Guest Reviews

Amazing place , beautiful relaxing location with fantastic rides with experienced knowledgeable rangers . Five stars all round .. cannot be beaten on quality … will definitely be back … it is my go to place in Africa

All round fabulous experience. Cannot fault a single thing - accomodation, game drives, guides, trackers, front of house, backroom staff - all were brilliant. From being picked up at the gate by Daniel, then greeted by Nathaly, led to a room overlooking the waterhole to find two elephants drinking - perfect. The remaining 3 days flew by - guide Lucan found just about any animal we wated to see - including an Aardvark! Lions, Leopards, Hyena, Rhino, Elephants - dreams can come true. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner were all immaculately prepared and presented with ample portion sizes - evening sundowners were always in the most picturesque spot.
I would not hesitate to recommend Shimungwe to anyone.

One of the great things is that there are limited guest numbers. I think you'd have a maximum of 10. When we were there it was generally 6 and occasionally 8. My guess is that will always be the case as 3 or 4 days lead to a constant overlap.
Our room overlooked the waterhole and we saw elephants, zebra, warthogs and giraffes right from our own room!
There are two main drives each day. One circa 6am, followed by breakfast circa. The other late afternoon to capture dusk and sunset.
Our excellent ranger and tracker - the brothers Lucan and Daniel - were brilliant. We saw the big 5 many times over, and learned so much about the environment, flora and fauna too. In my view, it is the drives that make or break places like this, and these two know what they are doing!
Tshepo is a wonderful cook, with breakfast, lunch and dinner real highlights. Mavis and Maggie keep everything shipshape, clean and tidy. The hosts, Zane and Karli, make everyone welcome.
Loved it, would recommend it .... and one day we'll get back there!

Shimungwe delivered a perfect safari for our family. Recently converted from a private family lodge, Shimungwe provides a near-private experience in Thornybush Reserve. With four rooms total on the property, the entire experience feels exclusive. While rated 4 Stars, we had a 5 Star experience.

The game drives were incredible, thanks to the expertise of Lucan and Daniel, brothers who team up as driver and tracker. They easily showcased the Big Five multiple times, along with so many other beautiful animals, sharing their deep knowledge of the reserve and the animals and plants living there, built from 20+ years as guides on the land. The timing and views of the stops for morning coffee or a sunset cocktail were storybook, with an elephant and a newborn baby joining us for coffee and a rhino joining us for sunset.

The lovely rooms are private, overlooking a watering hole and dry river bed that allow for game viewing from the room. Tshepo created beautiful and delicious meals, graciously accommodating dietary restrictions and featuring fresh and local ingredients. Zane and the staff were gracious and helpful at every turn.

Shimungwe is a gem. We can't wait to return.

What an amazing place ! Karli & her team make you feel welcome from the moment you arrive… the small size, four LARGE double rooms makes you feel like you are a guest in a good friend’s house. A cool pool and adjacent water hole fill the down time between early morning & late afternoon game drives. And what INCREDIBLE GAME DRIVES. Lucan & tracker Danni are likely the best team in the whole Kruger, we were often first to find the game before other lodges and got to spend as much time as we wanted with the finds. Being part of Thornybush in the greater Kruger ( no fences ) the number of game vehicles is strictly limited. While every game drive varies on our first one we saw giraffes - leopard - and a MASSIVE pride of lions within the first two hours and had ticked the big five by the end of the first drive. The food is delicious and varied & the Amarillo coffees on the morning game drive were very welcome way to start the day.

Just a 30 minute drive from Hoedsprut, airport transport can be arranged if you don’t have a car

I couldn’t recommend Shimungwe more highly, you’ll make memories….