A short 55-minute flight from Johannesburg lies Hoedspruit – a runway more than it is an airport where it’s not unusual for a monkey or two to run alongside you as you step off the plane and onto the tarmac. Before too long, you’ll find yourself arriving at Royal Malewane in the Thornybush Private Game Reserve which exudes the romance and charm of a bygone era.
Choose from Malewane Lodge, Farmstead, or Waterside – each of which offer something a little different. Malewane Lodge is classic in style; it’s precisely what you expect when embarking on a safari, while Farmstead is more contemporary, and Waterside brings a splash of colour.
All three lodges are located within the Thornybush Game Reserve which sits inside the Kruger National Park – the largest game reserve in South Africa and one of the world’s biggest wildlife sanctuaries. It covers approx. 19,486 square kilometres which is roughly the same size as Wales, and is home to a rich biodiversity of ecosystems that support over 145 mammal species and more than 500 bird species.
As we pulled into the entrance of Malewane Lodge, we thought perhaps we’d been mistaken for somebody else. A parade of people stood waiting to welcome us – Stefan, the General Manager of the lodge, Andi, the guide who we would be spending the next few days with, and Geoffrey, a tracker who we were soon to discover was a remarkable man.
Stepping into the lodge, I didn’t know where to place my eyes first. The waterhole called me from the not-so-far distance, but I couldn’t help but let my eyes fall to everything that tried to steal their attention. Life-sized bronze cheetah statues, his and hers wooden throne-like chairs, an eclectic collection of antique furniture, sofas in every corner, grand fireplaces with fitting artwork hung above them, a thatched roof. There was so much to take in, and everywhere you looked was just as beautiful as the next.
A classic and traditional bush style lodge brimming with timeless luxury, Malewane Lodge has just eight suites meaning peace and quiet is easily found. Aside from the occasional elephant trumpet coming from the lodge’s central watering hole, that is.
After a long flight, we were keen to be shown to our room. It was just after midday, and we had a few hours until 4 o’clock which is when we were heading off on our first game drive. What came next was something we weren’t prepared for.
A myriad of paths just off the main area of the lodge leads guests to their rooms. Well, perhaps we shouldn’t call them rooms. They’re state-of-the-art individual lodges. As I turned the big brass key in the door and gently pushed it open, my eyes (again!) didn’t know where to look first.
A dark wood four poster bed to rival any bed you’ve ever slept in, an open fire for those chilly post-game drive evenings, and floor to ceiling glass across the entire frontage of the lodge offering uninterrupted views of the reserve at all times is guaranteed to take your breath away.
Each suite at Malewane Lodge has it’s very own infinity pool and private deck complete with sun loungers and a day bed, too. After an early morning game drive, it’s the perfect place to take a mid-morning nap, although you must keep an ear out for rustles in the bush beyond the infinity pool.
Back inside the suite you’ll find a freestanding bath tub looking out toward the African bush, and a shower with a floor to ceiling pane of glass just to make sure you don’t miss anything outside that is worth seeing. For those that really want to make sure they don’t miss a thing, there’s also an outdoor shower. Perhaps not for the faint hearted.
It wasn’t long before it was time to head out for our first game drive. We were met by our guide, Andi, in the main area of the lodge who showed us the way to the jeep. Within minutes of chatting to Andi, we knew we were in for an incredible few days.
Royal Malewane is often referred to as the ‘Harvard of the Bush’. Not only does it have Africa’s most qualified guiding team, but it has three of only seven living Master Trackers in the world, and the only three working in the Greater Kruger National Park.
In our first game drive, we saw four of the Big Five – lions, leopards, elephant, and buffalo. It was somewhat overwhelming to experience so many high emotions in such a short space of time. Andi managed to get us so close to the leopard that we could see it’s eyelashes flutter as it laid on a tree branch directly above our vehicle.
The lions were sprawled out snoozing as the sun went down, and we could see their full bellies move up and down with each breath. As for the elephants, we were surrounded. It seems elephants rather like the Thornybush Game Reserve, and we would discover this over the next few days as we became so used to seeing them that we became blasé.
The following day, we had the privilege of joining a Thornybush Field Ranger on a helicopter patrol flight over the Greater Kruger National Park. The purpose of the patrol flight is to count the elephant herds and rhinos and log them into an anti-poaching system, as well as to check the perimeter of the reserve.
Seeing the expanse of the reserve from above showed a whole new perspective of the location, the landscape, and what it takes to keep the wildlife safe, as well as how human homes, cultivated farmland, and wilderness all exist in such close proximity.
Throughout the course of what was meant to be a thirty minute patrol, we felt very much on edge. Thirty-five minutes had gone by and we still hadn’t seen a single rhino. The ranger was growing concerned, and wanted to keep searching. Rhinos are rare, of course, but to not see a single rhino was evidently worrying. After forty-five minutes, we at last spotted two rhinos running alongside a tower of giraffe (the correct term for a group of giraffes… who knew?).
It was a moment that cannot be put into words, hovering above rhino and giraffe running free through the wild. And with that, we’d seen the Big Five in less than 24 hours.
With twice daily game drives, guided bush walks, and a spa, there is hardly time to enjoy the lodge’s very own library or yoga and meditation room. There’s always time to be found for the lodge’s wine cellar, though, which offers world-class wine tastings – the best of which are South African, of course.
Royal Malewane has been known to host world-famous names the likes of Elton John, Opray Winfrey, Bill Gates, and Richard Gere, and it really is no surprise. There is so much that makes Malewane Lodge worthy of its reputation as one of Africa’s best lodges but if you were to ask for my opinion, it’s the service that is second to none, the guiding and game viewing that is unmatched, and the design that is thoughtful and considered right down to every detail. Royal Malewane offers an unrivalled safari experience, to say the least.
Rates start from £2,070 per person per night on a fully-inclusive basis (accommodation, meals, drinks, twice-daily game drives and bush walks).
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F5J7+RM Amanda, 1380, South Africa
