Mavela Game Lodge

Mavela Game Lodge is a family-owned safari lodge on the Manyoni Private Game Reserve, 23,500 hectares of Zululand bushveld formed in 2004 when 17 landowners took down their fences to make one protected area. Manyoni is home to the Big Five and cheetah, and was chosen as a release site for the WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project.

The lodge is deliberately small, with seven luxury safari tents. Each is en suite with air conditioning and opens onto a private viewing deck with a birdbath, so the wildlife comes to you between drives. Two family tents sleep three, with a sleeper couch beside the king bed and a double outdoor shower.

The thatched main lodge has a lounge with a fireplace, a help-yourself bar and a game-viewing deck, with a pool and sun deck below and a boma for drinks around the fire after dark. Stays include all meals, South African wines, beers and spirits, and two guided game drives a day with refreshments out in the bush. More than 420 bird species have been recorded on the reserve, and guided walks, night drives and conservation experiences with the reserve team can be added.