About Jembisa

Jembisa is a bush home situated in its own private game reserve, the Palala River Reserve, named after the river that runs through it. It is located in an area in the Limpopo Province in South Africa known as the Waterberg.

Built originally as a family home, and still owned by the family, Jembisa has a wonderful atmosphere of relaxation and comfort. Staying here one does truly feel ‘at home in the bush’. The lodge is built from local stone and thatch in harmony with its surroundings. It is a beautifully designed lodge with large, spacious rooms decorated with natural materials in an Afro-colonial style.

Having been a family home Jembisa also benefits from some extras not usually found at safari lodges. For example a library, reading room, games room and tennis court.

Jembisa is for those looking for an exceptional, personal African Safari and can be booked on an Exclusive or Non Exclusive Use basis.

It is perfect for family safaris or small groups of friends looking to experience true African hospitality and wildlife in a private, luxury safari lodge set within a private game reserve. All accommodation at Jembisa is extremely comfortable and care has been taken to ensure that everything is available to meet your needs. There are five luxury en-suite bedrooms, three with private balconies plus a children’s bunkroom.

Arrangements are flexible to suit each parties needs. Bunk beds and cots for children are available. All bathrooms have both a shower and a bath.

Your chef will prepare delicious meals for you. Local, fresh ingredients are used when in season including those from the lodges own large, organic kitchen garden. Meals are varied affairs and may include picnics in the bush, dinner under the stars, lunch on the terrace, and al fresco breakfasts and brunches.

A wide range of beverages are available and wines are quality South African estate wines.

Activities at the lodge include swimming or relaxing by the natural saltwater pool, tennis on the floodlit court or a massage either in the privacy of your room or on the secluded deck where all you will hear is the birdsong and the river below. Only local organic oils including avocado oil and rose geranium oil are used.

Game Drives are in open 4×4 Land Rovers with highly trained and experienced rangers. Night drives provide the opportunity of seeing the nocturnal animals such as leopard, brown hyena, aardvark, civet cats and porcupines. Bush walks are always fascinating and one can experience the thrill of walking with Giraffe. Other activities include camp outs under the stars overnight and exploring late iron age sites and bushman paintings on the reserve. There is also a wide selection of activities in the surrounding areas that are available.

Children of all ages are extremely welcome at Jembisa. Having been a family home Jembisa is ideally suited to families with children. In particular having all bedrooms within the lodge provides parents with peace of mind when staying within a game reserve. Another important advantage to adults and children alike is that Jembisa is in a malaria free area. Jembisa aims to provide a family safari holiday where all ages are catered for including providing adults with some time for themselves.

There is much for children to do and activities can be tailor-made to suit them. African Beading, Baking and decorating of cookies / cupcakes, Napkin folding lessons, Volley ball / badminton / lawn croquet on the lodge lawns, Mini zipline, Swimming, Trampoline, Tennis – floodlit courts, Mountain biking – bikes available for all ages, Playroom with table tennis / books & puzzles / toys / scooters / nature corner, Full DSTV and nature DVD’s, Scorpion hunting with a ranger, Marshmallow braaing around the camp fire, Ice-cream stops

Safari activities offered on our reserve
Day and night game drives, Bush and river walks, Visits to the bushman painting and iron age sites, Bird watching, Fishing, Hiking and running, Mountain biking, Campouts under the stars

About Waterberg Region

The Waterberg offers a mosaic of exceptional scenic landscape, a fascinating cultural heritage, an abundance of wildlife species and many nature-based tourism opportunities. Vaalwater is the central village of the Waterberg area, the heart of the Bushveld region. The Waterberg has been described as South Africa´s best keep secret. Its rugged beauty, together with its diversity in plant and animal life, has led to the development of several exciting eco-tourism projects such as the biosphere reserve, the Waterberg Nature Conservancy – the amalgamation of conservation areas in order to protect more than 150 000 hectares of the Waterberg-habitat.

The Waterberg-range, incorporating many rivers, streams and swamps, stretches for 150 kilometres in a long arc from Thabazimbi in the West, Nylstroom in the centre to Potgietersrus in the east. Apart from the spectacular scenery of the mountains themselves, there are many game sanctuaries, nature reserves and farms. The 75 mammal species include big game such as elephant, lion, hippo, leopard and buffalo. African python and the Nile crocodile are also resident, and it is a birdwatchers´ paradise with more than 300 bird species.

Lodge Features