Mabula Game Lodge

It’s just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Johannesburg airport to Mabula Game Reserve, but it feels like entering another world. A world that’s home to over 300 species of bird and 60 species of mammal, including the Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. Plus, their lesser-known friends, the Little Five - elephant shrew, antlion, rhinoceros beetle, buffalo weaver and leopard tortoise. With no compromising on creatures or comfort, our home for the next seven nights is discreetly luxurious and distinctively African in design - we stay in thatched chalets with huge windows and wooden decks to bring the outside in. This afternoon, soak up the wilderness surroundings by the outdoor pool or at the bar with a sundowner.

Up with the dawn chorus, we head out on our first game drive. With open-air safari vehicles and expert guides getting us closer to the action, we start to explore the grassy plains, rocky outcrops and watering holes that are home to wildlife including lion, cheetah, warthog, leopard, elephant, rhino, hyena, ostrich and jackal. Plus, the grumpiest of them all - the honey badger. With the best chance of seeing big game at dusk and dawn, we relax back at the lodge and listen to a wildlife talk before heading out on a second game drive this afternoon.

It’s time to meet the top cats on a guided lion tracking experience. Experienced rangers get us within roaring distance of a pride of lions - teaching us about their behaviour, pride structure and the conservation efforts to protect them. Safari royalty, the power and majesty of these jungle kings is a humbling experience that we’ll remember forever. After lunch, we go out on another game drive - keeping watch for comical warthog, wallowing hippos and tree-pruning giraffes.

This morning, we take a walk on the wild side with a guided bush walk. Sticking to the open plains and grasslands, we look out for the morning grazers - including impala, giraffe and ostrich. The rest of the day is free to enjoy the lodge - settling in by the pool, booking a treatment at the spa or simply enjoying the lodge's surroundings.

Heading out on a game drive before breakfast, we get to enjoy the stillness of the reserve as the sun warms the savannah and the bush comes alive. Wild animals don’t lie in, so this is an amazing time to see active wildlife before the sun gets too hot and the bigger predators go down for a mid-morning nap. The rest of the day is free before a stargazing experience tonight. Free from light pollution, the inky Southern Hemisphere skies above the reserve are mesmerising. A guide talks us through the planets and constellations and the local myths and legends that surround them.

This morning is all about plant power. When faced with elephant ambling past your 4WD and warthog snuffling in the bushes outside your chalet, it’s natural to focus on the fauna. But the flora on the reserve is critical to the survival of both the wildlife and traditions here. Guided by a specialist in local medicine and holistic cultures, this morning’s bush walk focuses on identifying different native plants and their healing properties. This afternoon, we head out on another game drive.

The reserve is home to 300 species of bird including ostrich, osprey, nightjars and migratory swift, which we hope to see on this morning's guided bush walk. This afternoon, there’s the chance to spot non-feathered friends on a game drive. Spend your final night at the lodge dining under the stars, sharing your favourite moments with new friends, and having a farewell drink for the road.

Our last day at Mabula, we wake up for one final game drive as the sun rises over the savannah, before transferring to the airport for our flight home.

On arrival, your Titan vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.