Royal Malewane, Greater Kruger: Royal by Name, Regal by Nature

Arriving at Hoedspruit, you could easily think you'd landed at a small private airfield. It's a tiny airport, the kind that only really handles one flight at a time, and as you walk past the wire fencing to the waiting lodge transfers, there's a row of signs listing the lodges they belong to. Royal Malewane's gold sign stood out well amongst them.

My guide for the stay met me with a kind smile and a friendly hello, and I felt welcome straight away. He put my carry-on in the car and found me a shady spot while the tractor and trailer delivered the luggage to the patch of dirt that serves as the arrivals area. It set the tone for everything that followed.

Royal Malewane sits in the Thornybush Private Game Reserve, part of the Greater Kruger, and it has grown since my stay. What I knew as "the Royal Malewane" is now Malewane Lodge, the original lodge in a wider Royal Malewane collection, and in 2026 it reopened after the most extensive refurbishment in its history. Here's what I loved, and what you need to know now.

Malewane Lodge: the original

Malewane Lodge was opened by Liz and Phil Biden in 1999 and is still the heart of Royal Malewane. It takes up to 20 guests in six Luxury Suites and two Royal Suites, plus Africa House, the Biden family's original homestead, now an exclusive-use villa.

When I pulled up to reception I was welcomed with a warm towel, a cold drink and smiling faces, and felt the kind of ease you'd normally only feel at home. The main lodge opens out over a waterhole right in front of the deck. During my stay a hippo was happily calling it home, and at times a large herd of buffalo came down to the banks. The décor was traditional colonial with hints of vibrant African colour, and it was easy to find a snug corner to curl up with a book and a cocktail in the evening.

The 2026 refurbishment has refreshed the main lodge with a redesigned bar and observation lounge, a repositioned firepit overlooking the waterhole, a new coffee and juice bar and an expanded boutique. Liz Biden designed the interiors, and many of the antiques come from the family's own home.

The suites

A boardwalk leads from the main lodge to the suites, and the walk is a mini safari in itself. Every time I stepped out of my room, a small group of nyala was wandering between the suites, munching on whatever greenery they could find.

My suite had a large four-poster mahogany bed facing floor-to-ceiling windows, so you could watch for animals from bed. The bathroom had a freestanding bath in front of sliding doors opening onto a private deck and pool. If you've looked at this lodge online, you've probably seen photos of elephants drinking from the overflow of a suite pool. Sadly they didn't pop over during my stay, but it's that sort of place.

Today the six Luxury Suites sleep two and are around 155 square metres including the deck, each with a heated private pool, a thatched outdoor sala and indoor and outdoor showers. The refurbishment added new entrance halls, refreshed decks and daybeds, and retiled pools. The two Royal Suites are much larger (around 560 square metres including the deck), with two en suite bedrooms either side of a living and dining area, air-conditioning, a fireplace, a private courtyard and their own chef, host, safari vehicle, guide and tracker. They suit families or two couples travelling together.

The guiding is the reason to go

I stayed at several lodges on that trip, and I can say the Royal Malewane guiding team is worth the visit on its own.

When I stayed, each suite was allocated its own guide, and a tracker where possible, for the whole stay. Even over two days that meant a real one-on-one relationship with the people showing you the bush. The trackers were every bit as talented as the guides. Watching them read a day-old paw print in the sand, or a patch of grass flattened by a hungry rhino, is a skill to be reckoned with. Many of the team had been with the lodge for years, and it showed in how much they still loved the job. Since the refurbishment, the way guides are assigned may have changed from what I experienced, so check the current arrangement when you book.

The current team description backs this up. Royal Malewane describes its guides as the best qualified in Africa, built on high-level FGASA qualifications, and says two of its guides are among only 13 people worldwide to hold FGASA Scout status. It also has two CyberTracker-qualified Master Trackers, which it says makes them the only two active Master Trackers in the Greater Kruger.

My leopard

I'd just spent nine days on safari in Kenya, and only half joking, I asked my guide to please make sure I saw a leopard by the end of the evening. It was the last of the Big Five I needed for the trip.

