TSHUKUDU GAME LODGE - GREATER KRUGER NATIONAL PARK - SOUTH AFRICA:
Tshukudu Game Lodge in South Africa is situated in the Greater Kruger National Park area and is perfect for families or the single traveller, or anyone who loves the homely personal feel.

- Enjoy home-cooked buffet dinners under the stars
- Tshukudu operates a successful Lion breeding programme
- Game drives and game walks at this game lodge in South Africa
- Tshukudu is home to many tame orphaned animals

Tshukudu is the Sotho word for Rhino and Tshukudu Game Lodge in South Africa has several White Rhino, each individually known to the rangers. Every morning the Tshukudu rangers call into the bush, and an Elephant usually appears to accompany guests on their bush walk.

An orphan Lion may also tag along until he or she gets too big and bold to play safely. Tshukudu Game Lodge in South Africa also has a very successful Lion breeding programme, which helps other game reserves widen their gene pool.

One favourite is a famous black maned male Lion called Shumba, who is something of a movie star. The deep resonance of a revving engine starts him roaring - and this incredible sound almost makes the ground shake around you! Tshukudu also has some wild roaming Lions and various antelope, Warthog, Hyena, Zebra, Wildebeest and Buffalo. Tshukudu Game Lodge in South Africa is a Big Five lodge.

Filling home-cooked buffet dinner is eaten under the stars around a roaring fire and guides and staff mingle freely with the guests. This camp is only partly fenced to keep the Elephant and Rhino at bay and there are dangerous wild animals around, so a ranger escorts you back to your chalet. Your night at this game lodge in South Africa is often pitted with the exciting noises of Africa, including roaring Lion and laughing Hyena.

A steady stream of orphan animals who are brought here, know that they will be cared for and released back into the wild. You never know what stray animal might be at Tshukudu Game Lodge in South Africa, so don't be surprised if a Cheetah purrs around your ankles.

HISTORY & INTRODUCTION:
Sunrise over a new morning at Tshukudu and already the guests eagerly await the early morning walk, a special experience that draws both young and old from all over the world.

The lodge was established in 1980 when the resourceful and innovative Sussens family arrived on their new farm near Hoedspruit. The former cattle farm, previously owned by the late Pres. Diedericks, demanded hard work and dedication from each of the four family members. Today the results are there for all to enjoy when they visit Tshukudu.

The rehabilitation programme still remains the third most well known and loved project undertaken at Tshukudu. Sick, injured or orphaned animals of all shapes and sizes have been nursed back to health and re-introduced to the wild.

The 5000 hectare reserve in the Central Lowveld, which previously had nothing to offer, now boasts the Big-Five. The first animals to be re-introduced to the property were white rhino, hence the name Tshukudu, meaning rhino in Sotho.

ACCOMMODATION:
Tshukudu Game Lodge is family owned and run and offers safari accommodation near Kruger Park.
- Bar and lunch table with views of the bush and passing animals
- Comfortable thatched safari accommodation near Kruger Park
- Tshukudu Lodge has a large and inviting swimming pool
- Rooms at this safari accommodation near Kruger Park are simply decorated

Tshukudu Game Lodge offers safari accommodation near Kruger Park and is a real value for money lodge, perfectly suited to families, single travellers and couples. Tshukudu has the friendliest staff and most welcoming atmosphere, and as a result receives a lot of repeat customers.

Tshukudu is unpretentious yet very comfortable with a central homely lodge and exterior wooden bar. You never know who might join you on the sofa, as orphaned animals are frequently cared for here. The large and inviting swimming pool is perfect for those lazing away hot sunny afternoons.

Tshukudu accommodates 28 guests in the main lodge. The property features 2 family cottages, 9 chalets, 3 luxury tents at the safari camp and 6 thatched cottages at the bush camp. The rooms are simply decorated with homely fabrics, mosquito netting and floor rugs.

Tshukudu is the kind of safari lodge where you don't spend much time in your room. Guests tend to mingle with each other at the bar and during meals, and everybody gets to know each other on game drives and walks.

