Best hotels in Northern Kruger

The northern reaches of the beloved Kruger National Park are amongst the most diverse in the area, and a staggering three-quarters of the park's animal and plant life occur here. Think sparkling floodplains dotted with baobab and mahogany trees, as well as leopard hiding in the fever trees and lion roaming the rocky gorges. And in the midst of it all, in the heart of the Makulele Concession and overlooking the Luvuvhu River, is pretty Pafuri Camp. Despite its 52 beds, there's an intimate atmosphere and a magical safari charm, topped off with excellent guiding and down-to-earth, efficient hospitality. Are we allowed to say it might be one of our favourite camps in the Kruger?!

Pafuri, the most northerly section of South Africa's Kruger Park is, many argue, its most striking area. It's not faint praise, for Pafuri certainly is home to the park's greatest variety of landscapes - and the densities of wildlife and birds are pretty impressive too. Pafuri Walking Trails are based in the Makuleke Concession (a partnership involving the local community, Kruger and safari specialists, Return Africa) and offer some of the best walking trails in the country. Home will be the main trails camp and you’ll head out daily to explore the surrounding area on foot. The excellent guides will entrance you with their all-encompassing knowledge and they’ll also join you in the evening for tales over dinner and fireside stories. The best kind of safari!

The Outpost Lodge lies in the 26,500-hectare Makuleke Contractual Park, a huge and remote wilderness area bordered to the north by the Limpopo River and Zimbabwe and to the east by Crooks Corner and Mozambique. The Italian-designed lodge is a sleek steel and canvas getaway in this wild setting, home to large herds of elephant and buffalo, nyala and tsessebe (antelope rarely seen in the southern regions of the park) and 350-plus recorded bird species. Vegetation here needs to survive drought, so you'll find mopane woodlands, fever trees, thickets of acacia and some ancient baobabs, the upside-down tree.

Pel's Post hugs the cliff overlooking the Luvuvhu River in northern Kruger and, like its namesake, the Pel's fishing-owl, it's a rare bird. One of just a handful of lodges in the remote, less-visited sector called the Makuleke Contractual Park (also the Pafuri Triangle), Pel's Post is an exclusive-use destination for safari connoisseurs. It may be modern, luxurious, and ecologically sound to the core, but it's dedicated to the bush. Bring your family or close friends (eight in total) to stay in its four chalets, fully staffed, and immerse yourself in the country of wild treats with your private guide.