Kariega Main Lodge

The large central complex houses a restaurant that seats 70 guests around white-washed wooden tables and chairs, and a vast U-shaped bar with adjoining lounges. When the lodge is full, this area can get a bit cramped, so the balcony with a few bar tables and a nice view is a welcome retreat. Outside, there are a few basic picnic tables scattered around a fireplace and a lovely pool area surrounded by dense thicket. The wellness centre has two treatment rooms and offers a decent range of services. There is also a well-equipped gym and curio shop.

Twenty-four two- and three-bedroomed wooden chalets stretch out along the hillside on either side of the main area. Each has a spacious lounge, tea and coffee making facilities, a TV, fireplace and private deck with impressive views of the reserve. Rooms have ensuite bathrooms with showers, claw-foot bathtubs, wash-basins, complimentary toiletries and toilets. Bedrooms are air-conditioned, and half the chalets have private plunge pools, which should be requested when making a booking. The décor is slightly dated but everything is comfortable and clean.

Morning and evening game drives form the core activities on this reserve, and although it is great that big game can be seen so easily, guides can focus too much attention on this, to the exclusion of the myriad of smaller species to be found. The real highlights of a safari in this region are the oft-overlooked species such as aardvark, bush pigs, porcupines, caracal, bat-eared foxes and aardwolf, many of which come out to play at night, as well as the wide variety of succulent plants found in the thicket biome. Ask your guide to pay attention to these things in addition to finding you lions and rhinos. Boat cruises on the rivers are a real treat, as are kayaking and fishing trips.