Tshukudu Game Lodge safari accommodation near Kruger Park combines a wild feel with the proximity and tameness of orphaned animals. Birds are fed in front of the balcony and cheeky Hornbills are a pleasure to watch. Warthogs graze all around the lodge and the ex-orphan Elephants are very friendly.

LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS:
There are 2 safari lodges named Tshukudu in South Africa, and this one - Tshukudu Game Lodge - is located near the town of Hoedspruit.

Tshukudu Game Lodge is a lodge near Kruger National Park and is easily accessible by car from Johannesburg (approximately 5 hour's drive). For those that prefer to fly in, Tshukudu is only a short drive from Hoedspruit/Eastgate Airport, where Tshukudu staff will collect you.

Building up Tshukudu Game Reserve has been a labour of love for Ala and Lolly Sussens. After years of experience in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, they moved to South Africa to start Tshukudu Reserve near Kruger National Park. Their love of animals and the bush has been passed on to their sons who are also involved in running the reserve.

The 5 000 hectares of bushland doesn't always look after itself and flood and drought and overgrazing can take its toll. The Sussens family are internationally renowned for their projects to introduce orphaned animals back into the wild, and many of these animals can be seen in the bush after their successful transition.

Directions to Tshukudu Game Lodge:
From Johannesburg:
Take the N12 to Witbank, then the N4 to Belfast. From Belfast take the R540 to Dullstroom, then from here, the R540 to Lydenburg. Once at Lydenburg, take the R36 up to the Strydom Tunnel.

After the Strydom Tunnel, take the R527 through Hoedspruit. At the T-Junction with the R40, turn left. Tshukudu is situated 5 minutes on the right hand side. It has a thatched entrance and it is signposted.

From Phalaborwa:
Take the R40 to Mica, and then follow the R40 southbound. Tshukudu is situated +/-20 kilometres (12.2 miles) after Mica on the left and 5 kilometres (3 miles) before Hoedspruit.

ACTIVITIES:
This friendly safari lodge offers a more hands on, informed safari in South Africa experience than most other lodges.

- Enjoy a morning game walk accompanied by a tame Elephant
- Game drives to see White Rhino, Lion, antelope and Leopard
- Guests can visit the Lion breeding programme on their safari
- The lodge has a large refreshing swimming pool

Spend your safari in South Africa at Tshukudu Game Lodge which is renowned for looking after orphaned animals, one of which may even greet you on arrival, such as Savannah the Cheetah.

TSHUKUDU GAME LODGE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Seven years into their labour of love, the Sussens family decided to begin a new feat. Lion breeding. The need for lions in the Northern Province and all over South Africa warranted their endeavour. 13 years later some 270 lions have been bred and many re-introduced into various game reserves. Some of these animals delight guests on the morning walk. It is no small task, keeping step with an elephant or to watch out for a young lions shenanigans. The experience is unparalleled and brings back guests for more year after year. During a full day, game drives take guests for close up views of the lion breeding camps and in search of the big-Five. In between the game drives and walks, guests can enjoy a hearty luncheon on the veranda and later lounge around a welcoming, cool swimming pool.

Tshukudu Game Lodge offers you a safari in South Africa where you get very close to the animals. Each of the large beasts such as Elephant and Rhino are known individually to the rangers, and they can tell you their history and relationships. This kind of knowledge about individual animals is fascinating and intimate and adds depth to your safari in South Africa.

In between game drives, walks, picnics, large lunches, high tea, boma dinners and a swim in the pool, there is barely time to do something as mundane as read a book. In fact with the variety of tame and wild animals to be seen in and around the lodge, there is always something interesting to look at on your safari in South Africa.

REVIEW:
Close Encounters on a South Africa Safari
By Carrie Hampton

Tshukudu Game Lodge is a family run game reserve near Kruger, that people return to time and again. They are always sure of a homely welcome and some orphan animals to pet. Walk with elephants and cuddle lions cubs at Tshukudu Game Lodge.

Which of the many private game reserves to visit in the Kruger area is always a difficult choice, but during recent floods, one stood head and shoulders above the water.

