Lion Sands Ivory Lodge

Ivory Lodge is the smallest and most refined of the Lion Sands lodges, with eight suites set along the southern bank of the Sabie River on the Sabi Sand side of Lion Sands Game Reserve. The architecture is contemporary and glassy, built to sit low among jackalberry and other riverine trees, and the team works to give guests space as much as attention.

The suites are large, around 145 square metres, each with a king-size bed, floor-to-ceiling glass facing the river, a lounge with fireplace, an en-suite bathroom with indoor bath and shower, an outdoor shower and a terrace with its own plunge pool. Waterbuck come down to drink below, and elephants often wade through the river in view of the decks.

Game drives leave at sunrise and late afternoon with a field guide and tracker and no more than six guests, across the exclusive western traversing area. Leopard are often seen here and all of the Big Five occur on the reserve. Around the lodge are the Orchid House reception, the Botanical House, a bar lounge, a spa and fitness centre, an artist residency and The Larder, a display kitchen of house-made preserves, cured meats and cheeses beside a wine room of South African wines. Ivory has a certified kosher kitchen.

Ivory guests can book a night in the Chalkley or Kingston Treehouse, open-air sleep-outs with a picnic dinner, bedding and a radio to the lodge. Fish Eagle Villa, an exclusive-use three-bedroom home, shares the Ivory Lodge property.

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.