the impala's I mentioned earlier.
Then we noticed another 3 sub cheetah adults.
After about 10 min the Female cheetah walked down towards a tree not more than 5m from the gate and that was when we noticed she had killed one of the impala's.
We watched the family devour the impala within an hour and a half then reversed back into the camp for breakfast. (The worlds shortest game drive distance wise)

It just goes to show the early bird doesn’t always catch the worm (thank goodness for the slackers in my group )

I must have missed the kill by seconds!!!!

Amazing sighting Webb. We stayed at Talamati for the first time this June. What a lovely little camp!!! Had a fabulous cottage close to the dry riverbed. Very rustic feel to it yet very comfortable.

Just a quick question for those of you who previously stayed in Talamati - can you charge camara/videocamera batteries in the Talamati units itself. I've read somewhere that you apparently cannot do this in the units (but that you can ask reception), but can't find it now. Thanks.

We will be visiting Talamati during the last week of October.
We will be accompanied by my Mom who is 86 and in a wheelchair.
As we will be spending a lot of time in camp, could anyone recommend a specific bungalow?
I also would like to know if the layout of all the two-bedroomed chalets are the same, with specific reference to the bathrooms.

Hi Naomi C. We've only been to Talamati once, so please see my response in that light.
Hopefully some of the people that visit more frequently can give a more thorough answer.

From what we understand, all the units are basically the same as far as layout (and view - none of them has any view of any sorts) is concerned.
We stayed in number 11 - really enjoyed it for its privacy.
However, given that you're going to be spending a lot of time in camp, I would recommend a bungalow closer to the entrance (you can maybe try for number 4 or 5).
Its closer to the hide and the boma, which is where all the hype is animal wise.
Even though your mom is in a wheelchair and the hide would therefore not be accessible to her (I think), you would still be able to take her to the boma and you still have a good view onto the waterhole from the boma as well.
If memory serves me correct, the boma should be just across the road from number 3 or 4.
Just stay away from number 1 or 2 if possible - resident troop of baboons are sleeping there.

If your looking for more solitude instead (although these units are quite a distance from the hide and the entrance) try anything from number 10 onwards.
As far as the bathrooms are concerned, from what I can recall the one bathroom is en suite and very spacious - only a shower though.
The other bathroom (only with bath) is right next to the other room, but somewhat small.

Hope this helps and hope you enjoy the camp, we absolutely fell in love with it during our recent visit. (Though I must admit that we were spoiled with the special animal sightings around camp)