I would like to be able to tell you that this place was nice. The other reviews make it seem like it is an OK place to stay. But unfortunately I can’t do that…and let me tell you why. After flying 8,000 miles to South Africa, 36 hours before I was supposed to check in, I get informed that Tshukudu is oversold and they will not be honoring my reservation.
I was offered alternate accommodations in their sister property, which on the surface seems reasonable, but there was a huge difference, which I will explain. Tshukudu is in the interior of Pilanesburg National Park on a hilltop overlooking the savannah plain. It consists of six luxury chalets and only takes 12 guests maximum, with no children allowed. There are two game drives a day (included in the price) in six seat vehicles. Also included in the price is welcome drink on arrival, high tea each day, 6 course dinner, early morning tea/coffee, brunch and all local beverages. At least that is what their website says. This is the experience I was travelling halfway around the world for.
Here is what they offered me as a replacement…a room in their large hotel and conference facility on the edge of the park. It was similar to the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disneyworld. At this property there were 100 rooms with lots of children running around. Breakfast and dinner were in a large buffet restaurant (drinks cost extra). You were entitled to one game drive per night you stayed. If you wanted to do a second game drive in a day you had to pay for it. Game drives were in 22 passenger trucks. Seats on games drives were not guaranteed, they were on a space available basis. You had to make a reservation to go on a game drive. If the game drive was already fully booked, you are out of luck. Compare that to what I booked at Tshukudu.
I tried to find another game lodge to stay at, but since I only found out that they would not honor my reservation 36 hours in advance, everything else in the area was already fully booked. So I didn’t have much choice, accept the room in the large hotel or skip the whole game drive experience and drive back to Johannesburg and stay in a hotel by the airport.
It is also worth noting that I never received an apology, nor was offered any compensation for not honoring my reservation. And just for clarification, I had the reservation for a while. If they knew the hotel was overbooked, they had plenty of time to let me know. But instead they waited until 36 hours before, when it was impossible to make alternate plans.
So, is Tshukudu a good place to stay? I wish I could tell you. I do know I travelled halfway around the world for a certain type of game experience and they gave me something completely different. Would you enjoy staying at Tshukudu Bush Lodge? I guess it depends on whether they actually honor your reservation.