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

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

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4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

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

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

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

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 :)

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!

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!

Beautiful

We went for 3 nights of luxury and boy did it live up to expectations. Ivan and Jumarie were welcoming and friendly. We had great drives and huge array of animals and birds. Saw many new birds. Will come again.

AMAZING!!!!!!!!

Having been to the lodge before I was excited to return, albeit more than 2 years later than planned.  Jumari and Evan were very friendly and everyone enjoyed the weekend - especially the jacuzzi.  Even two days of rain didn't dampen the enthusiasm, although the load shedding on the last day was disappointing, especially as it affected the availability of water.

Jumari's communication before our visit was excellent and she very kindly made a plan when there was a sudden change in our accommodation.  The hot towels she provided after every game drive were also a welcome touch.

Unfortunately, I must mention that Buffalo Thorn's 5-star rating is currently not warranted and the following needs attention:

- ensure that the facilities work (e.g. hot water, spa bath, hairdryer and lights; have a generator back-up for power outages)
- consistency is king (e.g. if there's ground coffee, include a plunger; if there's a turndown service, do it every night;  if there are gowns, have enough and make sure that they are spotless; if there are wet towels, dry or change them; if you provide a step to assist in boarding the game vehicle, make sure it's always there)
- look at quality (e.g. chipped, mismatched, faded and broken crockery, utensils, lampshades and lounger covers should be replaced)
- maintenance is important (e.g. broken or damaged game vehicles; occasional dirty dishes and the odd room that is not 100% clean can be managed)

Despite these suggested improvements, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and Jumari was quick to attend to any issues raised.  

An excellent cheetah and cub sighting; lion, elephant and rhino aplenty; jackal, impala, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, hippo and bird photographic opportunities; as well as interesting tree and animal behaviour highlights, excited even the most blasé amongst us.  Thanks to Evan for even taking the die-hards out in the rain and for enduring the rowdiness of the group.

It was sad not to see any animals at the waterhole but with all the rain in the park, this wasn't unexpected.  However, the resident spurfowl and hornbills were a real treat.

Thank you to everyone who made this a very special birthday surprise for my husband over the Easter weekend.

Surprise belated "50th" at Easter

My husband and I visited Buffalo Thorn Lodge as part of a group of friends for a long weekend in March 2022. This place is exquisite. We could truly relax around the pool and soak up the sun for 4 perfect days straight, reconnecting with old friends - the jacuzzi and lookout was a treat. Twice a day game drives afforded us new knowledge about the animals we found under the skilled guidance of our ranger Evan. His passion for the bush and its animals is contagious and his knowledge is vast and impressive - we especially loved the little anecdotes from his personal experiences which were shared. We still cannot decide which of the animals we encountered were our favourites - the elephant family or the dung beetles, the lion who caught and ate (and was injured by!) a porcupine, or the cheetahs next to the road. I will be keeping a close eye on Evan's blog posts from now on! Rooms and amenities were always perfectly clean and comfortable thanks to the housekeeping staff under Jumarie's supervision, and best of all was that I didn't need to wash one dish the entire time! We returned home well-rested and with a new appreciation for our beautiful country and all it has to offer.

Buffalo Thorn Lodge

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