Inspired by the adventures of Ernst Hemmingway, Dan Olofsson and his wife Christin ventured from Malmö Sweden into the rolling hills of Zululand South Africa where they were warmly welcomed by the local Zulu people. Dan’s initial quest was to find a Safari property where he could rewild all of the land with Big 5 and build a private luxury Villa for his friends and family.
Meeting Pierre Delvaux in March 2002, who at the time was a partner and head of management consulting at the accounting firm Hills Howard Zululand, changed both of their trajectories whose impact is significantly still being felt not only in the Thanda Group across Africa but also in the Star for Life International organisation.
Having first completed construction and development of the Olofsson’s first private Villa in Africa on Thanda Safari, Villa iZulu (Place of Heaven), they set about building a 9-key luxury safari lodge. Weeks before the official opening of the new lodge, Pierre’s life was about to take a radical turn. Until then he had been consulting for Dan and handling all Thanda related matters in South Africa on behalf of the Olofsson family. It was then that Dan appointed Pierre as Managing Director and his first order of business was to undertake a restructuring of senior management.
“Just step in as Acting General Manager too Pierre in order to officially open the lodge to the public, it will only be for six months until we recruit and appoint a new General Manager.” Dan Olofsson famously said.
That was 20 years ago.
Humble Beginnings
Delvaux, who grew up in Zululand, speaks fluent Zulu and as a young child, went on safari each year with his father and siblings to the very spot where Thanda Safari and The Royal Thanda Club by Thanda Safari are now situated, relates the Thanda Story:
“My reflection on the past 20 years is one of immense pride, humility and appreciation of the Olofsson family’s unwavering support of Africa. The Thanda journey can best be described as a business rooted in family values and ethos, where all staff regard themselves as being part of a dynamic family, deeply committed, loyal and dedicated to the ideals and vision that have made Thanda great and what it is today. Guests immediately feel the warmth and magic of our staff, appreciating extraordinary memories of a lifetime whilst on a Big 5 African Safari, where everyone goes the extra mile and nothing is a problem, showcasing the Thanda WOW FACTOR that have become known around the world as THANDA-ISMS… my greatest accomplishment and sense of satisfaction is that I feel that after twenty years that we have only just begun.” Pierre Delvaux – Founding Thanda Safari General Manager and Thanda Group CEO.
A proud member of The Leading Hotels of the World, Thanda Safari, ranked as one of the 20 Top Resorts in South Africa in the 2020 Condé Nast Traveler Awards, is a multiple award winner of The World’s Leading Luxury Lodge Awards and has consistently clinched wins at the annual World Travel Awards. Most recently at the 2023 World Travel Awards (Africa & Indian Ocean) – Villa iZulu at Thanda Safari: South Africa’s Leading Luxury Private Villa 2023 and Thanda Island: Africa’s Leading Luxury Island 2023 and the 2023 World Travel Award (Global) – Villa iZulu at Thanda Safari: World’s Leading Luxury Private Villa 2023 and Thanda Island, Tanzania: World’s Leading Exclusive Private Island 2023.
Thanda Safari is situated 23km north of Hluhluwe on the N2, approximately 220km north of Durban, and is easily accessible from the N2 by gravel road (no 4×4 required). Richards Bay is the closest commercial airport, with King Shaka International Airport, Durban being the closest international airport. Road and helicopter transfers are available from and to Durban’s King Shaka and Richards Bay airports.
