Thornybush Game Reserve

Thornybush is a collection of luxury lodges in the world-renowned wilderness areas of Thornybush Nature Reserve in Kruger National Park. Big 5 encounters and the sheer diversity of wildlife in the Kruger Park have helped establish Thornybush as a leading destination in the Greater Kruger Park area.

Thornybush is one of the original nature reserves in the Greater Kruger National Park, with the first lodge opening its doors in 1961. Since then, Thornybush has added more lodges to its collection and now operates in both the Thornybush and Sabi Sand Private Nature Reserves. 

Along the way, we’ve been involved in a range of wildlife projects such as the first translocation of an entire elephant herd from Kruger, one of the first leopard introductions onto a private reserve, extensive studies of pangolins and the first release of a black rhino onto a private nature reserve in the lowveld. 

Thornybush Game Reserve is a private game reserve, near Hoedspruit, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. It borders the Kapama Game Reserve and is located close to the Timbavati Game Reserve and the Kruger Park. The Reserve's surface area is approximately 14,000 ha of mainly open savannah.

As with many private reserves in South Africa, Thornybush is managed as an eco-tourism destination, thus the Reserve is funded by means of a number of up-market private commercial game lodges located within the Reserve. They are involved in different kind of projects such as supporting local community through contributions to surrounding schools and sustainable farming.

Thornybush Game Reserve shares an unfenced border with the Kruger National Park, which means that animals can move freely between the reserve and the park.

There are more than 12 different places to stay in Thornybush Game Reserve:

Royal Malewane Waterside Lodge
Royal Malewane Lodge, Africa House & Farmstead
Waterbuck Lodge
Serondella Lodge
Monwana Lodge
Jackalberry Lodge
Thornybush Game Lodge
Saseka & Little Saseka Safari Camps
Siviti Private Lodge
Shimungwe Safari Lodge
Shumbalala Private Lodge
Tangala Safari Camp
Kwambili Safari Camp

The nearest airport to the reserve is Hoedspruit airport. The game reserve is not far from Kruger National Park's Orpen gate and there are a multitude of activities and sights to visit around the reserve.