When European explorers encountered and named the Sand River it must have been the dead of winter when the ground dries up after months of blue skies; the bush thins out and the animals congregate around any water source they can find.

But the Sand River is very much a Water River for most of the year bringing life and enrichment to one of Africa’s greatest game parks: the Kruger National Park. And along this river is a string of sensational safari lodges not least of which is the Dulini River Lodge in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve.

At the heart of the lodge, an open-plan guest area spills out onto an expansive viewing deck, where guests can relax with a drink. A library and indoor lounge offer cosy retreats on cooler days, while the multi-level dining area will take you from breakfast and lunch at the riverside deck to a refined dinner on the airy dining deck, overlooking the wilderness.

The contemporary, elevated suites offer a great vantage point from which to spot the resident wildlife. Designed with clean lines and calming earth tones, these exclusive spaces create a seamless indoor-outdoor flow through floor-to-ceiling glass windows that frame the natural surroundings, bathtubs that look out into the bush, and a private deck with a heated plunge pool and outdoor shower.

In-between game drives and bush walks, guests can work out in the well-equipped gym, which offers a range of Bodycraft and Lifespan training equipment, or in the outdoor training pool, which comes complete with an elastic swim tether. An in-house massage therapist is on standby for body treatments using a bespoke range of natural body products and African massage oils – in your suite or, weather permitting, on your private terrace.

Famed for its leopard and the so-called Big 5 plus the rarer African wild dog and cheetah, Sabi Sand is a private game reserve that shares its eastern border with the Kruger Park allowing the wildlife free movement in and out of this ancient wilderness. The 65,000ha reserve has both browsing and grazing habitats and is considered to be one of the best game reserves in South Africa.