There’s no shortage of high-end safari lodges in and around South Africa’s famed Kruger National Park, but the Singita properties have long set the standard for luxurious Big Five escapes.

While not as flashy as Singita Lebombo, or rustic as nearby Ebony, Singita Boulders offers a wonderful mix of stylish design and African charm. The lodge has always been a favourite on the high-end Kruger safari circuit, and a recent revamp has made it more impressive than ever.

Guest areas have been opened out to let the Big African sky in, and public areas are now even closer to the banks of the Sand River. A new Copper Bar for getting to know fellow guests has opened, and a dramatic outdoor dining pavilion has been crafted on suspended decks shaded by nest-like ceilings, an echo of the Ebony and Weeping Boer Bean trees that surround the lodge.

Boulders is, like all of the Singita properties, an intimate destination, Just 12 suites line the riverbanks, with two inter-connecting suites catering perfectly for families. Accommodation is, typically for Singita, subtly luxurious. No comfort has been spared, but the luxury here is anything but opulent, the emphasis rather on reflecting the bushveld beyond your private deck in a palette of shades and textures.

While the quality of game viewing and guiding here is superb, and the Sabi Sand is justifiably famous for its big cat sightings, Boulders has one last trick up its sleeve.

The lodge is home to the centrepiece of Singita’s impressive wine collection, and under the careful eye – and palate – of affable Wine Director Francois Rautenbach the group has amassed a truly exceptional collection of South African wines. It’s a collection Rautenbach and his team of sommeliers are only too happy to share via tutored tastings in the dramatic underground cellar or with recommendations at the table. As Singita’s rate is all-inclusive there’s little reason not to indulge.

The mix of top-notch game viewing, some of the best guides in the industry, and all the safari luxury you can ask for makes Boulders an unmissable destination in South Africa. It’s not cheap, but worth every dollar.