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Tshukudu Private Game Reserve is home to 2 Safari Lodges and borders the world renowned Greater Kruger National Park. The perfect combination of comfort and luxury in the heart of Big 5 territory. The 3800 ha reserve has magnificent views of the majestic Drakensberg Mountains and offers close encounters with nature's fiercest predators as well as the more gentle species and birdlife. Tshukudu Game Lodge comprises a 4 star, full board safari lodge and a 3 star self-catering camp. Get back to nature by joining us on one of our adventurous and safe activities. The most popular are definitely the early morning or late afternoon game drives. There are also a multitude of activities on offer in the Hoedspruit area. Tshukudu, being a Big 5 Game Reserve, provides the opportunity to spot a vast range of wild animals such as Bushbuck, Buffalo, Cheetah, Crocodile, Duiker, Elephant, Eland, Giraffe, Hippo, Impala, Jackal, Kudu, Lion, Leopard, Steenbuck, White Rhino, Waterbuck, Wildebeest and Zebra as well as many other species. Not too mention the abundant flora and birdlife. We are involved in the public education and environmental awareness of our natural heritage, and our main priority is the protection of Rhinos. Tshukudu means Rhino in seSotho or seTswana (native African Language).
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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My first experience at a Game Lodge in South Africa was pleasant. The rooms were in small villas with adjoining rooms if one chose. They are spacious, air conditioned and the king poster beds had all around netting. Bathrooms are very spacious. The porch like balcony comes in handy during sunset and sunrises, as you hear the beautiful sounds of the wild. The restaurant was decent and was open Aired facing the pool and several outdoor lounge areas. The spa provided great massages and was easily accessible. The nightly dining space was set around a bonfire and provided a buffet setting with a full bar.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Keep your electronics charged so you are not caught off alert during load shedding.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Tallulah Carlsen, Guest Services / Front Office at Tshukudu Game Lodge
Responded 15 Sept 2023
Dear Guest, We are delighted to hear that your first experience at our South African Game Lodge was pleasant. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. It's wonderful to know that you enjoyed our spacious, air-conditioned rooms with comfortable king poster beds and spacious bathrooms. The balcony with its beautiful sounds of the wild during sunset and sunrise adds to the charm of our lodge. We are pleased that you found our restaurant and dining areas accommodating, and that the spa provided great massages. Your comfort and relaxation are important to us, and we're glad we could meet your expectations. We appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back in the future for another enjoyable stay amidst the beauty of the wild. Warm regards, Sharon Hendricks
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Quiet, be in nature, see animals very closely, read a book, share a drink at the pool, meet new people (if you want; it's not compulsory) that's what it was like. We enjoyed the location, the surroundings, the very friendly staff with a very flexible way of working and serving us. And seeing so many animals so very close ... It was a real pleasure.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: October 2021
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is a tough one because the good was REALLY good and the rest was slightly harder to stomach. The positives: Upon arrival we were greeted with a drink and a cool towel. The receptionist was lovely, as were all the staff. Truly amazing. We drove to our apartment which was everything I expected and more. We had booked the most luxurious accommodation – the cottage. It was far more stunning than in the pictures – all brick, airco in the bedroom, best kitchen we had on our entire trip and the best pool too. Deep, long, perfect temperature, lovely. We were told upon check in that the main pool was out of service and that other guests would be using our private pool, but that there were only 2 other guests at the time. People did use it and they were lovely and all was well. Dinner was also lovely. In short, our first night was amazing.
The next day. I was sunbathing when the manageress came up to me and said she had just checked in a group of 15 and they wanted to come to the pool. The pool is literally 1 metre from both our windows, pretty intimate. I understood fully that the other pool was broken, but the lodge didn’t tell us that a big group was arriving the next day, nor offer us another room in light of this. Nor did they offer us anything in the way of compensation (free drink at the bar etc.)
Also really odd is that this is the only game park I have ever been to where you cannot self-drive. There are NO signs saying you cannot self-drive and we were not told upon checking in and were afterwards told that it is on page 3 of our welcome pack item number 7. Not making this crystal clear to guests, both before they stay and during is a mistake that management should redress.
Our pool had no chlorine in it after the first day and there were insects swimming half way down in it. Someone came every day to remove debris, but no chlorine was added meaning It was too much of a risk to swim in there sadly. Also, the Wi-Fi was horrible and there is no mobile phone reception to make a hotspot. I understand we are in the bush, but people want to advertise this and post pictures of themselves on social media in this lovely place. This should be redressed.
On our last morning we went on a game drive. It was the oddest game drive I have ever done. The guide was driving quite fast and not speaking very clearly. Also, I got scratched by brambles and bushes several times. I would recommend to management doing some bush maintenance. It was also crazily full. We would have like to have known in advance when busy days would have been, so we could have done our drive earlier. Also, upon check-in, we were told it was included in the price. They ended up trying to charge us for it (the took it off the bill eventually though.)
The staff were lovely but terrible Wi-Fi, unclean pool, lack of compensation for having a group descending on our privacy, game drive as if we were in a computer game and lack of information regarding non-self driving made this a difficult trip for us. That said, I would come back if these points were addressed.
