Buffalo Thorn Lodge

Rates inclusive of 15% VAT • South African Rand • Subject to availability.

1 Jun 2025 to 31 Dec 2027

The Buffalo Thorn lodge is an exclusive self-catering lodge and it is rented out as a whole lodge. Rates are not per person. This means that you get the entire lodge for yourself. Included in the package is 2 × 2.5 hour guided game drives per day on a private safari vehicle. Maximum number of guests is 10 including children.

Please note a minimum of 2 nights is required at any time.

The lodge consists of a main area (kitchen, boma, swimming pool and so on) and 5 alone-standing rooms, each with a king size bed and en-suite bathroom.

The rate per night includes

• The rent of your own exclusive 5-star self-catering game lodge on Black Rhino Game Reserve in the Pilanesberg National Park
• 2 × two-and-a-half hour game drives per night stay (maximum 10 guests on the vehicle)
• Daily full servicing by staff
• Tea and coffee in the rooms
• Daily gate fees included

The rate per night does not include

• Food, drinks and snacks — the lodge is fully self-catering
• Any additional activities such as hot-air ballooning, bush walks and quad biking

Look at our Special Offers for SA Residents under our special offers section.

The rate is for the rent of the whole lodge exclusively per night, sleeping 10 guests. The rate is not per person. A minimum of 2 nights stay is required at any time.

Prices include

• The rent of your own exclusive 5-star self-catering game lodge on Black Rhino Game Reserve in the Pilanesberg National Park
• 2 × two-and-a-half hour game drives per night stay
• Daily full servicing by staff
• Tea and coffee in the rooms
• Daily gate fees included

Prices exclude

• Food, drinks, snacks and condiments — the lodge is fully self-catering
• Any additional activities such as hot-air ballooning, bush walks and quad biking
• Staff gratuities
• The conservation levies: R250 per person per night and R115 per child (5–9 years) per night
• Black Rhino Game Reserve entrance fees of R195 per person per day

Occupancy

• Buffalo Thorn Lodge will no longer accept 1-night stays — a minimum of 2 nights is required.
• No over-occupancy will be allowed, meaning over and above 10 guests including children.
• Children under 3 will not count as part of the number of 10, but no more than 2 children over and above the group of 10 will be allowed, and if this occurs only 10 guests will be allowed on the game drive. 10 heads = 10 guests.
• Any child under the age of 3 will be required to provide a birth certificate as proof.

Check-in and check-out

Check-in time is 14h30 and check-out time is 10h30. Early arrivals and late check-outs will be penalised R1 000.00 per hour. Arrivals after 18:00 need to be arranged for, and no arrivals are permitted after 20:00.

Child policy

Children of all ages are welcome at the lodge and on game drives.

Breakage deposit

On arrival a R2 000.00 refundable breakage deposit will be required, supplied in cash.

Important notice

• No day visitors are allowed at the lodge.
• If you miss your scheduled game drives due to unforeseen circumstances, late arrival or weather, you unfortunately forfeit your game drive.
• Only 10 guests, including children of all ages, are allowed on a game drive.
• Fully self-catering lodge — no drinks, snacks or food is supplied.

Cancellation policy

All reservations, amendments or cancellations are valid only if advised and accepted in writing.

• Cancellation 90 days or more prior to arrival — 20% of the total booking amount retained
• Cancellation between 60 and 89 days prior to arrival — 30% of the total booking amount retained
• Cancellation between 41 and 59 days prior to arrival — 50% of the total booking amount retained
• Cancellation less than 40 days prior to arrival — 100% of the total booking amount retained

A 10% admin fee will be retained for cancellations made after the card has been charged.

Deposit policy

For all bookings made within 30 days of travel, full payment is required within 48 hours of your booking. For all bookings made more than 30 days before travel, a 50% deposit is required within 48 hours of your booking and the balance 30 days prior to arrival. Payment can be made via bank transfer or credit card (Mastercard/Visa).

Self-catering lodges

All bedrooms or chalets are stand-alone units. The 70 square-metre bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms have their own lounge and private deck with sun chairs in which to relax whilst overlooking the African bush. The units boast a king size bed (or two singles should they be required), a jacuzzi bath as well as an indoor and outdoor shower.

