Tshukudu Bush Lodge

A spectacular location and a top-rate place to enjoy privacy and quiet along with your game viewing. Wonderful views, good service, beautiful rooms and lovely food. We felt fortunate to have JR as our bush guide: knowledgeable, funny, kind and absolutely the tops at what he does. We learned so much. Thanks to all of you at Tshukudu for an impeccable stay. Mandy, Selva and Daniel.

We stayed at Tshukudu Lodge in November 2024 for our honeymoon. We stayed for 3 nights before moving to Mauritius. Drives You’re offered a game drive in the morning and a drive in the evening. In a morning, we had to be ready for approximately 4:30am for coffee before setting off roughly at 4:45/5am. We’d then go out on the drive before coming back to the lodge for about 8:45am ish before we’d then have breakfast. On an afternoon / evening, you’d have a late lunch before heading out for the next drive. You’d then come back at around 8pm before having the evening meal at 9pm. We had JR as our guide who was absolutely fantastic. His passion for the animals was infectious; he was so knowledgable but also did not go ‘chasing’ the sightings like some other guides with other companies did. We had an unfortunate incident where lions were sighted and lots of different tour companies were chasing them and our entire group felt uncomfortable. JR did not engage in any of this which was really reassuring. We managed to see so many animals; we saw buffalo, elephants, lions, cheetahs, giraffes and so many more. It was truly magical. Lodges The lodges were really well equipped; they had a fridge, a coffee machine, plugs with electricity and a very comfy bed. Towels and an assortment of different toiletries were provided. The rooms were cleaned too. Food The food was incredible. Breakfast was either a selection of ‘full English’ type ingredients, fruits, and other items. The late lunch varied but while there, we had some chicken satay sticks with a salad for example. Another day we had a chicken pie which was the best I’ve ever eaten! On an evening, it was largely a 5 course meal which consisted of a soup course, a starter, a main which was usually meat or fish with vegetables and potatoes, a pudding, and a cheese course. The quality of the food was incredible and the service was brilliant every night. We could not recommend Tshukudu more; this is a real, ‘one in a lifetime’ place to visit. We’re desperate to come back. If we were to come back, we’d probably extend our stay from 3 nights to 4/5 nights. While it does get tiring with being up so early, you have all the late morning / afternoon to relax. I usually spent this napping! The lodges have verandas which look out onto the watering hole so even when we were relaxing, we were able to spot lots of different animals which was amazing! What to pack The lodge provides a bag with binoculars in for the drives so don’t worry about bringing those. There’s also snacks in the lodge if you do get hungry. It could get chilly on some of the drives - while there’s blankets provided in the trucks, I bought an over shirt and then a jacket with me. For footwear, I wore sandals / trainers were fine. If you want to do the walking tour, then you’d need closed shoes. If you’re contemplating booking here, please do it! The staff, the location, the lodges, the guides and more importantly, the abundance of an

My husband and I have just returned from a 6 night stay at Tshuduku Bush Lodge. The only accommodation that is inside the park. The whole experience was something to behold as it exceeded our expectations by a long way. The staff always greet you with a smile and cannot do enough for you. The food is plentiful and delicious, the menus for breakfast and dinner are varied and different every day. Dinner is 5 courses from 7:30 with all guests seated together, it was a lovely way to end the day and share all the sightings and experiences with people who were on other jeeps. We stayed in a standard lodge (no plunge pool) which was spacious, they provided toiletries, robes, slippers, coffee machine with pods, kettle and a selection of tea, plus a fridge stocked with water. You are able to ask for whatever your drink choice is to be brought to your room but we just went up to the reception area and sat with drinks up in the beautiful seating area. All lodges face the park with stunning views. There are 132 steps (I read that but didn’t count) to be mindful of that you need to climb up from where you are dropped off on arrival and then if you do 2 drives per day then it’s up and down twice more. There are lodges half way up so if you aren’t good with steps then I would advise those, but you still have to climb up the rest for breakfast and dinner. If you’re relatively able then it’s fine, there is a bench halfway to have a breather if needed. The reward at the top is the beautiful reception area with a bar and seating area. In the evenings they light the firepit for you to sit around for a pre-dinner drink. The game drives are at 6am (5:30am from 1 Sept) and 3:30pm and last around 3-3.5 hours each. The first part of morning drives and last part of the evening drives can be cool so make sure you have plenty of layers, they provide a blanket to keep you warm. Each lodge gets its own rucksack with a pair of binoculars to use which is very handy. There is also a tablet with some preloaded apps to identify birds and other animals which were useful. We had Jann-Rick as our park guide and he was outstanding. His knowledge of everything in the park is incredible, we were so taken with his empathy for all creatures which made the whole park come alive for us. He talked with kindness and admiration for everything and had some lovely personal stories to tell about some of the incredible animals in the park, past & present. Highly recommend!

