Four luxury suites. Eight guests. Big Five safari game drives.Discover a more personal safari at Shimungwe Lodge

With only four suites, Shimungwe offers an unhurried safari experience shaped around exceptional wildlife encounters, experienced local guiding and warm hospitality. Overlooking the seasonal Timbavati riverbed, the lodge welcomes couples, honeymooners, families and small groups seeking privacy and a genuine connection with the African bush.

AccommodationFour luxurious suites

Shimungwe is an intimate, boutique safari bush lodge with four luxurious suites, spacious places for private relaxation and time to enjoy the dappled light. They have private, en-suite bathrooms with beautiful views and invigorating outside showers.

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A Luxury African Safari ExperienceWhy Shimungwe?

Shimungwe Lodge, Thornybush Game Reserve

What to expect Intimate by design

Four suites accommodate a maximum of eight guests.

Lioness on a game drive in Thornybush Game Reserve

Big Five Uncrowded game viewing

Enjoy twice-daily Big Five game drives with an experienced local guide and tracker team.

Warm, personal hospitality

Truly Exclusive Warm, personal hospitality

Our small team creates a relaxed stay where guests feel at home.

Shimungwe Lodge in the Greater Kruger

Flexible accommodation Suite or entire lodge?

Flexible accommodation: Reserve an individual suite or book the entire lodge for a private safari.

Big Five game drive at Shimungwe Lodge

Game Drives A genuine, uncrowded African safari experience

For many guests a Big Five African safari is the highlight of their trip. Both morning and night, our passionate and experienced local guide and tracker team will take you on mesmerizing game drives into the African bushveld for a genuine, uncrowded African safari experience.

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Shimungwe Lodge, Thornybush Game Reserve

Location Nestled on the banks of the Timbavati River

Shimungwe Lodge is nestled on the banks of the Timbavati River in the wild south of the iconic Thornybush Game Reserve located within the Greater Kruger National Park. We are located near the town of Hoedspruit and only a 45-minute drive from the Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport.

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Shimungwe Lodge, Thornybush Game Reserve Big Five game drive at Shimungwe Lodge Shimungwe Lodge, Thornybush Game Reserve Shimungwe Lodge, Thornybush Game Reserve Shimungwe Lodge, Thornybush Game Reserve Shimungwe Lodge, Thornybush Game Reserve Shimungwe Lodge, Thornybush Game Reserve Candlelit outdoor dining tables with lanterns beside a stone fire pit under large trees at dusk, with a lodge in the background.

Latest Stories

Ranger Lucan on game drive at Shimungwe, Thornybush Game Reserve
Where My Roots Are: meet Lucan our Thornybush Game Reserve Ranger of over 20 years Mon September 7, 2026

Long before Shimungwe had a name, Lucan was already part of its story. Meet the Thornybush game reserve ranger whose twenty-plus years at the lodge shaped everything from its construction to the word on its sign.

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Watch animals in the riverbed from lounge chairs at a small luxury safari lodge. Thornybush Game Reserve, Greater Kruger
Known by Name, Not Room Number: The Case for choosing a Small Boutique Safari Lodge for your next Big Five African Safari Thu August 6, 2026

Big lodges compete on scale. Shimungwe Lodge offers something that's harder to copy: knowing your name, your coffee order and exactly what you came to see. Here’s why seasoned safari travellers increasingly choose small over spectacular.

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Leopard lying in a tree in Thornybush Game Reserve Greater Kruger National Park South Africa
Capture Africa on Your Own Terms: Exclusive Photographic Safari Experience at Shimungwe Lodge, Greater Kruger Thu July 16, 2026

For photographers who have ever found themselves watching the perfect moment slip away on a rushed, overcrowded game drive — there is a better way. At Shimungwe Lodge, an intimate, boutique exclusive-use safari lodge in the Thornybush Game Reserve, a photographic safari is built entirely around your group: your schedule, your vehicle positioning, your pace at every sighting, guided by a ranger team with over twenty years of intimate knowledge of this...

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Reviews

  • Absolutely Perfect

    An environment with attention to the smallest details, immersed in the green of the vegetation, overlooking a river where animals come to drink, so you can see them while already in your room. Excellent welcome, cuisine, and safari outings. Everything very intimate and, at the same time, expertly organized. A special thanks to Karlien who guided us step by step on the route to arrive. Highly recommended!

    hallie_Lazio, September 2026

    Rome, Italy

  • Shimungwe is my favourite

    We stayed at three lodges over our two week stay, and Shimungwe is my favourite. It felt like my home away from home. The suites are spacious and clean, the food is delicious: the chef is one in a million! Everything he cooked and baked was to die for! I have a few food restrictions, and he made sure those ingredients were not added in mine. The game drives... Read this review

    SranPete, August 2026

  • A Safari Dream!

    The Shimungwe Team treated us to a safari experience we will never forget! The lodge is intimate and filled with all the comforts we needed. It overlooks a riverbed where elephants and giraffes graze. The food was delicious and the service was even better; thanks to Tshepo, Gift, Khensani and Mavis! Lucan and Daniel were relentlessly in finding us the Big 5 and so many other animals. We appreciate... Read this review

    Roam790486, July 2026

    Pasadena, Maryland, USA

  • The family atmosphere is what sets this lodge apart

    We recently had the pleasure of spending four nights at Shimungwe, and what an extraordinary experience it was! Nataly, Gerhard and the entire team ensured that every moment of our stay was truly unforgettable. The accommodation was superb, the food boundless, the staff were some of the friendliest we've ever encountered, and the game drives were exceptional, with a huge range of animals seen on every drive .We have... Read this review

    John Bennett, May 2026