5 Best Hotels in Londolozi Game Reserve, Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park

The first Relais & Chateaux game lodge in the world, this gorgeous camp (think leopards, lanterns, leadwoods, and leopard orchids) is tucked into the riverbank overlooking indigenous forest. The lodge is themed in chocolate and white, with exquisite leopard photos on the walls, airy and stylish interiors, and elegant yet simple furnishings. Huge bedrooms, en suite bathrooms, and plunge pools continue the elegance, simplicity, and sophistication. From your spacious deck you look out onto a world of cool-green forest dominated by ancient African ebony and marula trees. Treat yourself to a bottle of bubbly from the champagne library and then dine with others while swapping bush stories or sip it alone in your private sala.

This friendly camp has 10 stone-and-thatch individual chalets set amid thick riverine bush; some chalets are linked by interconnecting skywalks, which is great for families or groups traveling together (children six years and older are welcome). Decorated in warm, comforting earth tones, each chalet has its own wooden viewing deck and plunge pool. Old family photographs decorate the walls and tables in the public areas, reminding you of Londolozi's decades-old history. Relax on the huge thatched dining and viewing deck that juts out over a quiet backwater of the Sand River, and watch the mammals and birds go by. Or join a group yoga class under the African sky.

The most secluded of all Londolozi's camps, Pioneer's three private suites overlook the river and are perfect if you want seclusion and privacy. They can also be adapted into a temporary family homestead if you choose to rent the whole place (children over the age of six are welcome). Suites have floor-to-ceiling glass sliding panels with great wilderness views. Super-elegant bathrooms and classy bedrooms meld contemporary chic and classic African styles while the  out-of-Africa furnishings in the public rooms blend perfectly with faded sepia photographs, old hunting prints, and scuffed safari treasures. Check out the unique wallpaper behind the inviting bar. In winter sink deeply into your comfortable armchair in front of your own blazing fireplace; in summer sit outside in your outdoor dining room and listen to Africa's night noises. There are inside and outside dining areas, viewing decks, and a gorgeous S-shaped pool in the surrounding bush.

Londolozi's largest camp, centered on a thatched A-frame lodge that houses a dining room, sitting areas, and a lounge, has been around for decades and is the very soul and center of Londolozi. Meals are served on a broad wooden deck that juts over the riverbed and under an ancient jackalberry tree. The thatch rondavels, which were the Varty family's original hunting camp, now do duty as a library, a wine cellar, and an interpretive center, where you can listen to history and ecotourism talks—don't miss the Londolozi leopard presentation. If you're looking for romance, have a private dinner on your veranda and go for a moonlight dip in your own plunge pool. In suites, the pool leads right to the riverbed. All rooms are decorated in African ethnic chic—in creams and browns and with the ubiquitous historic family photographs and documents—and have great bushveld views. Families are welcome (children must be over six), and the fascinating kids' programs should turn any couch potato into an instant wannabe ranger. Then there's the unique Healing House wellness center on-site. This is no typical spa massage parlor, but a holistic all-in-one retreat including wilderness walking and ancient forms of sound therapy.

Book all three private suites or just hide yourself away from the rest of the world like the celebrities and royals who favor this gorgeous getaway. Here, it's all about location, location, location. Huge, flat granite rocks in the riverbed, where elephants chill out and bathe, stretch almost to the horizon in front of your floor-to-ceiling picture windows, and the elephant prints and furnishings done in velvets and silvers, grays, and browns echo the shifting colors and textures of the mighty pachyderms. Bathe in your own rock pool. At night, when your suite is lit by scores of flickering candles, you may truly feel that you're in wonderland.