The History of Hoedspruit
How Hoedspruit grew from a Lowveld railway siding into the gateway to the Greater Kruger - the people, the conservation story, and the town today.
By Mike Lawrie · Updated 21 June 2026
The short answer
Hoedspruit started as a Selati railway siding in the early 1900s, taking its name from the hoopoe bird (hoephoep) that nests in the marula trees. The SAAF Air Force Base opened in 1978, and the surrounding private Greater Kruger reserves shaped the village into a Lowveld safari town and a hub for conservation work.
From railway siding to safari town
Hoedspruit takes its name from the Afrikaans word for the hoopoe bird (hoephoep), which nests in the marula trees that fringe the town. The siding became a stop on the Selati Railway in the early 1900s, serving the cattle and citrus farms of the Lowveld.
The Air Force years
The South African Air Force base at Hoedspruit, opened in 1978, transformed the village into a service town and brought the infrastructure - school, hospital, shops - that still anchors Hoedspruit today.
Conservation hub
Hoedspruit sits in the middle of an unfenced corridor of private reserves - Timbavati, Klaserie, Umbabat, Balule, Thornybush - that share an open boundary with the Kruger. The town has become a base for wildlife veterinary work, rehabilitation, anti-poaching units, conservation NGOs and ecological research. Centres like the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre and Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre are within minutes of town.
The town today
A safari gateway and a residents town in one. Independent shops, the daily farmers market, lodges hosting international guests, families on long weekends, and a small permanent community that lives here for the bush.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the name Hoedspruit come from?
It is Afrikaans for the hoopoe bird (hoephoep) that nests in the marula trees around the town.
When did the SAAF base open?
1978 - the air force base brought the infrastructure that still anchors the town.
What is Hoedspruit known for today?
It is the closest town to the central Kruger and a hub for wildlife conservation, anti-poaching and rehabilitation work.
More on plan
Planning a trip to Hoedspruit?
Tell the local team what you are after, or put the days together yourself and send them over.