Thornybush Collection

Thornybush is a collection of luxury safari lodges that has earned its reputation as one of South Africa’s finest bush experiences. All of the lodges are set on riverbeds or overlooking waterholes, where guests can savour the wilderness in luxurious comfort. 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 illustrious collection and now operates both in the Thornybush and Sabi Sand Private Nature Reserves.

Over the past few decades, they have 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 the endangered pangolins and the first release of a black rhino onto a private nature reserve in the lowveld. With a firm commitment to sustainable travel principles, their efforts extend beyond wildlife to the upliftment of the surrounding communities, including their highly successful ‘Thousand Herbs and Vegetable Garden’ initiative – two small farms, run by local enterprises, that supply the lodges with fresh produce.

At Thornybush, the aim is to make experiences meaningful, immersive and transformational. Each safari has a positive and direct impact on people and the environment. Together with the warmest hospitality, sumptuous cuisine and first-class guides, these lodges are the perfect getaway to explore the spectacular wildlife of the Greater Kruger.