Units are made up as follows

• 2 family units — with a king size bed (or two singles) plus a loft with two single beds for children
• 3 double units — with one king size bed (or two singles)

Camping cots are available on request.

Each suite includes

• King-sized bed
• Minibar fridge in each room and filter coffee facilities
• In-room jet spa bath
• Outside and indoor shower with exclusive body products
• White cotton bathrobes, full-length
• Air conditioning, personally adjustable
• Hairdryers
• Private in-room lounge area
• Private viewing deck, with cushioned loungers and table

Only 10 guests are allowed at Buffalo Thorn Lodge, including children of all ages.

Buffalo Thorn Lodge has a wide variety of facilities and services available to make you feel comfortable and at home.

Outdoor entertainment

• Child-friendly swimming pool
• Heated jacuzzi with a view
• Bar with fridge and ice machine
• Dining area
• Open fire barbecue
• Modern gas barbecue
• Director-chair seating around the open fire

Indoor entertainment

• Flat screen LCD TV
• Home theatre system
• DStv (digital satellite television)
• Pool / snooker table
• Wine fridge
• Wi-Fi hotspot

Kitchen (fully equipped)

• Fully serviced
• Large fridge and freezer
• Dishwasher
• Modern 5-burner gas stove with electric oven
• Microwave / convection oven
• All cutlery and glassware
• Filter coffee machine

Rooms

• Complimentary coffee and tea
• Bar fridge
• All linen, including bath and swimming towels
• Electronic safe
• Air conditioning and fan
• Lounge area
• Loungers on private deck
• Hair dryers

What you can expect

• Pool — child-friendly swimming pool with a view onto the waterhole
• Garden — beautiful gardens with grass
• Jacuzzi — a heated jacuzzi spa bath on the deck with a view
• Free WiFi — hotspot available in the lounge and indoor entertainment area
• Daily housekeeping — for all of your needs including laundry, turn-down service and daily cleaning
• Fully equipped kitchen — this 5-star lodge is self-catering and includes a fully equipped kitchen
• Indoor and outdoor dining area — choice of indoor and outdoor dining facilities
• Viewing deck — wooden deck overlooking the local waterhole, frequently visited by lion, elephant, rhino and more
• Boma and bonfire area — outdoor entertainment at its best, wood and firelighters provided

From Pretoria or Johannesburg

Head towards Sun City. Stay on the R556 and pass the entrance to Sun City on the right. Continue for 5.11 km to the stop sign, turn right at the intersection onto the R565. Continue on this road for approximately 27 km through a village (beware of potholes) until you see the Black Rhino Game Reserve entrance on the right.

Sign in at the gate and either request a pick-up from the gate if you do not want to drive your car on the dirt roads, or drive directly to the lodge. A normal sedan car should be able to reach Buffalo Thorn Lodge without a problem.

Black Rhino Game Reserve is located at: 25°10’54.84″S 26°57’17.55″E

From the Black Rhino Game Reserve gate

Enter the gate — sign in, Buffalo Thorn Lodge is number 20 — then drive for 2.9 km along the road until you meet an intersection, and turn left. It is the first road at which you can turn left after entering the reserve. Then continue for 1.47 km until you reach another intersection, turn extreme right, then continue for another 470 m keeping right until you see our lodge. Turn left into our gate, Stand 20, Buffalo Thorn Lodge.

Buffalo Thorn Lodge is located at: 25°9’48.73″S 26°58’19.97″E

Buffalo Thorn Lodge is part of the Black Rhino Game Reserve; in the Pilanesberg National Park. Only 30 kilometers from Sun City and about 3 hours from Johannesburg, it is in the heart of South Africa’s North West Province – a malaria-free area.

Buffalo Thorn Lodge provides the ultimate escape from busy schedules, with five luxury, self-catering, thatched chalets accommodating only ten guests (including children). The lodge is rented out exclusively sleeping ten guests. Thus meaning that you have the tranquility and the beauty of the bush all to yourselves.

