Tengile MalaMala: The (Kinda) New Kid on the Block

As I wrote about last year, &Beyond has lost the rights to Tengile River Lodge.  And whilst those two have been breaking up with each other, and &Beyond has been breaking up with me, Tengile has now created a new venture to combine Tengile River Lodge and MalaMala into a single owner-based group.  They have gone with the groundbreaking name of Tengile MalaMala, which….ok, it makes sense.  At least they didn’t pay a consultant $1m just to go on a vowel massacre or “reimagine luxury.” Nope, it’s just two names stuck together like they had a deadline. There’s still time to pivot to Tngl Mlml, though, guys – that’s basically how I pronounce most lodges in Botswana anyway, so I feel like I’ve memorised it already.

So, short story: things are the same as before.  Longer story, they are bringing a new camp to MalaMala, Khensani River Lodge, set to debut in December 2026.

When I last spoke to MalaMala, there was a pretty clear message: they know exactly where they sit.  And more importantly, where they should sit.  MalaMala has always had the land, but the camps haven’t matched it. They’re not at the level of Londolozi (their neighbour, where there’s a whole history that reads like a series of Real Housewives), and they’re definitely nowhere near Singita.  And they know it.  I am going to MalaMala and Tengile in September as a full-paying guest, so you shall know it too.  But stay positive, Tom.  Stay positive.

For Khensani, they’ve announced all nine rooms will have private plunge pools, so I’m guessing it is indeed going for that higher-end feels.  Not that a plunge pool actively spells glory, but it at least hints that they’re not going for abandoned-haunted-clownhouse chic.

For a bit of history, MalaMala contains three camps: Rattray’s, MalaMala Camp and Sable Camp, whilst the Sabi Sand’s camps are Tengile River Lodge and Kirkman’s Camp.  We only care about the luxury market here, hence Tengile and Rattray’s are all I care about, and I pretend the others are a figment of my imagination.

And for your final history lesson, this is going to be a great trip for me.  My first-ever safari guide, from Singita Lebombo, is now at MalaMala, so this is like a reunion tour for me.  I am also going back to Lebombo on this trip – and trying the newly refurbished Royal Malewane too.

But, less about me (no, really, I insist), let’s take a moment to enjoy an owner-based triumph.  Owner-led hotels/resorts/lodges are those I always come back to as the best of the best.  So, having another (hopeful) success story is a good thing.  Gone are &Beyond; in are some owners who clearly already knew what they were doing, but now get to proudly put their names on it.  Good for them.  Now they just need to execute.