Silvan Safari Lodge

Tiyani, the resident leopard, had her cub in the Ansellia Spa while it was still a shell, so the spa took in wildlife before it took in guests. The elephants are no more inclined to wait: the herds that come through camp drink from the pools. There are six suites, either side of the main lodge under leadwood and jackalberry trees, looking over the Manyeleti riverbed in the Sabi Sand, which has no fence between it and Kruger. Dark timber outside, polished cement underfoot, and walls that slide away onto a deck and a plunge pool, so the bush is never more than a step off. Seven artists made work for the suites, some of it in wool and gold leaf. Ask for Cassia. It is named for the golden rain tree and done in yellow and deep green, with cassia flowers embroidered on, and the bath and double shower face the riverbed.

Recommended for couples who want the bush close enough to drink from their pool, and for families with children of twelve or over, the lodge's minimum, who can have the Leadwood Family Suite: two bedroom areas joined by an open-air deck. The day starts at dawn in an open vehicle and comes back for breakfast. Between drives there is the spa, over its bridge, and the gin, of which the lodge claims the biggest selection in the Sabi Sand, which is a great deal of gin for six suites. The evening drive ends in sundowners and dinner under the stars, and there are walks and spotlit night drives too, with a photography studio for working up whatever they found. Below Cassia's L-shaped deck, meanwhile, the resident nyala wander the riverbed, a sighting that needs no early start.