The Royal Treatment: A Safari in South Africa's Greater Kruger National Park
Going on safari is one of those luxurious adventures that lands on most every traveler’s bucket list but can seem so distant and removed from our lives in the L.A. grind. After spending some time in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park, I can say this is exactly the trip I needed in order to really get away, unwind, refocus, and come back to my day-to-day life with a greater sense of purpose and conviction. I ate spectacularly—sometimes with a view of giraffes and elephants drinking from the waterhole—unclenched my shoulders in the spa, awoke to the sounds of baboons, explored the African bush searching for the Big Five, and made great new friends each evening back at the lodge.
The Royal Portfolio began in 1999 when Liz and Phil Biden made the decision to convert their holiday home in the African bush into what is now Royal Malewane. Once I learned this, everything instantly clicked. Arriving at Royal Malewane feels like pulling up to a friend’s house—the staff are outside, waving, eager to welcome each guest by name, usually with a cold drink and a cold towel ready to hand over. They ask to hear about your day of game viewing, reacting enthusiastically to stories they’ve probably heard a million times—‘can you believe we saw a leopard?!’—and take note of each guest’s preferences, like favorite dessert or a particular brand of gin for their martini. The Bidens have woven in the same sense of personalized, intimate hospitality that comes with traveling to see friends and family, and I can imagine this is why they have so many repeat guests. Walking through the doors of our suite really felt like coming home at the end of each day.
One of their repeat guests just so happened to be my own mother, whose dream it was to take her children to experience a safari here. She was quite the well-traveled woman and had a major soft spot for Africa—she couldn’t get enough of the sense of freedom and wildness that came from spending time in the African bush. When she died of breast cancer in 2018, I knew I needed to make it a point to come here. An early September trip proved to be the ideal time for game viewing, pleasant weather, and a heart-opening adventure.
Royal Malewane is well known as one of the most luxurious safari lodges in Africa, and they’ve just expanded with the opening of Waterside this past July. Waterside’s freestanding suites are private, luxurious, and bursting with color—each with its own outdoor deck and solar-heated plunge pool, which makes it tough to peel yourself away to go on a game drive. The property also boasts a private bush villa, Waterside House, and all are connected to the lodge’s reception, a beautiful indoor/outdoor dining and bar area, lots of little hangout spots, a scenic library, spa, gym, and yoga room. The comfortable outdoor common areas, nestled in the thicket of fever trees, offer a unique perspective for game viewing, with guests often enjoying breakfast, lunch, or a midday cocktail—don’t miss the local spirits and wines on offer—with elephants, hippos, nyalas, and the host of other animals and birds that use the waterhole each day.
Liz Biden’s sense of style is really what makes Royal Malewane so unique. I had the chance to experience each property—The Lodge, The Farmstead, and Waterside—and each has its own distinct personality. The Lodge is in the classic “Out of Africa” style, with earth tones and traditional, timeless design. The Farmstead is quiet, intimate, and contemporary. Waterside is a bit more modern, lively, and spacious, elevated above the banks of a bustling watering hole. The accommodations at Waterside are enchanting, eclectic, colorful, and warm, with the interiors often being a stark contrast to the bush—in the best possible way. The property manages to be romantic, family-friendly, peaceful, and lively, all at the same time. It’s a truly unique vibe that each guest gets to experience in their own way.
Located on the 34,595-acre Thornybush Private Game Reserve within the Greater Kruger National Park, Royal Malewane is situated in just the right spot for an awesome wildlife experience. The guiding team here is unmatched—not only do all field guides exude a wild passion for the African bush, they each hold the highest Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) qualifications as well as Advanced Rifle Handling certificates, and you’ll find two of only seven living Master Trackers in the world at Royal Malewane—the only two employed in the entire Greater Kruger National Park. We saw the Big Five game animals—lion, leopard, rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, and African bush elephant—all in one day, not even counting our rare cheetah sighting, zebra, hippopotamus, crocodile, giraffe, nyala, impala, wildebeest, and the list goes on and on, which is pretty incredible and not at all uncommon here.
What no one prepared me for was how well-fed us safari-goers would be. At first I thought we were being fattened up for sacrifice to the lions, but the wild dining experience is just part of the luxurious adventure here. After our evening game drive and a sundowner in the bush—enjoying a cocktail and homemade snacks like arancini—we’d all head back to the lodge for dinner. Cheslin Cornelissen, head chef at Waterside, was plucked from the Royal Portfolio’s kitchen at The Silo Hotel in Cape Town to craft a sophisticated but approachable menu dedicated to South African cuisine. The kitchen will make each guest just about anything they’d like, but the day’s menus offer surprises like grilled wildebeest loin or warthog carpaccio along with fresh pastas, local seafood, and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, including local avocados that are the size of my head. I’m still dreaming about the roasted nectarine salad and spicy steamed mussels from our first night—never to be seen on the menu again. Cheslin doesn’t like to offer the same dish to any guest twice, so the menu is always fresh, but he has the chance to do some recycling once a new set of guests arrive.
After a chilly early-morning game drive, breakfast back at the lodge was my favorite meal of the day. I loved tucking into a pot of hot tea while nibbling from the boards of pastries, preserves, charcuterie, and cheeses—and this is before the actual breakfast arrives at the table. I feasted on dishes like roasted eggplant shakshuka, salted caramel waffles, cheesy eggs with spicy pepper relish and sausage, crab Benedict, and of course this Angeleno couldn’t go a few days without her avocado toast.
The most memorable meal was perhaps the bush dinner, where our guide drove us to a feast in the heart of the African wilderness—glowing lanterns providing just the gentlest flickering light so as not to disturb the atmosphere too much. We started off with wine and cocktails under the stars before sitting for a family-style dinner of grilled impala loin, salmon, rack of lamb, an array of sides, and of course dessert with the sounds of the local village choir. It was quite the send-off.
The most wonderful thing about a trip like this is that each guest can experience the African bush at their own pace—without obligation or a jam-packed schedule of daily activities. If you want to be busy, you can easily fill endless days with bush walks, game drives, spa treatments, and sumptuous dining. If you want to relax, the suites and grounds are so luxurious you’ll never want to leave. It’s truly to each their own. If ever there were an L.A. get(far)away, I’d choose this over poolside margaritas any day.
I ended the trip with a few lovingly chosen locally-crafted wares for my home that will serve as fond reminders of my special time here and warmly echo my mother’s many travel stories. The memories I created on this adventure will last a lifetime and, if I’m really lucky, beyond.
