Rhulani Safari Lodge, Madikwe Game Reserve, North West Province, South Africa

In this extract from the coffee table book ‘Exclusive Safari Lodges of South Africa’, Carrie Hampton finds elephants in her plunge pool.

Where other safari lodges have named themselves after animals, Rhulani Safari Lodge in Madikwe Game Reserve has chosen a word that is both instructive and conceptual. Rhulani means ‘to relax’ in the Shona language. With this in mind, a private plunge pool takes pride of place on the teak deck of each chalet, aimed at enticing guests into the required state of rest and relaxation.

And to make sure there is always an opportunity to take the heat out of a sweltering Madikwe day, a sculpted-rock swimming pool has been incorporated into the wooden deck that flows seamlessly alongside the main safari lodge building.

The pool’s curved edges mirror those of the game waterhole immediately opposite, where elephants often congregate. Sometimes, instead of drinking from the muddy waterhole, these giants of the African bush take their fill from the plunge pools, regardless of whether guests are in them. A safer place is to watch the event from inside the glass-doored chalets.

Surprise visits from local wildlife are possible because, unlike most other safari lodges in Madikwe Game Reserve, Rhulani is not fenced. This allows nature to come closer than you ever thought possible and means that rangers need to escort you to your chalet at night.

Rhulani’s aim to nourish your soul and lift your spirits is applied in many ways. Even delegates in the lodge’s conference centre find that they succumb to the tranquillity and harmony of Rhulani. For them, it makes it a little easier to solve complex business problems right here in the heart of the African bushveld.