Paperbark Cottage: Where the Story Began and the Bushveld Still Breathes
A Cottage with Roots
Nine years ago, the story of Thorn Tree Bush Camp began in a humble little cottage. In April 2016, we bought Thorney Bush Cottage with the simple dream of retiring there one day.
It wasn’t glamorous—just a quiet bushveld hideaway with a stoep, a roof that sometimes grumbled in the rain, cracked tiles, and a stubborn front door. But within those walls, the first and most important chapter of Thorn Tree Bush Camp was written.
At a wooden table—long gone but never forgotten—Rodney and Elzabé signed the papers that made this patch of wild land their own. A leap of faith. A handshake with destiny. The first step toward what would become Thorn Tree Bush Camp.
Back then, the cottage was called Thorney Bush, named for the hardy thorn trees nearby and the cheeky squirrels who scolded trespassers. Later, as the camp grew and each unit took the name of an indigenous tree, the cottage became Monkey Thorn. It served as a modest weekend retreat—basic, but perfect.
In 2025, with new paint, fresh furniture, and a touch of bushveld magic, it entered a new era as Paperbark Cottage.
From Saplings to Giants
Why Paperbark? The answer grows at the entrance.
In 2016, two small paperbark saplings stood shyly by the stoep, barely taller than a man. Today, they are giants. Their creamy bark peels into parchment-like curls, their wide canopies shade the stoep, and their leaves whisper in the breeze.
They are more than trees—they are witnesses. They’ve seen campfire laughter, whispered dreams, and the steady rhythm of life in the bush. Guests pause beneath them to watch squirrels at play, hornbills calling the dawn, or sunlight dancing across the stoep.
As those trees grew, so did Thorn Tree Bush Camp—small beginnings, patient growth, now standing tall as proof of time, love, and persistence.
A Renewal Worthy of Its History
Monkey Thorn was a faithful old friend—welcoming guests, guides, family, and the mischievous Three Musketeers with muddy paws. But even loyal cottages need care.
The renewal of 2025 was more than new paint and furniture—it was about honouring the past while preparing for the future.
Walls brightened, scratches quietly hidden.
Furniture upgraded—comfortable for families, rustic for bushveld charm, sturdy for wagging tails.
Layout and finishes fine-tuned for both style and spirit.
Then came The Spring of 2025, when Elzabé and Magda went shopping “for just a few things” and returned with a makeover mission. Curtains stitched at lightning speed, paintbrushes flying, scrubbing brushes chasing out years of dust—each staff member left their mark.
Within weeks, Monkey Thorn had transformed into Paperbark Cottage. Not refreshed, but reborn—stitched, scrubbed, and painted into new life.
Enter the Tickel Tub
Every makeover deserves indulgence. For Paperbark, it came in the form of a Tickel Tub hot tub.
By day, it’s a plunge pool to cool off after a dusty drive. By night, light the fire, wait an hour, and you have a steaming bushveld spa. Guests joke about timing it like a potjie: “One more log, twenty minutes to go.”
Hot in winter, cool in summer, always private. And when you’re done, the water flows back into the garden, feeding the very paperbark trees that give the cottage its name.
A Guest Story: The Midnight Soaker
One night under a silver moon, Rodney settled into the Tickel Tub—only to find himself eye-to-eye with a hyena at the fence. Two curious creatures, each wondering what the other was doing there.
By morning, the bushveld headline was not a lion’s roar but the rare sighting of Rodney-in-a-Tub: coffee in one hand, rusk in the other, steam rising with the dawn.
That’s Paperbark Cottage—where wildlife finds you, even when you’re still in the tub.
Paperbark’s Wild Stage
Just fifteen metres from the fence, Paperbark Cottage overlooks a stage alive with Dinokeng Game Reserve stories.
Giraffes browsing treetops at sunset.
Jackals slipping by at dusk, their calls carrying into the night.
Bush babies bounding under starlight.
Hyenas whooping—spine-tingling and thrilling.
Kudu, wildebeest, and sometimes even elephants wandering past.
Every guest adds a new entry: an owlet peering from a branch, or a porcupine waddling past like a feather duster on legs.
Keeper of Stories
Paperbark is more than a self-catering bush cottage—it’s a storyteller.
The signing of dreams, where Thorn Tree Bush Camp began.
Family weekends filled with laughter and smoky braais.
Wildlife encounters both majestic and comical.
Quiet journaling to the tap of a woodpecker.
Even the paperbark trees have their own tales—renewal in spring, parchment curls in autumn.
Why Guests Love It
Paperbark Cottage is more than a bed for the night:
Rustic charm inside, untamed bush outside.
A private Tickel Tub hot tub under the stars.
The birthplace of Thorn Tree Bush Camp, part of our tented accommodation, cabins, camping and caravanning options.
An atmosphere alive with jackals, rustling night creatures, and shade from paperbark giants.
For some it’s a retreat. For others, an adventure base. For all, unforgettable.
From Yesterday to Tomorrow
If Thorn Tree Bush Camp had a family album, Paperbark would be on page one—a leap of faith, two saplings, and a little cottage with a big story.
Today, it stands renewed and ready, welcoming guests as new memories take root beneath its trees. Tomorrow, more stories will join the pages.
Because here, the bush doesn’t just surround you—it becomes part of your story.
Complete your stay with a guided game drive or bush walk, where Dinokeng’s tales stretch far beyond the stoep.