Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate is one of the top selling wildlife estates

The estate is 700 ha in size with 490 stands of 5 000 square meter each, many of which have superb views of the Drakensberg Mountains. Only half of the estates land surface has been developed for housing whilst the remainder is kept as undeveloped wilderness.

First stands started selling in the latter half of 2005 at values between R 150 000 – 250 000.

The developer of the estate was Hannes Wessels and the stands were mostly marketed to investors on a plot and plan basis, with 3 different floor plans to choose from. The type of properties built were either 4 sleeper, 6 sleeper or 8 sleeper lodges, focusing on the second home and holiday home market.

In todays market (2023) the stands have achieved values of up to R 1,5 million with only a handful of stands still being undeveloped.

Location

The estate is situated to the eastern side of Hoedspruit town just off the R 40, behind the Rock Fig lifestyle centre and within walking distance to the local shopping centre and Time Square business park. To the east of the estate lies the Hoedspruit Air Force Base, to the west the town of Hoedspruit, to the North the Pridelands game reserve and to the South the game farm Welverdiend.

Wildlife

Wildlife found on the estate are giraffe, zebra, warthog, wildebeest,impala, duiker, bushbuck, waterbuck and kudu to name the bigger species. As the estate borders on to game farms on 2 sides, occasionally predators are spotted roaming on the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate. These animal’s movements are carefully monitored through night-vision cameras along the fence line, patrols and helicopter surveillance. Predators which have been reported are leopard,wild dogs and lion.

Layout

The estate is dissected by the seasonal Umlametsi River (a tributary of the Olifants River) which runs through the so called green belt of the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate. The area around this river system is undeveloped and was set aside for the enjoyment of wildlife. It features 3 dams, with elevated bird hides and a number of well-marked game drive routes which are all gravel roads as well as single track cycling routes.

At the far Eastern side of the estate is a small housing section which lies separate from the rest of the estate, and has its own entrance gate off the access road to the military base. The area features a total of 25 properties and is hence referred to as “the exclusive area”.

The total of 17 km of road network within the estate is tarred andthere is a speed limit of 30 km/h.

The estate has within its borders the African Dream Horse Safari stables and horse trails on the estate are permitted to members of this well run stable yard.

Infrastructure

The estate gets its water from the Maruleng Municipality, through the Hoedspruit Airforce Base, but also possess a number of boreholes which feed into reservoirs in case of emergency situations when water supply is interrupted.

The estate has its own sewage treatment plant, which has been designed to be of sufficient capacity for the total development.

The estate relies on ESKOM for the supply of electricity and has emergency generators on site for essential services (security & access).

A solar plant is part of the development concept for future implementation.

Communication mediums such as Wi-Fi, hand held radio and cell-phone signal by major independent service providers exists on the estate. The estate has open Serve fibre optic installed and clients can choose a Telkom line or have their provider of choice connect to the fibre optic line. 

Rules and regs/ good to know

Pet policy

· Home owners who reside permanently on the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate are allowed to keep dogs only on the stand on which they reside.

· No more than 2 dogs will be allowed per dwelling in occupation. Home owners should ensure that their dogs are kept within an enclosed area on the premises, that the dogs are well trained and do not become a nuisance for others living on the estate.

Building rules

The footprint of any dwelling may not exceed 2 000 m2 which equates to approximately a 25m radius.

A maximum surface of 350 square metres on the 2 000 m2 for building maybe used for gardening purposes. 

Only indigenous plants are to be planted.

Holiday rentals

As the development started out targeting the second home market, owning a holiday home was made attractive through relaxed rules about renting out your property to other holiday makers.

Short term rentals are allowed and many of the lodge-type properties are either owner run holiday homes or are being serviced by local letting agencies.

Sofar, no special permits or levies have been set by the Hoedspruit WildlifeEstate Home Owners Association for any commercial use of the properties.

The rezoning from residential to commercial use with the local municipality remains the obligation of the property owner and will affect the monthly rates and taxes to be paid.