Jock Safari Lodge, Kruger National Park.

Deep in the heart of South Africa’s Kruger National Park lies a lodge built as a reminder of the history of Sir Percy Fitzpatrick and his famous companion, Jock of the Bushveld. Driving in through the gate made of long logs, we entered this oasis in the bush. Upon arrival and each time we returned from a game drive, ice- cold drinks and water would be served.

The sandy path snaking between the rocks and trees led us to our villa for two nights. We opened the gate to our very own splash pool on deck with two loungers, a place to dine outside and an outdoor shower. My favourite part was the thatched resting deck overlooking a now dry riverbed. A small desk and a giant beige and cream lounging mattress awaited us on our hot, lazy afternoons.

Once inside our villa, we found reprieve from the outside heat as well as a classic bath with a prime view outside, a four poster bed with mosquito net pulled back with white and brown shades throughout.

Even before the four hour game drives with ranger Jan, we loved the place. I could have happily lounged in our villa for way longer than we had time for. Our days were jam packed with game drives, three meals and drinks, a bush walk that we really had to find time to relax. We opted for one lunch and dinner to be served on our own deck and didn’t regret one minute of it.

We loved dining with other guests during meal times, but it was lovely to have us time and have a romantic ‘lantern lit’ dinner set up for us at ‘home’.

Scrumptious three course meals were served in a communal dining area where luxury is created to blend subtly into the bush. Guests were invited to sit around the fire in the evening and relax beneath the star-filled South African sky.

One of the main highlights of our stay here were the game drives. We arose at 5am in the morning, grabbed some coffee and headed off into the wild with Game Ranger Jan. He was the greatest guide-relaxed, informative and quietly entertaining. We’d seek the small, the beautiful, the dangerous and the gentle animals before sunrise and also right before sunset. More on our game drive experiences here–> The Breathing of a Lion.

Our favourite part was:

Our game drives with Ranger Jan, everything about the luxury villa in the bush and the delicious ‘meat lovers’ dishes.

Things we could do without:

Guests shouldn’t feel obliged to sit together three times a day( as this excludes time together on game drives). Dining together is great but should perhaps left for one meal a day. Dining alone at our villa was a definite highlight for us and should be highlighted as an option for guests in between all the socialising.

Price per night: From R4000 per night.

Visit Jock Safari Lodge for more information.

Our stay at Jock Safari was sponsored. All views expressed are my own.