Tau Game Lodge is preparing for domestic travel post-Coronavirus lockdown by ensuring health and hygiene measures are strictly adhered to at the lodge as well as on game drives.
As everyone is dealing with the challenges that COVID-19 has brought, the Tau team has been working on and will be adopting additional health and hygiene measures to provide guests with complete peace of mind during future visits.
Tau is one of the larger lodges in the Madikwe Reserve and as the lodge might not be operating on full capacity immediately, this will allow for extra space and a variety of different venues available to facilitate the current social distancing rules.
Says Renate Oostmeijer, General Manager of the South African team: “We will be able to alternate the use of each room and deep clean rooms meticulously before each guest arrival.
“In order to practice sensible social distancing during game drives, we will allow for a maximum of 6 people per vehicle and guests will have the option to request a private vehicle should they prefer so, at an additional fee.”
The culinary team’s delicious and healthy meals will be served a-la carte and tables will be spaced apart at an appropriate distance.
Tau is perfectly suitable as a medium size meeting venue for 20 or 30 delegates with single occupancy as well. Corporates who had to work non-stop, yet remotely during these past months could be in dire need of a well-deserved breather in nature to discuss the way forward, once current restrictions are relaxed, and normalcy prevails once again.
Community responsibilities
In line with Tau’s community programme and the Tau Foundation, management endeavours to maintain staff levels in order to support the local Supingstad communities during these uncertain times, while the Reserve has been on lockdown and staff had to be sent home.
The Tau team looks forward to re-opening its doors to welcome guests back, hopefully very soon.
“We encourage our guests to decide on a future trip and to take advantage of the various discounted Pay now & Travel later Flexi vouchers, available for both Individual travellers as well as corporate groups,” says Renate.
“We are aware of many people who had their travel planned for milestone birthdays and other family celebrations, but sadly were unable to travel due to the current circumstances. Therefore, we offer the new prepaid voucher for flexible travel dates, which gives our guests the freedom to choose dates at a later stage and the option to postpone if needed. Dates are flexible as we do understand that travel restrictions are constantly changing as per updates from the authorities,” she states.
Much to the delight of avid worldwide followers of the wildlife activity at the iconic Tau waterhole in front of the lodge, the live web camera has provided many people around the globe with exciting daily viewing during the lockdown period – armchair safari at its best, indeed. Some regular guests have reported their pouring a tipple of choice whilst indulging in this out-of-Africa experience.
This serves as a reminder that the natural world just continues its natural flow. Daily sightings include, African wild dog, large herds of elephant and buffalo, lion, the entire spectrum of antelope, a plethora of birdlife, all stealthily observed by the residing crocodile.
Wonderful as this armchair travel is, nothing beats the real deal of being in the bush, being mesmerised by the constant parade of game at the waterhole, on which guests have a wide-angle vista from the hospitality decks as well as the room decks.
After all, animals, just like humans, have to quench their thirst and a five-star safari cannot get any better than man and beast doing so simultaneously, whilst observing each other, from a safe and socially acceptable distance, of course.
Pay it forward Tau voucher packages:
Lion Special 2020: Treat the Lion King in your life to our pride voucher @R13,750 per couple sharing for two nights (actual value R19,757). The package includes: accommodation, 3 meals per day, 2 game drives per day, drinks and snacks on safari drives, a gift basket (valued R500), a spa voucher to the value of R150 when spending R300 or more, which could be used towards any treatments or spa products as well as a Tau Curio store voucher to the value of R300 (when spending R600 or more) and all levies. When booking for 2021, the rate would be R17,780 (actual value R27,960).
Lioness Special 2020: Treat the lioness in your life to our pride voucher @R13,750 per couple sharing for 2 nights (actual value R19,757). The package includes: 2 nights’ accommodation, 3 meals per day, 2 game drives per day, drinks and snack on safari drives, a 30-minute couples back and neck massage (a deep tissue back massage to relax tight, sore muscles), a bottle of sparkling wine in the room PLUS a romantic bed turn-down on the 1st night, and all levies. When booking for 2021, the rate would be R17,780 (actual value R27,960).
The above vouchers exclude: all items ordered from the bar, curio purchases, telephone usage, laundry services and all other extras. Drinks consumed at the lodge are charged on consumption.
Full advance payment is required to purchase vouchers – email taugame@mweb.co.za. The highly addictive Tau live webcam will keep you mesmerized on: http://taugamelodge.co.za/main-lodge/live-webcam/
Tau Game Lodge opened its 5-star safari doors in 1995 and offers 30 rooms, from Standard to Luxury to Family Suites. +27-(0)11-466 8715/17 – taugame@mweb.co.za – www.taugamelodge.co.za