I'm a UK travel agent (also specialising in safari's) and after visiting almost 20 different lodges across Africa this one will always be one of my favourites, mainly down to our guide Jann-Rick. The beautiful rustic lodge is peaceful and quiet, with amazing views of the landscape. The rooms are wonderful and have everything you need for the stay. The food is out of this world, very talented chefs indeed who deliver a taste explosion at every meal. All staff throughout are friendly and welcoming and will help with anything you need. But, the standout for this place is field guide... Jann Rick. He is one of a kind, and his passion and knowledge for the wildlife is mesmerising, you cant help being in awe of all he knows. The sightings we've had with JR are some of the best, often being the only car there to witness a special moment. I've been to Tshukudu 4 times now, and already plan another visit for next year. I've sent various guests and will continue to send them to this gem of a place, but mainly to experience guiding at its best from Jann Rick.

I’m struggling to be able to come up with the words to describe how amazing this place truly is. We have just finished our 6 night stay at Tshukudu and already are wishing we could redo it all. It has honestly given us memories to last a lifetime as well as new friends I look forward to seeing again. The staff at Tshukudu really are a credit to this place. They could not do enough for us! The level of service you receive is beyond 5 stars. The little touches such as Elvis reading us our menu of the night really show that this place truly is one of a kind. We even managed to experience a bush dinner for our last night which was the most incredible experience under the stars. Our guide JR has no idea just how special he made our game drives along with the people we were very lucky to have met. JR started as our guide but honestly towards the end of our stay he felt more like a friend. His knowledge & stories are something we are so grateful we got to experience. JR & the staff helped plan our engagement and it really was the most special place to have it. For this, I will always be grateful to the people we have met and the extent to which they went out of their way to make the night perfect. Sharing our news with the amazing people we experienced our drives with was another highlight of our stay. To those people, we miss you already. After staying at the Palace in Sun City after Tshukudu we actually missed the experience we received at this place. Yes it is tiring, but the memories we have created are the most incredible ones. If I could give this place more than 5 stars, we would. If I could tell you anything, please do not miss out on this place. TSHUKUDU and everyone we have met will always hold a special place for us.

We've just returned from a fabulous stay at Tshkudu - went on the recommendation of friends who are return visitors. We met several people who are return visitors - it's definitely a favourite, particularly for people who have experienced other lodges in the area The stairs are a challenge, but you only need to climb them a couple of times each day. The food was lovely, although I found dinner to be a bit over facing (6courses Inc cheese), particularly when you need to go to bed soon after to prepare for a 4am wake up call for the morning drive... I left a lot of food which I felt was wasteful - I would rather have had more food at High Tea and a bit less at dinner. Having said that, the lodge caters for most dietary requirements and did a good job both when there are only two guests and even there are 12! The staff can't do enough for you and are alert to individual needs. I was a bit under the weather during my stay and even the lady cleaning my room said she was sorry to hear I wasn't well. There is a small pool to relax beside. Bush walks can be organised although this needs to be requested when booking. Our Guide JR was fantastic - explained lots to us about the various wildlife, flora and fauna and did what he could to get us sightings. It's worth remembering that this time of year is not the best time for sightings because water is readily available for the animals. We did see the Big 5 though - and we had never seen a leopard before so that was a highlight. The lodge provides you with binoculars and a backpack in which you can carry your essentials for the day. All you need is a stout pair of shoes, suncream & bug spray (and your clothes of course), but there is no necessity to dress for dinner for example. We hadn't brought warm clothing, but actually we're only a little chilly on one morning and there are blankets in the truck should they be needed. They also have some very good quality ponchos in case of rain. The rooms are spacious and have everything you need (including a coffee maker, kettle and mini fridge - which they will happily stock with whatever you request). The beds are very comfortable - we coped perfectly with the overhead fan but it was not excessively hot during our stay.