Makweti Safari Lodge, Welgevonden Private Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa

Secluded deep in the Waterberg Mountains is Makweti Safari Lodge. Exclusive and stately, it rests comfortably among the rocks and indigenous trees that blanket the hills and valleys in these parts. Giant euphorbia trees lend a surreal, ancient air to this graceful and elegant lodge, situated in the heart of the Welgevonden Private Game Reserve, a 33 000-hectare wilderness in Limpopo in the northern safari region of South Africa.

Makweti Safari Lodge accommodates just ten guests in individually built thatch-and-stone suites. The architectural style is a finely woven synthesis of natural elements and comfort.

The Indaba lounge has become a celebrated feature, with stylish African art, khelim rugs, hand-beaded fabric and leather couches adding richness and colour to the traditional mud walls and thatched roof.

Makweti’s fare offers a fusion of exotic spices and the freshest ingredients. This culinary hallmark has earned this safari lodge membership of the prestigious Chaîne des Rôtisseurs – the international gastronomic society established in Paris in 1950 and devoted to promoting fine dining and preserving the camaraderie and pleasures of the table. A good wine goes a long way towards these aims, and Makweti’s cellar carries a selection from the best wine estates in South Africa.

As seductive as the soft, leather sofas, ancient artworks, fine food and cellar wines are, it is evocative Africa and the magnificent diversity of wildlife found here that are the real drawcards. Makweti is open to the wild and no fences interrupt the natural flow of the animals.

The diverse habitats of Welgevonden – from rugged gorges, thick with broad-leafed trees, to open plains and grasslands – support a multitude of wild game like lion, elephant and white rhino, as well as zebra and antelope.

Over 300 species of bird and a proliferation of insects occur within its boundaries. Wildlife can be seen on game drives in open safari vehicles, on guided walking safaris or at the waterhole near the lodge.

And, no doubt, the experience of coming face to face with one of Africa’s Big Five will reinforce Makweti’s philosophy of living in harmony with all that is untamed and untouched.