Kapama River Lodge, Kapama Private Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa

Carrie Hampton took a trip to Kapama River Lodge and was very pleasantly surprised to find that this safari lodge is setting the standards in how to make a large safari lodge feel like an intimate experience. Read this extract from her book, ‘‘Exclusive Safari Lodges of South Africa’ full of stunning wildlife photographs by Gerald Hoberman.

The northern Drakensberg mountain range provides a majestic backdrop to Kapama River Lodge, situated within the family-owned Kapama Private Game Reserve in Limpopo. The lodge has a generous capacity of forty-two bedrooms, all of which are a perfect blend of luxury and comfort.

Team-building activities and events for groups are a speciality at Kapama River Lodge, and the Kapama ‘Amazing Race’ is a firm favourite. Teams participating in the race are let loose in 4x4 vehicles with a GPS and some clues to follow to reach a final destination.

River Lodge offers a host of other activities too: hot-air ballooning over the game-rich reserve, a gym, beauty treatments, clay-pigeon shooting and elephant-back riding.

The most romantic option is without doubt a private sleepout on the lantern-lit ‘romance platform’, with a bed swathed in mosquito netting. This could be the ultimate honeymoon night, with only the wild animals of Africa below you to keep you company.

The bedrooms at River Lodge, situated on two floors, all with views of the leafy-green reserve, are wonderfully comfortable. The lodge’s decor is modern yet distinctly African, with clay pots, wooden stools and African artefacts gracing the illuminated recessed alcoves of the main buildings.

Chairs are upholstered in reds and golds, and the golden thatched roof reflects a warm light down into all areas of the lodge. Another special feature is the straw-clad walls, helping to seamlessly merge the inside with the outside.

Two fireplaces are positioned in the cavernous L-shaped lounge and bar, which opens up onto a pool deck where a rim-flow swimming pool overlooks the dry, sandy riverbed. It is possible to float in the pool and watch animals drink at the nearby permanent water source.

Meals cannot be said to be inside or outside, as the Rhino Boma offers a bit of both: tables are set under a low thatch and arranged in a horseshoe configuration around an open courtyard whose centrepiece is a roaring fire.

Which wine to choose with dinner can be a conundrum, because River Lodge has a perfectly humidified wine cellar where more than 600 bottles are kept. Apart from some French champagne, all the wines are from South Africa’s finest Cape vineyards.