Thornybush Game Lodge

Exceptional experience - honestly the best place we have ever been! Everything was perfect - there are just no words! Huge thank you to our ranger Freedom and tracker Delta who made this experience unforgettable. What a fantastic team and so knowledgeable and friendly. Special thanks also to all of the exceptional staff at the Lodge including our butler Noshem, Cathrine the duty manager for running such an amazing operation and Clarinda for her super friendly attitude. Also thank you to the invisible housekeeping team who kept our room immaculate. So many lovely touches including the personal water bottles, the baskets to use on safari (just a shame we didn’t get these to take home), the jars of sweets, nuts and biscuits in the room and the well stocked mini bar which even includes fresh milk. We loved just loved the ambiance of the lodge from being woken at 5am and going down to the main area for coffee and pre-breakfast, the game drives with Amarula coffee stops in the mornings and sundowner drinks on the afternoon drives, the absolutely amazing dinners, boma and bush dinner (an unforgettable birthday dinner). A bit of free time during the day to swim. Be prepared for an absolutely full on experience- we realised that showers needed to be taken before the afternoon game drive as there was only time for a quick freshen up/change of clothes upon return and before dinner. And then, of course, the main attraction - the animals! So close to them and to see them in their natural habitat was just overwhelming that at times it just made us so emotional. We are definitely planning on returning with our daughter and her partner, hopefully September 2027 so we can experience the Kruger at different time of year. See you all then!

This was our first safari experience and our first impression set the tone, as our family was warmly greeted upon arrival by the staff and management. Throughout the entire stay at Thornybush the staff were very pleasant, attentive, and responsive without being intrusive. The accommodations were clean, comfortable, private, and well-appointed. The food at each meal was well-prepared, plentiful, and served in a lovely open-air dining area. The game drives were beautiful and thrilling, the vehicles were new and comfortable, and we had ample time to enjoy different areas of the reserve. Ryno and Elliott, our guide and tracker, were very knowledgeable and so much fun to be with. Before each drive, they would ask what we were most interested in seeing, then customize the drive accordingly. We had seen the "Big 5" by the end of our second day, so Ryno was great at suggesting other sightings and experiences we might enjoy, driving us as far as necessary and staying out sometimes longer than we expected. One of our favorite drives was our final evening drive, which included stopping for drinks and snacks to view a beautiful sunset, then spending unhurried time closely observing a male lion relaxing under a clear moonlit sky. Unforgettable! The bottom line is that our Thornybush experience easily exceeded our expectations, and we left with wonderful memories.

My partner and I had a 3 night stay at Game Lodge on Thornybush Game Reserve. From the moment we were greeted at the front gate by their lovely staff we were impressed with the attention to detail and welcoming feeling. We could not find a single fault with our stay - the food was incredible and service was impeccable. Our game drives - by our experienced ranger - Freedom and expert tracker - Elliot - completely exceeded our expectations. Their knowledge and skills were exceptional - constantly getting us metres from the big 5. Thankyou to all staff for making us feel welcome and giving us an experience of a lifetime.