The main entertainment area comprises a dining room, TV lounge, reading lounge, games area and a fully equipped kitchen. Outside in the boma, you can relax around an African fire, listen to the sounds of the night or to the stories of your experienced game ranger. Alternatively, you can star-gaze under an ink-black sky or just relax over a good meal at the dining table and bar, inhaling the pungent smells of indigenous veld and wildlife.

Enjoy morning and afternoon safari in an open vehicle as your ranger shows you the large and small species of the African bushveld. Or game view from the comfort of loungers around the pool. Alternatively relax in the jacuzzi as many species of birds and buck, even some of the big five, such as elephant, amble past the electric fence a few meters from the pool deck.

We are committed to giving you a memorable self-catering safari experience at Buffalo Thorn Lodge:

And included in the rates, are:

• All game drives.
• All daily conservation fees.
• A daily fully serviced lodge by the staff.
• Tea and coffee in the rooms.
• Extravagant luxury has never been this affordable and accessible.

Buffalo Thorn Lodge gets its name from the Buffalo Thorn tree (Ziziphus Mucronata) which is small to medium-sized.

It is colloquially known in Afrikaans as the ‘Blinkblaar Wag-‘n-Bietjie’. The ‘Blinkblaar’ refers to the shiny leaves while ‘Wag-‘n-Bietjie’ literally means ‘wait a while’ in English. Deriving its name from the paired and straight-hooked thorns which attach themselves mercilessly to passersby, it requires a lengthy amount of time to extricate oneself!

The Buffalo Thorn tree has many varied uses among different cultures and beliefs. The fruit can be used to make beer and it is rumoured that chewing the leaves serves as an aphrodisiac! Some believe that the tree is immune to lightning making it safe to shelter under during a thunderstorm, while the Zulu people believe the “z” shaped thorns protect graves and put souls to rest.

Wildlife

Black Rhino Game Reserve is a natural ecosystem that has developed over thousands of years. In this unique reserve, the different vegetation exists within the transition zone between the dry Kalahari and wetter lowveld, commonly known as bushveld.

As a result of the range of habitats and vegetation found in the Black Rhino Game Reserve and Pilanesberg National Park, there is a wide diversity of animal species: from the Big Five to 50 other mammal species, 354 bird species, 65 reptile species, 18 amphibian species and thousands of other interesting smaller species.

Seasons

Rainy season: it rains during the summer months between November and March, with thunder and lightning showers predominant in February and March. Temperatures hover around 79–86°F (26–30°C).

Dry season: April to September is the cool dry winter season with bright clear warm days and cold nights, particularly in the mid-winter months of June to August. Game viewing is best in winter as the foliage has died back and animals frequent the waterholes.

Activities

Daily exclusive game drives are included in your package and can be arranged with your ranger. Only 10 guests are allowed on a game drive, including children of all ages. Two game drives per night stay, morning and afternoon.

• Morning drives include a coffee and rusk stop (rusks provided by guests)
• Afternoon drives include a sundowner stop (drinks and refreshments supplied by guests)

Walking safaris

Only available for adults, 16 years and older. The cost for walks was R450.00 per person, maximum 8 guests and a minimum of 2 guests.

A guest can book a walk in advance if they pay the full cost of the walk and understand that it is non-refundable should the guest cancel their stay at the lodge or change their mind upon arrival. Otherwise walks are booked upon arrival subject to availability. No walk is confirmed until Buffalo Thorn Lodge has checked availability and received payment directly from the guest.

If walks occur with Buffalo Thorn Lodge directly, the game drive scheduled for that specific time will not take place and is thus forfeited by all guests. Alternatively walks can be done by Nare Walking Safaris and remaining guests can go on a game drive with Buffalo Thorn Lodge.

Things to do in the area

• Lion park tours
• Bush walks
• Predator park tours
• Quad biking
• Quad bike motocross circuit
• Clay pigeon shooting
• Archery
• Interactive gumboot dancing session
• Drumming
• Balloon safaris in the Pilanesberg National Park
• Team building for corporates

Sun City activities

Additional activities at the nearby Sun City resort can be arranged at an additional cost by our reservation staff. To find out more about these activities, please talk to reservations.