Tsholo Safari Lodge
New suite lodge with a villa · The private reserve on the western side · Managed by Nightjar, per the site footer
Top-end
Inside the park
Safari company
A new lodge of 14 suites and a two-bedroom villa on the private reserve on the western side, where every lodge is guided only. Its website footer names Nightjar as manager. The older Thutlwa Safari Lodge address now redirects to Tsholo, and Tsholo sells Kubu Suites and a Kubu House, which suggests it took over the former Kubu Metsi; the record calls both links likely rather than certain. An agent sells the Luxury Suite at R6,370 a person sharing with two game drives from 15 September 2026. Choose it for a new build with a villa for a family or group; skip it if you want the freedom of your own car in the park.
Pros and cons
Pros
- A new lodge with 14 suites
- A two-bedroom villa for families or friends
- Two game drives a day on the agent rate
- Inside the park fence on the private reserve
Cons
- Guided only: you cannot self-drive the park
- The only per-person rate comes from an agent
- Older listings under the Thutlwa and Kubu Metsi names cause confusion
- The meal basis is not stated in our source
What's here
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
We could not reach a website for Tsholo Safari Lodge, so this list is incomplete by definition. Ask them directly.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Pilanesberg National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryR748 per international adult per day at USD 1 = ZAR 16.36.
- $46per person, per day
- VehicleR168 per car per day, about $10.
- $10per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $306 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
Guests at lodges inside the park usually pay the fee through the lodge; several private-reserve lodges include it in their rate.
The full fee schedule for Pilanesberg National ParkRates at Tsholo Safari Lodge
From $389 pppn (reseller rate). Agent rate read 24 Sep 2026: R6,370 (about $389) per person sharing in a Luxury Suite, 15 September 2026 to 30 April 2027, with two game drives. Booking.com showed R14,014 ($857) per room. Most lodges on the private reserve say the park conservation fee is in their rate; confirm it and VAT with the lodge. Rand at R16.36 to the dollar.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked against our research of 24 September 2026 and converted at R16.36 to the dollar. Where a lodge publishes its own rate we use it with its date. The per-person figures for Ivory Tree, Shepherd's Tree, Kwa Maritane, Bakubung Bush Lodge, Tshukudu, Tsholo, Umoya, Mbazo and Dzombo are a named agent's or reseller's and say so; the guesthouses, The Kingdom and Tlou come from one Booking.com night (14 to 15 October 2026) or LekkeSlaap's list. The price filter and sort use per-person rates only: campsites, rooms, villas and whole lodges show their rate in the text but carry no sortable figure. The park conservation fee comes on top outside the gate: R748 per foreign adult, R168 per South African adult and R168 per car, per day since 1 December 2025, card only, and a new tariff could start on 1 December 2026.
Questions about Tsholo Safari Lodge
Is Tsholo Safari Lodge the old Thutlwa lodge?
It appears so. The old thutlwasafarilodge.com address redirects to tsholosafarilodge.co.za, and Tsholo sells Kubu Suites and a Kubu House, names linked to the former Kubu Metsi, whose site now returns an error. Treat older reviews under either name with care.
What does Tsholo cost?
An agent sells the Luxury Suite at R6,370 a person sharing from 15 September 2026 to 30 April 2027, with two game drives. Booking.com showed R14,014 a room. Ask the lodge which meals are in the rate.
Is Tsholo good for families?
The two-bedroom villa is the family option. We found no published child policy, so ask about ages on drives. Pilanesberg is malaria-free on the December 2025 NICD map.