Tshukudu Game Lodge near Hoedspruit, has no river running through it and no major dams so it survived the floods and welcomed stranded guests from surrounding lodges. Ala and Lolly Sussens receive you into their family like a long lost friend. Orphan animals are treated likewise and there are always a few young animals who demand a cuddle or nibble your toes under the dining table.

Eliza the lion cub, whom I last saw as a cute fluffy 6 month old, is now almost 2, but still keeps her claws in when playing with the staff. It won't be long now before she is banned from the early morning game walk - ever since she fancied baby zebra for breakfast.

The two ex-orphan Kruger elephants, Tambo and Becky, also come on the game walk and silently creep up behind you before heavy breathing down your neck. This mischievous pair appears from the bush on command and are growing in naughtiness, as I found out when I was suddenly frisked by a firm trunk. Back at the lodge, Cutlet the warthog snuffled around my legs and covered me in the engine oil he had just found and wallowed in.

Tshukudu is one lodge much visited by South Africans. Not only because it is affordable, but also because it has the feeling of home. The staff never leave, it is only the orphan animals that change, but you can still see the babies you cuddled last time now making their way in the wild.

Like most private reserves there is no fence around the lodge and visiting lions are a regular occurrence during the night. Their roars are often heard at very close proximity and can turn your sweet dream into a sudden nightmare. Don't worry you are not allowed to wander back to your room alone, but once there it is wise not to take an evening stroll. Save your close encounters of the animal kind for the morning as a night-time excursion could seriously damage your health.

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK:
The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares, SANParks - Kruger National Park is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.

Truly the flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural assets.

The Kruger National Park is the primary destination in South Africa for many international tourists. Each year more than half a million visitors are registered.

The National Park was opened in 1898 at the instigation of then-president Paul Kruger. After hunters had considerably decimated the originally rich game stock, all the land between the Sabie and the Crocodile Rivers was put under the protection of Nature Conservation to ensure the survival of the remaining animals. Only as recently as 1961 was the extended Kruger Park fenced in.

The park stretches from the Crocodile River in the south up to the Limpopo River, which is the international border in the north. Altogether it is 350 km long, 65 km wide and comprises an area of about 20,000 sq km.

A web of roads of 1863 kilometres leads through the National Park, 697 kms of them being tarred. For the visitor there are numerous differently equipped restcamps, most of them scenically positioned. Within the park boundaries, travel is only allowed between sunrise and sunset. After dark one has to stay in one of the fenced restcamps.

The best time for observing the animals is the dry winter season. Then the grass is low and bushes and trees don't have leaves, so that one can have an unobstructed view. Because it virtually doesn't rain in winter, the animals come to the waterholes to drink in the mornings and evenings and can easily be viewed from the car.

Overview of The Kruger National Park

Where nearly 2 million hectares of unrivalled diversity of life forms fuses with historical and archaeological sights – this is real Africa. The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares, SANParks - Kruger National Park is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.

Truly the flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural assets.

Vegetation and Climate

The Kruger National Park is generally flat to gently undulating, with average height of 260 metres (853 feet) above sea level, with its most mountainous areas being along the eastern boundary, formed by the Lebombo Mountains. Sixteen distinct landscapes provide a multitude of habitats for the Kruger Park's inhabitants. Located in the Southern Hemisphere, the Kruger Park has its share of rain and hot weather. During the summer months (September-April), the Park experiences sporadic rainfall in the form of quick thunder showers. April through August represent the winter months in Southern Africa which in turn means very little rain. As far as rainfall is concerned, the southern region receives the largest amount of rainfall while the central plains receive the least. The temperatures average from 30 C (86 F) in January (summer) to 23 C (73 F) in July (winter). Please be aware that the maximum temperature can reach 47 C (117 F) (January) and 35 C (95 F) (July).For your information, the average nightly temperature can range from 7-18 C (45-64 F) (January) and most certainly freezing in July. It is highly advisable to wear 'breathable' clothes to avoid heat exhaustion or stroke during the day, drink plenty of water and ensure that appropriate clothing is available in the often cold nights.

