A male lion lies in long grass and roars towards the rising sun, wooded Zululand hills hazy behind him

South Africa  ·  Zululand

Amakhosi Safari Lodge

On the banks of the Mkuze River, deep in Zululand, where the river is very much the point.

Amakhosi Safari Lodge sits on the banks of the Mkuze River in the Amakhosi Private Game Reserve, deep in Zululand, and the river is very much the point. Six river suites face it. Two honeymoon suites are set aside for those who would rather not be disturbed. The whole arrangement is built to sit in harmony with what surrounds it, which in practice means you spend a great deal of time looking at water and the bush beyond it.

Amakhosi is small, and that is the pleasure of it. Eight suites do not make a crowd, and a riverside lodge on this scale tends to run at the pace of the river rather than the pace of a timetable.

The thatched main lodge at dusk, its timber roof trusses lit from within and dining tables set beneath, against a deep blue sky
The main lodge at dusk
Eight suites do not make a crowd, and a riverside lodge on this scale tends to run at the pace of the river rather than the pace of a timetable.

For a family or two couples travelling together, there is also a private home that takes four guests, so a group can have the house to itself in the evenings and compare notes over dinner without a stranger in earshot.

Zululand rewards this kind of stillness. Sit by the river long enough and it will bring things to you.

01

The lodge

The main lounge under a high thatched roof: brown leather sofas, a freestanding fireplace, woven pendant lamps and dark timber blinds
The lounge, under thatch
A covered patio with grey-cushioned wicker sofas around a tree-stump table, lanterns hanging from the thatch, palms and a pool beyond
The patio, looking out to the pool
The lodge hall at night, chandeliers hanging from the thatch trusses above a long table and cushioned seating
The hall, lit for the evening

02

Meals by the river

Breakfast laid on a timber deck table: a filled roll with fruit, orange juice, a menu card and salt and pepper mills, green hills behind
Breakfast on the deck
A table for two set on the deck beneath a tall, leaning tree, wooded hills and blue sky beyond
A table for two on the deck
A fire blazes in a stone boma at night with cast-iron pots beside it, director’s chairs around and the lit lodge behind
The boma, after darkAmakhosi Safari Lodge

03

What the river brings

A lioness walks straight towards the camera across a shallow, rocky stream, tall reeds behind her
A lioness crosses the stream
A herd of elephants, including a calf, comes down to drink at the river’s edge in low golden light
Elephants down to the river  ·  Photograph © Christopher Fearnehough
A male lion stands over a lioness lying on a sandy riverbank, water and reeds behind
A pair on the sandbank
A lioness lies facing the camera on a stony, dry riverbed, paws crossed
Lioness on the dry riverbedAmakhosi Private Game Reserve

Amakhosi Safari Lodge

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