Thornybush Game Lodge

TLDR: Thornybush Game lodge is a great option for first time safari goers, families, and couples. Great experience for what you will spend on this trip in South Africa. We stayed at Thornybush this past May for our wedding anniversary trip in South Africa. It was about a 30-mins drive from the Hoedspruit airport so fly there if you are coming from CPT or JNB. We had a couple of preferences when we were working with our travel agent for our first safari trip. We wanted all inclusive of everything (alcoholic drinks included), semi private, not too crowded, and 5-star. Thornybush met all these requirements. The service was phenomenal. We stayed here for 3 days and it was one of the best places we’ve stayed at and we’ve been to over 30 countries. Now it’s super hard to go back to Safari in a national park because the Thornybush game reserve is amazing. Our game drives happened 2x/day with the same tracker & guide who were btw phenomenal. Make sure you request for Delta and Freedom if you are coming here. They are the best in the business. Literally they’re so good at finding the animals that we literally saw a leopard at least once a day which is not common at all! For the 2 days we were there, we saw a leopard 2x a day! We also witnessed a once in a lifetime scene of a lion hunt, just like in the lion king. It was so amazing. The staff is incredible and they are so attentive we felt like kings and queens! The food is amazing and the drinks are always available. Shout out to the awesome staff and manager! The spa is also great and we did other things like a bush walk and bush dinner. There’s so many activities to do that we didn’t get to enjoy the pool and I wish we stayed more days to be honest. At one point I got really ill because of my motion sickness patch and the staff was so helpful to us and even delivered my dinner to our room. Laundry is also included in the stay. We also hired a photographer on our last night game drive which was the best idea so I highly recommend doing that because we got nice photos of us in the bush. I think the only improvement I can suggest is having an option for either a doctor or nurse practitioner that can provide medication in case guests got ill because that happened to me but thankfully I was fine. The other thing that I think they missed was that they didn’t really acknowledge our wedding anniversary which is kinda disappointing like the room wasn’t decorated or anything like that. I know that they do this for honeymooners but I wish they would also do it for everyone who is celebrating something. Regardless, I highly recommend Thornybush if you have the budget for it!

It was a once in a lifetime wildlife experience. The lodge and service were amazing! The food was incredible. The morning and afternoon evening safaris were once in a lifetime experiences where we saw the Big 5 in our 3 days there. I would love to one day return.

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.

We visited Thornybush for a 3 day safari, last week as part b of an Abercrombie and Kent tour. The staff gave us a warm welcome, and we found our beautiful room clean, neat and comfortable. Glory, our butler provided exceptional service and Muxi and KP our guides showed us the Big 5 and helped us understand the animals and their environment. It was unforgettable and we would highly recommend Thornybush.

In March 2025, our family spent three nights at the wonderful Thorny Bush Lodge in Timbavati, South Africa. We had an excellent time — from the outstanding meals to the warm, attentive service and truly exceptional game viewing. The experience arrangers and safari guides were knowledgeable and engaging, and the management and staff overall were experienced, professional, and welcoming. Everything ran smoothly, and the hospitality was top-notch. The only downside we noted was that certain areas of the rooms require maintenance, especially for a lodge positioned in the ultra-luxury five-star category. Some doors didn’t close or seal properly, leaving small gaps — particularly around the bathroom and outdoor shower doors, as well as the main entrance. These gaps allowed insects like mosquitoes to enter, especially at night when the lights were on. Despite this, we had a fantastic stay and would highly recommend Thorny Bush Lodge to anyone seeking an authentic and luxurious safari experience. We would definitely return

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!