Lion Sands River Lodge

River Lodge is the liveliest of the four Lion Sands lodges, strung along the southern bank of the Sabie River in the Sabi Sand side of Lion Sands Game Reserve. Its 18 rooms and suites all face the water, linked by walkways under old riverine trees, and the broad main decks, fire deck and pool are where guests tend to gather over sundowners and the day's sightings.

There are four kinds of room. Eight Luxury Rooms have king or twin beds, a full en-suite bathroom and a private terrace over the river. Six Superior Luxury Rooms are larger, with open-plan bathrooms and outdoor showers, and two pairs interleave for families. Three standalone River Suites add a plunge pool, and the two-bedroom Family River Suite sleeps four with its own plunge pool and deck.

Days follow the safari rhythm: a game drive at sunrise and another into the evening, in open vehicles with a field guide and tracker and no more than six guests. Lion Sands is known for leopard, which are often seen in the riverine bush, and all of the Big Five occur on the reserve. Between drives there is a spa, a fitness centre, the Creative Lab for printing and editing your photographs, and the Mack and Madi programme for children. The kitchen offers kosher catering on request.

For a night out in the bush, River Lodge guests can book the Chalkley or Kingston Treehouse, open-air sleep-out platforms with a picnic dinner, bedding and a radio to the lodge. Chalkley is named after Guy Chalkley, whose family's link to this stretch of the Sabie dates back to 1933.

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.