Name: Buffalo Thorn Lodge
Address: R565, Black Rhino Game Reserve, Pilanesberg National Park, 1931 Pilanesberg, South Africa, Pilanesberg, Pilanesberg, Pilanesberg, 1931, South Africa
Rating: 10

Air conditioning

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Heating

Garden

Private check-in/check-out

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Rooms

Ironing

Laundry

Services and amenities

Internet access

Internet

Transfer services

Transfer

Barbecue grill(s)

Billiards

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Swimming pool

Spa tub

Outdoor pool

Pool and beach

Fitness facilities

Sports

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the guest house

Pilanesberg International Airport

Buffalo Thorn Lodge

Pilanesberg

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

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limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

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not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

park access

Buffalo Thorn Lodge exceeded our expectations from the moment we arrived at the lodge. Each suite was amazing, and to have the entire lodge to ourselves, was fantastic. Although this lodge is self-catering, the staff provide daily room servicing, clean-up of all dishes, set-up for our nightly boma fires, and many other details that made our stay so special. Jumari and Evan were outstanding! Jumari kept in constant communication with me before our trip and consistently made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our trip. Evan was the perfect driver/guide for our family. He has a wealth of knowledge that made each game drive a memorable experience. A hugh feature of the lodge are the watering holes just outside the electric fence and the viewing decks to watch all of the animals that come to drink. Those watering holes and the design of the decks and areas to view these animals is a major plus for this lodge. However, Jumari, Evan, and the staff truly make the Buffalo Thorn Lodge a magical place to visit in the Black Rhino Reserve. Thank you so much to the team for making are stay a memorable one!

Buffalo Thorn Lodge is a gem in the Black Rhino Reserve!

THIS IS A MUST STAY LODGE IN BLACK RHINO RESERVE/PILANESBURG. We were a family of 7 and loved having the whole lodge to ourselves. Each couple had their own suite which was very spacious and all the suites had great views of the watering hole. The shared spaces were great for family gatherings; pool, hot tub, kitchen, dining outdoors and we used the dining table outside for games. We didn’t end up using the pool table but that is a great option as well. The 3 watering hole areas with elevated decks for viewing is the really incredible part of this lodge. We saw 2 herds of elephants with small babies, giraffe family, tons of impala, family of 4 rhinos sunset. This gives guests extra animal encounters besides the INCREDIBLE game drives by Evan. Evan is the most knowledgeable game driver we’ve ever had and my brother has been on 3 other safaris around Africa so that’s a HUGE plus. He taught us so many things about the bush from animal behaviors, plants, trees, animal tracks, how to survive in the bush, etc etc. We enjoyed every minute with Evan and Jamari. They are so impressive as the couple who manage this lodge. I have an anxiety disorder and they were the main reason. I felt completely safe and secure our entire stay. We want to bring our grandchildren back in a few years; and that speaks volumes for this incredible lodge.

A MUST STAY LODGE IN SOUTH AFRICA

This self-catering lodge exceeded our expectations! As friends we enjoyed the spacious accommodations, fully equipped kitchen, and cozy living areas, it's perfect for bonding time. The surrounding nature adds to the charm, offering endless opportunities for exploration and adventure. A truly memorable retreat for our friends that joined us for a great weekend.

Exclusive, warm and friendly

This is ideal for a large group, the lodge offers lots of spaces to spend time together as well as enough spots for privacy. The rooms were great, and the kitchen and dining area were perfect, but the highlight were the viewing platforms which offered us daily encounters with wildlife, including large hers of elephants. The lodge staff were also great and did everything they could to make us comfortable, and having the daily chaos of our group cleared up meant we were able to relax between drives.

Our hosts, Evan and Jumari, were really friendly and helped make our stay. Ewan was our ranger for the week, and his passion and expertise made every drive memorable. Being a keen photographer, my goal was to see and photograph a cheetah, my favourite animal. Ewan helped me achieve this on our very first day. The safari drives blew us all away, and truly felt like a once in a lifetime kind of experience. We felt so spoiled with what we saw, seeing animals like cheetah, lion, leopard, elephant, and rhino in the wild was a dream come true.