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Date of stay: February 2022
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Room Tip:Room 1, the luxury cottage is amazing!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed here as part of a Go Touchdown package, and having come straight from Humala, it was a very different vibe and I'll admit I wasn't sure about it at first. I ended up loving it. The timing worked out so that we were the only guests for most of our stay, and it ended up feeling like a personal experience for us. Our guide was Tyler, who knows so much and on the first drive sped us back to the lodge to make sure we were able to meet Floppy the resident cheetah, who had been lounging outside my friends' room. We also got to do things like track lions on the hunt and have sundowners next to hippos, and I had an incredible time.
One friend also got sick one night, and the staff was so concerned and helpful. Douglas even went and brought her food because she was going to miss dinner, and everyone from the manager to the excellent wait staff all asked after her and welcomed her back when she was feeling better.
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Date of stay: June 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beeware of booking this lodge, they use a company named touchdown africa. I have been trying to get my deposit refunded since I cancelled in Mach well outside the time limit. We were due to travel this month. The reviews on facebook all are bad I feel I need to warn travellers of this. So if you book make double sure you do not need to vcancel your travel. travel. I have been emailing company and received nothing but lies.
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Date of stay: August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very impressive, we had a group of world schoolers come to your safari experience and we had an epic time. Loved all the community work you do, the information you were willing to share and the engagement you had with the kids. Thank you very much. Highly recommended
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sharon Hendricks, Guest Services / Front Office at Tshukudu Game Lodge
Responded 15 Nov 2024
Thank you for your fantastic review! We’re so glad to hear that your group had an epic time during the safari experience. It's wonderful to know that the community work, shared information, and engagement with the kids made such a positive impact. We truly appreciate your recommendation and look forward to hosting you again in the future!
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Such an perfect and friendly place to visit in the Greater Kruger area. The staff is friendly. The animals are everywhere to be seen. Facilities are clean, up to date and offer more than surrounding lodges in area. Truly recommend this lodge to anyone.
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Tallulah Carlsen, Guest Services / Front Office at Tshukudu Game Lodge
Responded 15 Sept 2023
Dear Guest, We greatly appreciate your wonderful review of our resort in the Greater Kruger area. It's fantastic to hear that you found our place perfect and friendly, and we are delighted that you had such a positive experience during your stay. Our dedicated staff takes pride in providing friendly service, and we are pleased to hear that you found our facilities clean, up to date, and exceeding your expectations. It's always a pleasure to know that our guests are satisfied with their surroundings. Thank you for recommending our lodge to others. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future and providing you with another exceptional stay in the heart of the Greater Kruger area. Warm regards, Sharon Hendricks
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I had a really nice and relaxing stay at Tshukudu. Exciting game drives with tons of animals, I loved meeting the cheetahs. Really tasty meals in the Boma in good company. Good value for the money and not too far from the airport.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: September 2021
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Steven Sussens for ensuring that our 23 Worldschool guests, parents and children, had the most wonderful morning experiencing Tshukudu on an early morning bush walk and learning more about your rehabilitation efforts. Indeed most valuable and necessary even though we advocate against certain types of animal interaction, we appreciate all you do for those habituated species alike.
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Date of stay: November 2024
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Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sharon Hendricks, Guest Services / Front Office at Tshukudu Game Lodge
Responded 15 Nov 2024
Thank you for your kind review! We’re thrilled that your group had such a wonderful experience on the early morning bush walk and enjoyed learning more about our rehabilitation efforts. We truly appreciate your thoughtful acknowledgement of our work with habituated species and are grateful for your support. It was a pleasure hosting your guests, and we hope to welcome you all back for another meaningful experience in the future!
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The reception was unpleasant and poorly trained and as the main point of contact, our stay went from bad to worse. The food was underwhelming. The bedroom and bathroom were old and in need of an upgrade. I have never received such shocking service before at a hotel or game lodge.
We did have 2 nice game drives and the massage at the Spa was very good.
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Tallulah Carlsen, Guest Services / Front Office at Tshukudu Game Lodge
Responded 30 May 2023
I'm sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience at the hotel or game lodge. It's disappointing when the reception and overall service fail to meet your expectations, especially when you are the main point of contact. Poorly trained staff can greatly impact the quality of your stay, and I understand how this would have made your experience go from bad to worse. Additionally, underwhelming food and outdated accommodations can certainly detract from the overall enjoyment of your stay. It's understandable that you would expect a higher standard, and it's unfortunate that these aspects fell short of your expectations. However, I'm glad to hear that you had a few positive experiences during your stay. It's great that you were able to enjoy two nice game drives and that the massage at the spa was enjoyable. These moments of relaxation and enjoyment can help to alleviate some of the negative experiences you encountered. If you haven't already done so, it might be helpful to provide feedback to the management of the hotel or lodge. Constructive feedback can highlight areas of improvement and help them address the issues you faced, ensuring a better experience for future guests. I hope your next travel experience exceeds your expectations and provides you with the exceptional service and accommodations you deserve.
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There are more places to choose from in the Hoedspruit area.
PRICE RANGE
$195 - $397 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
tshukudu game hotel hoedspruit
LOCATION
South AfricaKruger National ParkHoedspruit
NUMBER OF ROOMS
25
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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