Nedile Lodge, Welgevonden Private Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa

Put your feet up on safari with Carrie Hampton at Nedile Lodge, with this extract from her coffee table book ‘Exclusive Safari Lodges of South Africa’, photographs Gerald Hoberman.

Despite being a mere three hours’ drive north of Johannesburg, Nedile Lodge feels like it is a million miles from civilisation. In the dark of night you cannot see any sign of human habitation, even though Nedile, in the Welgevonden Private Game Reserve in Limpopo, is situated on a high ridge in the Waterberg Mountains.

Nedile’s five safari suites are carefully positioned between rocky outcrops on a sunny north-facing slope, providing breathtaking views of the surrounding hills.

The sense of space you get from anywhere in this lodge is invigorating. One way of getting to know the surrounding environment is to join one of Nedile’s game walks, led by a senior field guide whose job it is to ensure that you get the most out of your bush experience.

The thick vegetation helps to conceal the many animals, which include some of the largest numbers of white rhino on private land. Other African animals occurring here are elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, eland and sable. There may even be the odd glimpse of the rarer species like aardvark, brown hyaena or honey badger.

Guests at Nedile do not dash around on a game drive trying to spot the Big Five in the shortest possible time – this terrain is not suited to that style of safari. Nedile is a put-your-feet-up-and-enjoy-the-view kind of place.

The decor theme is decidedly African, and hippopotamus sculptures are used as mascots in the lounge, bar and dining area, all of which lead out onto wooden decks. A rock swimming pool adds to the relaxed mood and a boma set among the boulders provides an outside dining area to enjoy meals around a traditional campfire.

There is no need to dress for dinner to appreciate the chef-prepared dishes; it is all very relaxed around here. This is in good part attributed to Nedile’s owner, who may appear buzzing above the lodge in his helicopter.

He does not live at Nedile, but visits whenever he can to add his inimitable presence and a dose of true South African hospitality to the atmosphere at Nedile.