ON THE EDGE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S Kruger National
Park, near the Mozambique border, sits an airport more
impressive than those in most Australian towns. Except, in
place of the typical Uber pick-up zone, Skukuza Airport
(a 400-something-kilometre journey in a small plane
from Johannesburg) has a row of heavy-duty open-top
safari vehicles. This is understandable considering that
sighting the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant
and Cape buffalo) is the bucket list experience here.
A short drive away is the Tengile River Lodge, the latest
luxe safari outpost from &Beyond, which was topping
most-anticipated travel lists before it even opened in
December. Upon arrival, a welcoming committee armed
with neroli-scented cloths is ready to greet you in a ritual
that will repeat itself over the course of your stay and, like
many of the other creature comforts here — such as pink-
hued gin and tonics served in glasses the size of small
bowls — it is a little too easy to get used to.
Underfoot, terrazzo floors have been embedded
with stones from a historic gold mining railway that
passed through the game reserve. The common area (a
bar-slash-sitting-area-slash-restaurant serving tapas-style
meals) offers a sprawling view of the Sand River below,
and luxe finishings mixed with pieces from local artisans
adorn the interiors. The bar is perpetually open, and with
only nine suites, fellow guests are bound to become
familiar faces. (Safaris, you’ll quickly discover, are
honeymooner catnip.) Whether you spend the time
making small talk or with a sundowner in hand,
occasionally peeking over your copy of Normal People
in hope of an animal sighting, is up to you.
The lodge sits on private land in the Sabi Sand Game
Reserve, but the wildlife don’t care much for your privacy.
A lack of fences means you’ll need an accompaniment
to and from your room once the sun sets, but you might
be rewarded with the sight of elephants swaggering up
to the pool for a drink. You can also take a guided walk- perhaps in pursuit of a rare bird you’ve seen in your
guidebook – but this isn’t the kind of place where you
pack your Nike Frees and head off for a quick jog, lest
you want a panicked staff member chasing after you.
Forsake a solo stroll for some downtime in your
generously sized, air-conditioned, country-lodge-style
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
UNDERPINS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME
WILDERNESS ADVENTURE IN
SOUTH AFRICA. ELLE McCLURE
EMBARKS ON THE JOURNEYWILD AT
HEART