Sausage Tree Safari Camp

“Sausage Tree Eclipses the more expensive camps for utter joy and vibe!”

The best experiences we had of three camps we travelled by far was Sausage Tree Camp in Oliphant. Great food, great animal experiences ---but the key by far was the people and the vibe. Want to feel happy? Come to Sausage Tree! Sausage Tree's owner James has a gift for recruiting and nurturing t… more

The best experiences we had of three camps we travelled by far was Sausage Tree Camp in Oliphant. Great food, great animal experiences ---but the key by far was the people and the vibe. Want to feel happy? Come to Sausage Tree! Sausage Tree's owner James has a gift for recruiting and nurturing the coolest staff and crew. This is specially so of the two guides, Themba, and tracker, Polite. Themba and Polite are great pals, and hilarious to be around, as well as super high functioning communicators and guides. They make everyone feel included and in on the joke. Laughter and delight was the mark of our experience at this camp. Animal experience can be hit an miss, but we had some AMAZING animal experiences at Sausage Tree, including my mother being touched all over her head by a curious elephant who was passing by. All managed very calmly ands safely by the guides. Sausage Tree offers a richer, more personal experience. You feel like you are with friends on an adventure. The camp is more intimate /smaller than the bigger, sprawling luxury camps -- It may perhaps be a little more rustic - but only barely --- and its smaller size is a feature not a bug. One feels more embedded in the bush, not just observing it. Despite this, Sausage Tree is still very comfortable, with aircon in the tents, and in many ways feels a more authentic kind of camp. James is currently upgrading older tents with more luxury, including sliding glass doors, rather than zips and a a small gym.  Their chef and the food is fantastic. The mango frappes were to die for. Sausage Tree has some other specialties, too, that makes it unique. Sundowners were held at places with spectacular 360 views --- absolute knock out scenery and perspective which we didn't see , for instance, in Timbavarti or Makallali. Themba stopped the 4wheel drive a few times and turned off the lights so we could see the specatcle of the milky way above. No other camp did this for us. And Sausage Tree offers a 'Sound Safari' which, though expensive, was extraordinary. Imagine high end audio headphones in the bush, where you can hear every detail of herds of impala or wild dogs grunting and yapping to each other on a hunt trail. This is an extremely heightened and visceral experience of the bush, lead by and expert Nick who is a fantastic passionate advocate for the animal sounds of this landscape. Its and incredible experience that will spoil you for ordinary safaris. - just note that it has an over all cost, but if you can convince up to 6 people to do this safari, the cost is greatly minimised for a group, and well worth the experience. For its price point, the experiences and camaraderie of Sausage tree is, in my opinion, unbeatable. Congratulations to James and the team for creating such a brilliant experience. We will be back!

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