The Graeme Naylor Museum

Often described as one of the Lowveld’s best kept secrets, the museum offers something rare in conservation landscapes. It allows you to see the Timbavati not only as it is experienced on game drive, but as a complete ecological system, preserved and interpreted with scientific care. It is both an archive and an educational space, shaped over decades by the vision and dedication of the late Dr. Graeme Naylor.

Constructed in 2009 and refurbished in 2016, the museum stands today as one of the most comprehensive natural history collections in the region. Much of what fills its displays was sourced, prepared, and curated by Dr. Naylor himself, reflecting a lifetime spent studying, documenting, and protecting the biodiversity of the Lowveld.

(Scroll further down for visitor and fee information)

Understanding the Timbavati beyond sightings

One of the most striking exhibits focuses on the white lions of the Timbavati. Standing beside a full-scale display, visitors quickly grasp the true size and physical presence of these rare animals. White lions are genetic expressions of a recessive trait that occurs naturally in this landscape. Seeing one up close in this way brings a deeper understanding of both their rarity and their ecological reality.

Nearby, another display reveals the unexpected diversity of freshwater fish found within the reserve and across South Africa. In a region often perceived as dry and unforgiving, these species depend on seasonal rivers, floodplains, and aquatic systems that quietly sustain biodiversity across the landscape.

Other exhibits explore equally remarkable biological processes. Visitors learn how elephants cycle through multiple sets of molars during their lifetime, a critical adaptation that allows them to process vast quantities of vegetation over decades. Detailed displays of moths and butterflies reveal an entirely different dimension of biodiversity, one that exists largely outside the focus of traditional safari experiences.

Each exhibit contributes to a broader understanding of how the Timbavati functions as a living system.

Built on ethical conservation principles

Every specimen within the museum carries an important distinction. No animal was taken from the wild for the purpose of display.

With the exception of insects, every individual represented in the museum died of natural causes or as a result of unavoidable human impacts such as road collisions, electrocution, or snaring. Some were donated by rehabilitation centres, zoos, and conservation facilities.

The legacy of Dr. Graeme Naylor

At the centre of the museum is the legacy of Dr. Graeme Naylor himself. His work extended far beyond collection and curation. He created a resource designed to ensure that knowledge of the Timbavati’s ecosystems would not be lost over time. His vision was clear. Conservation depends on understanding. And understanding must be shared.

The museum stands as a testament to that belief.

Education at the centre of conservation

Since its opening, the Graeme Naylor Museum has played a critical role in environmental education. Over the past decade, it has welcomed thousands of visitors, including nearly 40,000 school children from neighbouring communities.

For many of these students, the museum provides their first close encounter with the anatomy and biology of the wildlife that lives alongside them. It transforms conservation from an abstract idea into something tangible and immediate.

Education remains one of the most powerful tools for protecting wilderness. By building knowledge, the museum helps cultivate the next generation of conservationists, researchers, and custodians of the landscape.

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KEEN TO BOOK YOUR MUSEUM VISIT?

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Visitor Fees

Museum Visit (approx. 1 hour)
Adults: R50.00 per person
Children under 12: Free

Educational institutions and NGO groups (local): Free
Educational institutions and NGO groups (non-local): Standard group rates apply

Conference facility hire: R3,500.00 per day

The museum also offers conference and educational facilities, supporting workshops, conservation training, and environmental education programmes.

Advance booking for groups is recommended but locals are more than welcome to simply come to the museum.

Location: Timbavati Head Quarters. Follow the road Hoedspruit airport and continue on that road until you turn right to the Timbavati Head Quarters. Approximately 30 minutes from Hoedspruit town.

To arrange a visit, book a group, or enquire about donations and educational programmes, please contact:
info@timbavati.co.za

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DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN MAKE A DONATION TOWARDS THE MUSEUM?

This will help enable us to diversify and upgrade where we can. Every cent of donations goes into the maintenance, upkeep and creation of new educational materials to increase environmental awareness.

You can either donate through our GivenGain link below or contact us directly to make a donation – info@timbavati.co.za

https://www.givengain.com/c/timbavati-private-nature-reserve-20217/donate/

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