Lion Sands Narina Lodge

Narina Lodge is the quiet one. Its nine suites stand on stilts among century-old trees above the Sabie River, in the part of Lion Sands Game Reserve that lies within the Kruger National Park, and the lodge welcomes guests aged 16 and over only. The pace is slow on purpose: coffee on your deck as bushbuck move through the shade below, an afternoon in the plunge pool, fish eagles calling over the water.

Each suite has a king-size bed, a private lounge, an en-suite bathroom with bath and indoor shower, an outdoor shower and a raised deck with its own plunge pool. Air conditioning, a personal bar and Wi-Fi are standard, and laundry is part of the daily service.

Game drives leave at sunrise and late afternoon in open vehicles with a field guide and tracker and no more than six guests, and guests here have access to both the Kruger and Sabi Sand sides of the reserve. The Big Five all occur on Lion Sands and leopard are often seen along the river. After breakfast there are guided bush walks, and between drives the Narina Spa, a fitness centre and the lodge's artist residency, where visiting artists work on site, fill the afternoon.

Narina guests can book a night in the Tinyeleti Treehouse, an open-air platform overlooking the Sabie with a picnic dinner, bedding and a radio to the lodge.

Staying here supports MORE Collection's Impact Fund, which every guest contributes to through a small nightly Impact Levy. The fund works across four areas: health and wellbeing for staff and their families, resource sustainability, education and training (including the MORE Field Guide College, a one-year course for local trainee guides) and investment in neighbouring communities. The More Community Foundation has worked with the villages of Huntington and Justicia B since 2002, starting with Henna Pre-school, and guests can visit these projects or bring school supplies through Pack for a Purpose.