We were a family group and had small children with us, which Ewan was great at accommodating on the drives, even when the youngest member of our party played a game of peek-a-boo with a pair of lions.

I would recommend staying here for at least a week which allows you to do a mix of game drives, including longer drives that venture into the wider Pilanesberg reserve. 

Thank you Jumari, Ewan and the rest of the lodge staff for such a great time.



An amazing experience in a fantastic setting

What a once in a lifetime experience we had at Buffalo thorn. We made precious memories we will remember for the rest of our lives and a lot of this is down to Evan and Jumari who were THE best hosts. Evan was extremely knowledgeable about literally everything, I have learnt so many interesting facts (on that note, a lovely touch was how they left these little animal fact sheets on our bed side table every evening to read). He made us feel like friends, not guests and he made a huge effort with the younger members of our family. Notably, our little 1YO shouting boo when the lions were crossing the road… 
The lodge itself was everything you need and more with all the amenities. The staff kept it super clean and we couldn’t quite get over not even having to wash up, we really felt very well looked after. The rooms were very spacious, bathroom was amazing, especially with free little toiletries. 
Evan and jumari lit us a fire pit every night if we wanted it and the flexed the safari trips around us. Evan also made sure we saw as much as we could, with keen bird watchers in the group too he made sure to stop for them too. 
Truly amazing thank you so much!

Once in a lifetime!

Amazing 5 days with amazing hosts and supporting staff! 

The stay was perfect from beginning to end, Jumari and Evan looked after our every need and became part of the family. The game drives were tailored to our group and the supporting staff were super friendly and maintained the facilities to a very high standard. 

I would highly recommend staying, the advantages of this lodge is that it has two very active watering holes adjacent to the fences - which means you regularly see ALOT of animals from the swimming pool and hot tub area!! 

Evan, Jumari and the support staff provided and unforgettable experience! Thank you team :)

Synchroon an incredible experience, from the time we arrived to the time we left, throughout our stay, everything exceeded our expectations. Jumari & Evan were fantastic hosts. Evan was amazing in sharing his passion and knowledge with us. 

Fantastic sightings, from hippos, lions, buffalo, herd of elephants and more and more!  
There were so much life at the waterholes by the lodge. Sighting of elephant, giraffe, wildebeest, impala and zebra, just from sitting on the deck by the pool. 

The facility is incredible, well kept, and certainly 5*  The staff are friendly and helpful. 

Hoping to be back in the very near future, and recommending this lodge to anyone looking for a bush breakaway and a memorable experience. 

Thank you SO MUCH. 

Marcell

Incredible!!!!!

Jumari & Evan… I could not have hoped for better hosts and rangers 😍

You two made our stay incredible! Thank you for everything and the absolute BEST game drives I have ever been on!!

The lodge team is wonderful!  Can’t wait to visit again  😍

A very big Thank you to the whole team at Buffalo Thorn Lodge, brilliant!  ❤️ much love, the 50th birthday bunch xxx

Amazing

We stayed for 4 nights at Buffalo Thorn Losge and had a fabulous time from the moment we entered the Game Reserve. Our hosts, Ivan and Jumarie where fabulous in every sense. We thoroughly enjoyed the daily game drives and saw not only the big 5 though much more. Highly recommend this lodge it was simply the best. The waterholes provided plenty of wildlife day and night which was surreal from the pool deck and viewing platforms. 


Buffalo Thorn Lodge exceptional destination must visit

We had a wonderful 3 night stay at Buffalo Thorn Lodge.  The lodge itself is well equipped and felt like escapism for a few days.  It is perfectly set up to enjoy spending time as a group as well as getting some time alone in gorgeous surroundings.  
The host couple were fantastic; knowledgeable yet chilled.  They weren't phased by our 2 year old coming on the drives either!  
Hopefully we will be back soon!

Buffalo Thorn Lodge

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