About Thornybush
Thornybush Private Game Reserve lies in South Africa's Greater Kruger region, its fences long since dropped so that wildlife moves freely between the reserve, the neighboring Timbavati, and Kruger National Park itself. The result is classic lowveld safari country — acacia thornveld and dry riverbeds worked by all of the Big Five, with lion prides, relaxed leopard, elephant, buffalo, and both rhino species resident.
As a private reserve, Thornybush offers the style of safari South Africa is famous for: expert guide-and-tracker teams in open vehicles, off-road access that turns distant sightings into close encounters, night drives under spotlight, and interpretive bush walks in the morning cool. Its lodges are intimate and polished, and its location — an easy hop from Johannesburg by scheduled flight — makes it a seamless Big Five chapter in a wider southern Africa journey.
Pavlus Recommendations
How our planners would spend a day in Thornybush.
Trust the tracker
Thornybush's guide-and-tracker teams read the morning's stories from the sand — and following fresh leopard tracks to the leopard itself is the private-reserve experience at its best.
Take the night drive
After sundowners in the bush, the spotlight comes out: genets, civets, owls, and with luck the reserve's big cats hunting in the cool of the dark.
Walk the lowveld
A morning bush walk slows the safari down to tracks, termites, medicinal trees, and birdsong — and meeting elephant or rhino on foot, safely and calmly, recalibrates your sense of scale.
Micato Journeys That Visit Thornybush
| Journey | Region | Days | Next Departure | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jewels of South Africa | Southern Africa | 13 | Aug 9, 2026 | $38,900View & Get Price |
Every journey is all-inclusive, with 100% guaranteed departures. See full day-by-day itineraries → or call 800-528-9300 for your unadvertised Pavlus price.