NEED TO KNOW

NEED TO KNOW
& Other Important Info

HOEDSPRUIT WILDLIFE ESTATE RULES

Please note that Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate has certain rules to ensure that everyone can enjoy the estate in peace. Below are some of the most important rules. Please adhere to these rules as management of the estate can and does fine transgressors, and we want our guests to have a pleasant experience. Security has the right to escort you off the property if your group becomes unruly. This is out of our control, the estate management rules need to be strictly adhered to.

ROADS & GAME DRIVES

You are staying on a wildlife reserve. Please obey the speed limit of 30km as speed trappings with steep penalties are levied. Minimum R2500 fine. Please be aware of the animals around you. Small creatures such as snakes, chameleons and tortoises are often found in the road. Warthogs and impalas also tend to run or jump in front of your car.

NOISE LEVELS

Please respect the peaceful nature of the reserve and keep noise levels to a minimum. You are on a residential wildlife estate, so please be considerate to other visitors and residents. The estate is not a place for loud music, wild parties or all-night drinking. If security is called out, you will be liable for any on the spot fines issued. The reserve is a place to come to relax and the residents want to do this also.

FIREARMS, FIRES & FIREWOOD

No firearms will be allowed on the estate. Please do not collect any wood on the estate. There are many poisonous trees and burning the wood / eating food cooked on the wood of these trees can be fatal. Scorpions also hide inside dead wood and we have many potentially lethal species in the area. Firewood may be bought from the two petrol stations in town as well as the Pick’n’Pay & Spar. Please only make a fire in the designated braai area and please be responsible. With thatch and a dry bush, fires can quickly become uncontrollable. Please also be safe and do not leave a roaring fire in the pit when you turn in.

POWER, WATER & AIR-CONDITIONING

We live in nature and from time to time electrical outages and water shortages are par for the course. Should there be a power outage, there are lanterns in the wardrobes in each bedroom and in the lounge next to the television. Please charge them in the lounge afterwards if you use them. The chargers are in the lounge under the television. Power is a treasured resource here. Please turn off the air-conditioners when you leave the lodge. Excessive use of electricity will be charged for

LAUNDRY

Please do not air your laundry on the fences or hang it out where it can be seen. Please use the laundry area at the side of the kitchen.

GENERAL INFORMATION

CHECK IN / OUT TIMES

Check in on day of arrival from 14h00 to18h00. Check out time is 10h00. Somebody will meet you at the property on check-in and check-out. Please let us know what time you will arrive & what time you would like to leave, we need this information for the security gate as well

SMOKING

If you smoke - please do not do it inside your unit. Please also dispose of cigarette butts in the ashtrays provided and not in the bush.

FIRES

Whilst you’re most welcome to enjoy your braai (BBQ), please make sure to douse all flames and embers before you retire for the night - they are a fire hazard.

TOILETS

Our drains are French and are very sensitive to foreign materials like sanitary items, plastics, dental floss etc. If it is not bio-degradable, please dispose of it in the bins provided in the bathrooms.

SECURITY

When you leave your unit, please ensure all windows and doors are shut. Monkeys and baboons will enter your unit if it is not locked up when you go out and this can really put a damper on your holiday when they vandalise your unit. Also keep food out of sight, baboons have been known to break windows to get to food (especially fruit) if they can see it. Any baboon or monkey damage will be billed to your account and an additional R1000 cleaning will be levied.

While Hoedspruit and the estate itself are safe areas, burglaries can still happen if you are not vigilant! Remember to lock your valuables up and keep your lodge locked when you are out.

WILDLIFE

Please do not leave any food outside or feed the wildlife. They are wild and thus unpredictable. Please be aware of the smaller critters – like the centipedes, snakes and scorpions. They can be dangerous. There are a variety of animal species on the estate such as giraffe, zebra, kudu, impala, waterbuck and wildebeest; night animals such as porcupines, civet, and genets. There are also dangerous animals such as leopards and honey badgers as well as hyena. It is perfectly safe to walk around the estate during the day, however, please be cautious at night.

HOUSEKEEPING

Our housekeeper comes in on a Monday. If you would like her to come in on any other days, please request this in advance. The cost is R250 per day.

SWIMMING POOL

Please do not dive into the pool, it is too shallow for diving. Children under 16 must always be accompanied by an adult. Please don’t run around the pool as the deck and the surrounding concrete can get slippery when wet. Please do not take glass of any kind near or into the swimming pool. There are tin mugs in the kitchen to use at the pool.

BIRD HIDES

Be sure to check out the bird hides - a great spot for sundowners! Kindly dispose of your litter in the bins at the lodge and do not throw this into the bush.

DRINKING WATER

There is a 25L container of drinking water in the kitchen. Please drink this rather than the tap water which is clean but not nice to drink. Please replace the water before departure. There is an Oasis shop in the Pick & Pay Centre on the right-hand side, the water here is much cheaper than at Pick & Pay.