Vegetation Zones

The varying climatic conditions impact on the type of vegetation in the ecosystem that can survive and flourish in each vegetation zone. This of course affects the distribution and population densities of the various animals - each type favouring some or other ecosystem environment.

History of the Kruger National Park:

The first explorer to set foot in the region was the Dutchman François de Cuiper who led a Dutch East India Company expedition to explore. However, the expedition was attacked and driven by local tribes-people near Gomondwane. Only around 1838 Voortrekker expeditions led by Lous Trichardt and Hans van Rensburg were able to successfully establish forward outposts. Hundreds of Europeans and farmers came to the Lowveld lured by rumours of gold and the great quantity of valuable commodities such as ivory and skins.

This caused the number of game to dramatically decrease due to hunting and trading of animal skins and horns. President Paul Kruger was told about the rapid destruction of wildlife in the area by hunters, after which he succeeded to persuade the Transvaal parliament to establish a protected area for the wildlife in the Lowveld region. The "Sabie Game Reserve”, bordered by the Crocodile River in the south, the Sabie River in the north, the Lebombo Mountains in the east and the Drakensberg Mountains in the west, which is now the southern part of the Kruger National Park, was established in 1898.

These reserves would eventually expand into today's Kruger National Park. The Anglo-Boer War stopped any further development of the reserve, but the British, after winning the war, proceeded with the plan to develop the Sabie Game Reserve and gave the task to major James Stevenson-Hamilton in 1902 to protect the animals against hunters, ivory poachers and cattle farmers. The Park was opened to the public in 1927 for visitors to view animals and plant life in an area where they are protected. After the Anglo-Boer War, James Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed as the first park warden. He spent the next 40 years protecting what the war had destroyed. His actions are no doubt an ever-living contribution to the Kruger National Park's current existence. In addition to his animal conservation, James Stevenson Hamilton was also responsible for acquiring another 10 000 hex acres for the reserve.

After World War I, the Kruger National Park was protected by the government of South Africa and remains under the watchful eye of the government even today. The very first ranger in the reserve was Paul Bester who made his residence in a rustic rondavel (hut) which is now the site of the headquarters camp, Skukuza. Documents concerning the History of the Kruger National Park can be viewed at the Skukuza Library. Half a million years ago, the first San stone age hunters roamed the plains in search of game. The modern day bush men have left fascinating rock paintings all over the Republic of South Africa, and Kruger National Park contains over one hundred sites of these paintings. The Kruger National Park is a living memorial to President Paul Kruger and those who have upheld his vision of a protected wilderness reserve which will forever remind us of that which we are so dangerously close to loosing.

A Short Natural and Cultural History:

There are almost 254 known cultural heritage sites in the Kruger National Park, including nearly 130 recorded rock art sites. There is ample evidence that prehistoric man – Homo erectus roamed the area between 500 000 and 100 000 years ago.
Cultural artefacts of Stone Age man have been found for the period 100 000 to 30 000 years ago.

More than 300 archaeological sites of Stone Age man have been found. Evidence of Bushman Folk (San) and Iron Age people from about 1500 years ago is also in great evidence.
There are also many historical tales of the presence of Nguni people and European explorers and settlers in the Kruger area. There are significant archaeological ruins at Thulamela and Masorini. There are numerous examples of San Art scattered throughout the park.

The park was first proclaimed in 1898 as the Sabie Game Reserve by the then president of the Transvaal Republic, Paul Kruger. He first proposed the need to protect the animals of the Lowveld in 1884, but his revolutionary vision took another 12 years to be realised when the area between the Sabie and Crocodile Rivers was set aside for restricted hunting.

The Scottish born James Stevenson-Hamilton (born in 1867) was appointed the park’s first warden on 1 July 1902.
On 31 May 1926 the National Parks Act was proclaimed and with it the merging of the Sabie and Shingwedzi Game Reserves into the Kruger National Park. The first motorists entered the park in 1927 for a fee of one pound.
Many accounts of the park’s early days can be found in the Stevenson-Hamilton Memorial Library.