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Fifteen years ago, Madikwe Game Reserve on South Africa's northern border with Botswana was barren, grazed-to-the-ground cattle country; then came Operation Phoenix, the translocation of more than 8,000 wild animals. Today the Big Five roam free and swish lodges promise malaria-free luxury. One of the newest is CC Africa's Madikwe Safari Lodge, an intimate, 16-suite property offering a mix of sophistication and distinctive, dry-stone architecture. There isn't a right angle in sight and the living spaces, in rich amber and buttery tones, spill onto a wooden deck supported by towering leadwood-tree trunks. The lodge is family-friendly, but leave the kids at home and be seduced by the romance of your suite: the Southern Cross twinkling over dinner on the deck; indulgent soaks in the immense copper bath; skinny-dips in the private plunge pool. The only thing worth leaving the lodge for are dawn and dusk game drives with the passionate, professional guides.
WHEN TO GO
June to October for game viewing; October to April for birding (more than 350 species)
ROOM TO BOOK
Suites 14 to 17 (there is no 13, which is deemed unlucky) are slightly higher up
CONTACT
Madikwe Safari Lodge, Madikwe Game Reserve, North West Province, South Africa (00 27 11 809 4447; fax: 809 4400; www.ccafrica.com). Suites from R2,500 (about £230) per person
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