While game lodges are a dime a dozen in the Hoedspruit area, Camp Jabulani is something quite special. The lodge offers elephant-back safaris and fine dining in a luxurious setting.

With only six villas, plus a family villa, the lodge is completely exclusive. Once in your villa, you can’t hear or see anything but nature, so it is a great way to unwind and detach from busy lives. Villas are designed to be integrated with the environment, so expect grass pressed mud walls, an outdoor shower, a bath with treetrunk taps, your own private plunge pool and a gorgeous fireplace in the lounge area. No expense is spared in making these villas as comfortable as possible — the lounge in the villas have fully-stocked bookshelves, with books appealing to most tastes, plus decadent L’Occitane amenities.

With these touches, Camp Jabulani manages to achieve luxury and class while still being warm and homey.  It aims to surprise and delight the guest at every turn. Afternoon sundowners–complete with silver service and homemade sweet and savoury treats — are set up in the middle of the bush in a different location each day.

Expect fine dining, like deep-fried quail with apricot puree, and eland with butternut puree and baby corn. Desserts are particularly memorable: try the chocolate torte with cashew nut puree and pistachio ice cream–sublime. Breakfast is even more of a treat: there’s no menu, instead, you can order anything you like, and it will be prepared for you. Because the lodge is so small, meals can be served at any time — if you feel like dinner at 11pm, this can be arranged.

Camp Jabulani has the Big Five, with talented rangers that can scout out once in a lifetime sightings, like leopard (notoriously difficult to spot during the day) and lion kills. Camp Jabulani also runs the nearby Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC), a visit to which makes for a great day out. But the real highlight is the elephant-back safaris. When you’re seated so high among the treetops, it adds a different perspective to a safari. You can see vast stretches of land at all times, and going up and down ditches and through dams is quite exhilarating.