Tshukudu Bush Lodge

We had an incredible stay at Tshukudu Bush Lodge and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Pilanesberg! One of the biggest advantages is that it’s the only lodge located inside Pilanesberg National Park, which means you’re surrounded by nature from the moment you wake up. We had amazing views from the lodge, and it wasn’t uncommon to see wildlife coming right up near the property. Another huge benefit is that the lodge has permission to drive off-road in certain areas of the park, allowing for much closer wildlife encounters than many other lodges can offer. The game drives were also much more enjoyable because the vehicles only accommodate up to six guests. Unlike some nearby lodges that pack much larger groups into a vehicle, the smaller group size made the experience feel far more personal, comfortable, and interactive. We were treated to breathtaking sunsets every evening, and thanks to our fantastic guide, Jafari, we were lucky enough to see the entire Big Five and so much more! Jafari was incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and had an impressive ability to track animals. He always seemed to know the quickest route to sightings before other vehicles arrived and was exceptional at reading tracks to find wildlife. If you’re staying at Tshukudu Bush Lodge, we can’t recommend requesting Jafari enough. He truly made an unforgettable experience even better. We would absolutely stay here again!

The lodge staff asked us for tips every day, even coming into our room — two women — and closing the door, asking us to transfer money, even after we explained that we do not have an international bank account. In addition, at the restaurant, we asked not to be served the same meat from the previous night because we felt unwell, but they served it anyway and we ended up going hungry. In other words, we paid a high price for nothing.”

If you're looking for something unique, intimate and full of wildlife encounters. Tshukudu Bush Lodge is the place to be. Be ready to be captured by the best views in the Pilanesburg! Food is out of this world, service is warm and considerate. You never have to worry about a thing. Be ready to walk up a flight of natural stairs and come prepared to reconnect with nature.

Pilansberg is great for a short safari experience. It's easily accessible, pretty compact, but large enough to to have a fantastic array of game, and a beautiful combination of mountains, plains and lakes. Tshukudu is a fabulous base, being inside the park, giving the opportunity to start your game drives as the sun is coming up and get out again late afternoon until it's dark. The lodge also has beautiful views over a largish plain, backed by hills, with a waterhole, so you can just keep on game watching right from your balcony! The service at the lodge is excellent and the food and wines,etc. plentiful and good quality. Special mention to our guide Jafari; he was excellent. Very knowledgeable about the bush, the animals, birds, flowers and a whole lot more. He was considerate on the drives and has a great knack of getting you to a good viewing point when one of the big 5 make an appearance. His colleague JR, we heard is equally knowledgeable and skilled,he was certainly super enthusiastic and obviously commited to the park when we spoke to him. The rooms are comfortable, spacious and have everything you might need. The balconies over looking the plain are sublime. The lodges will though need updating soon.. The thatched rooves are past their best and bathrooms dated and whilst the bath/shower with plain and game view is a great idea, be careful getting in and out. Yes, you need not just to be able to get up and down the 130+ steps to the lodge, but to be able to do it several times a day and get in and out of the shower successfully!

Tshukudu provided us with a faultless experience. The location and construction of the lodge provides an idyllic setting overlooking a busy watering hole. The villas are immaculate and equipped with every amenity we could ask for. The catering was excellent and the staff unfailingly polite and obliging. The highlights were the game drives and we could not have asked for a better guide than Jann-Rick (JR to everyone). Having spent his whole life in and around the park he provided us with answers to all our questions and just the right amount of interesting information about the park and its wildlife. We understand that there is an element of luck in what animals you are going to see, but we got very, very lucky! We cannot recommend this lodge highly enough.