Your Tshikwalo Bingo Card: 10 Squares to Tick Off at Dinokeng Lodge
Forget generic safari wishlists. We’ve put together a proper game lodge bingo card for your stay with us, and if you tick off most of these squares during your weekend, you’ve done the reserve justice. Dinokeng Game Reserve sits roughly 30 minutes north of Pretoria, so you don’t even need to take leave on a Friday to get here in time for sundowners.
Grab a pen. Here’s what to look for.
1. Spot a Big 5 member
Dinokeng is one of the few Big 5 reserves within striking distance of Gauteng. Lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhino all live here, though sightings are never guaranteed, which is kind of the point. Your best odds come on an early morning game drive when the bush is cool and the animals haven’t headed off for a shady nap yet. Two sightings makes for a decent trip. Four is lucky. All five in one weekend means you owe your ranger a very good tip.
2. Survive the pre-dawn wake-up
Game drives start before sunrise, which means coffee in the dark and scratching around at the bottom of your bag for a jersey. There’s a stillness at 5am in the bush that’s hard to describe until you’ve sat in it. By the time the sun comes up, you’ll already have a few animal sightings in the bag, and breakfast will taste that much better.
3. Have a sundowner out in the reserve
Every evening drive includes a stop for drinks somewhere scenic, with the sun dropping behind the trees and your ranger pouring gin into plastic cups. If you’re lucky, a giraffe or two will wander past while you sip. This one is nearly automatic, so tick it off before you’ve even made it back to the lodge for dinner.
4. Eat under the Tambotie trees
Our Klein Tambotie Restaurant is set under a canopy of Tambotie trees, which sounds fanciful until you’re actually sitting under them with a plate of food in front of you. It’s open six days a week, with Sunday evenings and Mondays off, so plan your meals accordingly. You’ll come for the food and leave talking about the trees.
5. Fire up your private braai
Every chalet comes with a private patio and braai area. This is Gauteng, so skipping the braai at least once during your stay would be a crime. Stop at a butcher on the way in, pick up some boerewors and lamb chops, and you have dinner sorted.
6. Count more birds than you can name
Dinokeng is home to a decent list of bird species, including the kind of birders-only show-offs that make a good Instagram post. Bring binoculars even if you’ve never called yourself a birder. Lilac-breasted rollers, kingfishers, a fish eagle if you look up at the right moment. Tick this square when you’ve spotted five species you can name.
7. Skip the malaria tablets
Dinokeng is a malaria-free reserve, so you can bring kids, elderly parents, pregnant partners, or anyone who hates swallowing prophylactics. You won’t need a GP visit before the trip or a daily tablet while you’re there.
- Go on a guided bush walk
A guided bush walk with one of our armed rangers gets you closer to the detail of the reserve. You’ll spot tracks, dung (yes, dung is interesting, trust the ranger on this), termite mounds, and insect life you’d miss from a vehicle. Ask about availability when you book. These usually need pre-arranging.
9. See something nocturnal
Night drives bring out a different set of animals. Bushbabies with their reflective eyes, the occasional porcupine shuffling off the track, maybe a civet if you’re lucky. If your ranger’s spotlight catches something that blinks back, that’s your tick.
10. Do nothing for an entire afternoon
Between the morning and evening drives, most people head back to their chalet and stay there. Swim a bit, read a bit, nap for longer than you planned to. We have Wi-Fi when you need it, but most people find they don’t. Tick this square the moment you realise you haven’t checked your phone since breakfast.
Bonus squares for the overachievers
Because a proper bingo card deserves a free space or two:
- Watch zebras graze past your patio while drinking coffee
- Hear a lion call after dark (and lie very still)
- Drive past an elephant close enough to hear it breathe
- Stay two nights and start looking at rates for a third
Full house at Tshikwalo
If you manage to tick off every square, you have our full permission to shout bingo across the breakfast table. Most guests will manage seven or eight, which still counts as a win in any bingo hall in the country. To check current rates or put a group booking together, get in touch with us directly.
Bring a jersey. Bring binoculars. Leave the malaria pills behind.
