About Bundu Lodge

Short History On Bundu Lodge

Situated within the Bundu Rockies Wildlife Estate (which is home to more than 30 animals - and over 300 bird species) Bundu Country Lodge offers guests and visitors a taste of the Lowveld life, but is only a stone’s throw away from the city.

The very first steps towards the creation of Bundu Country Lodge took place in 1981; when the present owner; Willem Janson; came to live on the first 20ha portion of land. At that stage the property; as well as the adjacent additions (that were gradually acquired later on) consisted of only un-spoilt virgin bush with not even a foot path on.

With one assistant, the excited new owner then soon got started in erecting a very basic 2 room plank cottage (in panels), which took them two days and costing him the mammoth sum of R850.00 in total.

During the first few years encounters with snakes – many of them highly poisonous – in and around the housing, were more or less the order of the day. Although not at all intended to be like that Willem lived in his little “castle” for more than 22 years – since 1996 with his wife, Enesta.

It all started when Bundu Grill opened its doors in 1988, merely as a restaurant. With superb cuisine and service, this eating place became so popular that soon people from all over the Lowveld gave this spectacular dining spot a try.

Building of the first rooms started on a small scale, but picked up pace and today the Bundu boasts 114 rooms (almost half of them 4 star grading) in addition to a much larger a la carte restaurant, as well as 10 fully-equipped conference venues and two quaint chapels – one indoors and one outdoors at the ‘wedding rocks’ – for the ultimate in romantic weddings. (Similarly unconventional a decade before, the very first sleeping quarters for guest (in the early 1990’s) consisted of converted store rooms, at the request of restaurant patrons who came from far and had a few too many drinks for the day.)

Bundu’s proximity to Nelspruit and White River as well as the Kruger National Park and the Drakensberg, has contributed to making it the local lodge of choice.

With all its tame and beautiful animals, it really is a paradise for the children, making it ideal for the family getaway.

Bundu’s success story could be largely attributed to its friendly and helpful staff members. Most of them have been part of the Bundu family for more than 15 years, which in turn contributes immensely to the homely atmosphere one experiences at the lodge.

Another stabilizing factor is that the Bundu property has not changed hands from the beginning (which was in 1981) when Mr. Willem Janson bought the land and went to reside there.