Of course, there are no guarantees you’ll see everything you want to see (the mammals roam free around here, remember). However, many guests who’ve checked-in to Ekuthuleni have checked out with the Big 5 and more wild mammal sightings ticked off.

Exclusivity at Ekuthuleni

It’s apt for a venue that’s such an ideal base from which to venture on a Big Five safari experience that there are just five suites at Ekuthuleni. It means you get privacy and seclusion here as there’ll only ever be a maximum of 12 guests in the lodge at any one time - most likely less. Four of the lodges are made for two with the family suite accommodating 4, although many solo adventurers choose to stay here.

The lodge complex is located in the central region of the Welgevonden Game Reserve just three hours’ drive from Johannesburg (it’s even quicker by air of course, with charter and private planes cleared to land in the reserve).

From the base of a rocky ridge, you can marvel at the great expanse of the savannah from your private terrace, with your attention likely to be drawn to a waterhole popular with local wildlife – especially elephants – who often use it for drinking and mud baths. Each to their own.

Wi-Fi free

Views from each of the suites are the kind people used to write home about, but they’re now more likely to send a digital photo. Although it’s worth noting that mobile phone signals don’t reach this deep into the wilds, so you’ll have to wait to share your shots with jealous friends and family back home – a small price to pay for the beauty and seclusion you’ll enjoy at Ekuthuleni.

It means ‘place of peace’, by the way, and the suites do all they can to live up to the name. While elephants enjoy mud baths on the plains, you can lie back in a large rolltop tub, relaxing in a bubble bath, which is a more traditional way for us humans to unwind. Or you could choose to freshen up in one of two showers (inside and outside) before resting up in the kingsize bed ready for more adventures tomorrow.

Embrace the traditional

Your lodge combines thatched roof and stonework, tipping more than just a nod to the building traditions of the local area. Glass doors open onto your private terrace on which you can sit and lose yourself in the sheer size and beauty of the plain. You’ll definitely want to catch a sunset or two from here.  

Two safaris every day

You’re unlikely to be booking Ekuthuleni Lodge just to enjoy the views from your suite. You want to get out there on the ground and experience its wilds and wildlife close up. Which is easily done as two daily drives deep into the reserve start and finish from Ekuthuleni every day. Set your alarm for the first of the day, departing soon after dawn, or enjoy a lie-in and get onboard the late afternoon/early evening tour.

Either way, you’ll venture out in an open top vehicle in the experienced hands of rangers who know the terrain, the best viewpoints and where many of the 65 mammal species that call the National Park home hang out – and yes, that does include the Big Five.  

Guided bush walks also give you a chance to get up close to the wildflowers in the area (the reserve has over 5500 different plants, and 300 bird species that fly the skies). The two bushmen paintings on a rockface in the Waterberg mountains also qualify as a ‘must-see’, dating back around 2000 years.

Yours to share

At the lodge complex, meals are served in the cosy dining room, out on the sheltered open air deck, or in the boma with fire pit. And there’s a choice of lounge areas to relax in afterwards, with the selection of board games likely to prove popular with occupants of the family suite.

Grab a stool at the bar for a drink or two with a backdrop of the wilds you’re unlikely to have experienced before. There’s also a communal viewing deck next to the swimming pool, both of which are elevated just a few feet above ground level. Such a great spot to catch some sun and view the wildlife.