Best hotels in South Africa

Sabi Sand Game Reserve is the oldest private reserve in South Africa, sharing a 50-kilometre, fenceless border with Kruger National Park. It offers, almost indisputably, the best Big Five game viewing in the country and there are an abundance of predators. Here, tucked tastefully in the mature bush, is newly renovated Cheetah Plains, a collection of superbly stylish stand-alone homes. Expect a contemporary design, clean lines, carefully chosen natural materials and modern fixtures. This is a place that promises a luxury experience of the highest order.

Built high atop an old anthill, Nambu Camp is entirely elevated, offering soaring views across the Olifants West Nature Reserve. Sharing an unfenced border with Kruger National Park, wildlife is free to roam in their numbers and the camp's guides have a real talent for finding just what you're longing to see. With only six chalets, the camp has an exclusive and intimate feel, and there's ample space to relax and soak up the view – this includes a well-loved waterhole below where herds of elephant arrive to drink. The team is highly efficient and treats you like family, always ready with a smile.

Lying within a 765-hectare private bush estate near White River, Ndula Luxury Tented Lodge has it all – wide vistas, dynamic wilderness, wildlife, supremely comfortable contemporary accommodation, and breakfasts and dinners to linger over. Here, you're in the Lowveld, a region that incorporates the much-loved Kruger National Park, and overflows with sightseeing options, from rich wildlife to dramatic canyons and compelling history. Explore the estate to see giraffe, zebra, warthog, nyala, wildebeest, kudu, and a birder's wishlist of species. Need more? Kruger is a mere 45-minute drive away.

Ulusaba Safari Lodge will be closed for an exciting refurbishment from 26 January 2026 and reopening on 1 December 2026.

The hill on which Ulusaba Private Game Reserve's lodge sits provided the ancient Shangaan warriors with the perfect lookout point. 'The place of little fear' was therefore the perfect name for this famed stretch of bushveld. Today, the Safari Lodge offers a different kind of adventure. Located on the edge of a dry river and under a canopy of ancient trees, you'll take rope swing bridges between rooms and watch thirsty animals skirt by your deck on their way to the nearby waterhole. Alternatively, retreat to the treehouse to get lost in birdsong.

The Homestead is a private, sole-use safari residence that sleeps just eight, so it's perfect for a family or group of friends. Situated in the northern Phinda Private Game Reserve, the lodge blends into the surrounding wilderness and has been designed with an eye for space – the interior and exterior flow to create interactive guest areas. The atmosphere is laid-back, the villa is stylishly chic and fully serviced, and your private tracker will lead you to sightings of more animals and birds than you can imagine – including the Big Five, cheetah and the increasingly rare black rhino.

Imbali is sheltered in a riverine forest overlooking a river in a 10,000 hectare private concession in Kruger National Park. It is one of only three lodges in the area and is built on the site of a 400-year-old African settlement where evidence of an ancient culture has been found. The lodge continues the safari tradition of a bygone era, incorporating comfort and luxury in the serene African bush. A waterhole next to the camp provides wonderful wildlife and bird watching from the decks. The romantic suites are furnished in understated luxury and boast jacuzzis or plunge pools.

Zulu for ‘love’, Thanda makes you do just that. You will fall in love with this authentically South African wildlife experience. Thanda Safari Lodge is known for its plushly unique bush suites, each perched on a hill overlooking the reserve. With your own private sala on stilts, plunge pool, wrap-around deck and bush boma, you probably won’t want to leave to explore anything else. But trust us - it’s worth it. On Thanda’s game drives and bush walks you will fall in love again with the diverse wildlife and best of all, you get to enjoy it all to yourself.

Sanbona Wildlife Reserve stretches across 54,000 hectares of arid and silent Little Karoo landscape. This is where San people lived for thousands of years, and where galleries of rock paintings illustrate their lives. It's a pretty inhospitable place, and yet it is rich in wildlife and indigenous flora. Tilney Manor is one of four lodges in the reserve, with interiors that are indeed manorial, combining warmth and comfort with true elegance. The food is glorious, the staff are attentive and the guest suites, just six of them, meet your every need. It's a glamorous base from which to explore this extraordinary wilderness.

*Closed for extensive refurbishment from 18 March to 20 September 2024* This well-appointed and intimate tented camp is located in Ngala Private Reserve within Timbavati, the first private nature reserve to remove the fences that separated it from its neighbour, Kruger National Park. This satellite camp to Ngala Game Lodge is set beneath giant shady trees on the banks of the seasonal Timbavati River, and is known for its Big Five and wild dog sightings. Game, walking and photographic safaris are led by expert guides and trackers, who make sure that no rock is left unturned in pursuit of the animals.