Best hotels in Hazyview & Surrounds

Just a few minutes away from the Kruger National Park, South Africa's two million-hectare safari giant, Rissington Inn feels like your own home in the bush. Your hosts are welcoming (including the dogs, Rusty and Bruno) and owner, Chris Harvie, is a seasoned travel writer and will happily share safari stories at the bar. Apart from the famous Kruger, there are drives along the Panorama Route to see God's Window and the Three Rondavels, white water rafting, and heli flights. And the gardens are utterly beautiful, perfect for enjoying the view from a shady spot or swimming in the pool after a busy day...

Named after the on-site pool where hippos wallow and waggle their ears, Hippo Hollow is a family-friendly lodge set along the great Sabie River. Surrounded by grassy lawns and lush, willowy trees, you will feel like you're in the middle of nowhere - but its true location just outside the small town of Hazyview. You'll have an endless choice of opportunities for exploring the Mpumalanga province's most scenic sights and wildlife hotspots, and the gate to Kruger National Park is just 10 minutes away. The lodge itself also offers a wealth of experiences including traditional meals and musical performances at the Shangaan River Club.

Keen golfers and bush-lovers will be in seventh-heaven on this gorgeous country estate, just a stone's throw from Kruger National Park. The sprawling grounds surrounding Oliver's Lodge are home to an 18-hole golf course, and ample tracts of planted forest. The lodge itself is impressively large, with a touch of modern alpine-chalet style in its staggered roof peaks and carved wooden cornices (the owners are Austrian). Guests here will want for nothing – from the elegant restaurant to the on-site spa, there are many ways to relax, and stay that way.

Channelling the romance of ancient places, Timamoon Lodge occupies an enchanted setting in the subtropical forested mountains of South Africa's northeast. Tucked among the trees are six character-filled chalets furnished with an eclectic assemblage of global treasures from India and Bali to Morocco, and views of a tumble of forest-carpeted hills. The lodge lies on the Sabie/Hazyview road, a short distance from a number of sought-after wilderness areas (if you can tear yourself away). Visit the southern Kruger National Park or catch some dramatic vistas at the Blyde River Canyon.

Wake up in an elevated luxury tent, where Jackalberry and Tambotie trees provide shade and the morning air carries the scent of roses. This rather clever hideaway doubles as a working farm, though you won't find any muddy wellies here—just elegant pathways winding through macadamia orchards and some of the most pampered vegetables in Africa. The spa's rose quartz steam shower deserves its own Instagram account, and the chef's "garden-to-plate" philosophy means your dinner probably started the day as a twinkle in a gardener's eye. You're a stone's throw from Kruger's wild residents, but honestly, with a G&T in hand and this view from your deck, the Big Five might just have to wait.