Talk about under-promise and over-deliver. Within a few hours we'd seen all of the Big Five beside the vehicle. The highlight was a large female leopard up a tree with a fresh nyala kill, very full and very sleepy, while two eager hyenas paced around the base hoping for leftovers.

The animals don't stop at the lodge boundary either. After dinner that night we sat by the waterhole for a few hours and watched the resident hippo wander back into the water after his evening stroll, and then a leopard moved along the banks. It's surreal how close the wildlife comes without most guests even knowing.

Mornings start early. My wake-up call was 4.45am, with coffee and a snack before the drive. Even with a drizzle of rain sending most of the animals into cover, there's something quite magical about sunrise over the Greater Kruger with the Blyde River Canyon on the horizon.

Eating (a lot) and drinking well

The issue on safari in South Africa is that you never get the chance to feel hungry. My welcome lunch had several choices across three courses, dinner was four courses (a tasting plate, a springbok or kingklip tartare, then lamb or fish), and I found myself turning meals down because I simply couldn't eat again so soon. You won't go hungry here.

What I liked most was the flexibility. Meals moved around the lodge, to my room, or out to a bush dinner, so you might not eat in the same spot twice, and it's easy to have a quiet, romantic dinner if that's what you're after. I was travelling solo, and the team made sure I always had company if I wanted it, including dinner with my guide.

Royal Malewane still has an extensive South African wine list, one of the largest whisky selections of any safari lodge (with tastings), and more than 40 boutique gins. Meals, local beverages and house wines are included in the rate.

The wider Royal Malewane collection

Malewane Lodge is no longer the only option, which makes Royal Malewane more flexible for different travellers:

• Waterside, opened in 2022, is family-friendly, welcomes children of all ages and has its own villa, Waterside House.

• Farmstead has three Luxury Farm Suites and the Farmhouse, a private villa.

• Masiya's Camp is a tented camp named after the late master tracker Wilson Masiya.

• Africa House, at Malewane Lodge, is an exclusive-use villa for families and groups.

The Royal Waters Spa at Malewane Lodge has also been redesigned, now with a sauna, cold plunge and upgraded fitness centre.

Getting there

Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport is the closest airport, with daily flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town, mostly on Airlink, which many international airlines (Qantas included) codeshare with. The road transfer to the lodge takes around 30 to 35 minutes.

If a light aircraft and a gravel runway is more your style, Royal Malewane has its own airstrip within the reserve, which now has a new arrival pavilion. Light aircraft connections can also be arranged from other airports and lodges, depending on your itinerary.

Self-driving is possible too, and the lodge can give directions. After my stay, I'd probably self-drive between lodges if I were combining several, because road transfers add up. Apart from the odd animal on the road, driving here is far less daunting than I expected. Just use common sense.

Good to know before you go

• Best time to go: The dry winter months (roughly May to October) are the classic game-viewing season, as vegetation thins and animals gather at water. When I visited in November, after a harsh winter, the bush looked bare and battered by elephants, which is part of the deal. The green summer months bring lush landscapes, baby animals and birdlife, with afternoon storms.

• Malaria: The Greater Kruger is in a malaria area. Speak to your GP or a travel doctor well before you go.

• Who it suits: Honeymooners, repeat safari-goers and discerning travellers who want to know everything is taken care of. Families and groups are better matched to the Royal Suites, a villa or Waterside.

• Royal Malewane or Dulini Leadwood? I stayed at both on the same trip. Royal Malewane feels more classic and exclusive, while Dulini Leadwood is modern and clean-lined.

• Combine it: Royal Malewane pairs naturally with Cape Town and the Winelands, and The Royal Portfolio also owns The Silo in Cape Town.

Why I'd go back

I have never stayed anywhere that felt so much like home. From management to guest relations, the guides, the kitchen and housekeeping, almost everyone I spoke to had been there for years, and the way they talked about the lodge and the Biden family made it clear they wanted every guest to feel part of that family too. My stay left a smile on my face for days.

If you're thinking about a Greater Kruger safari, or how Royal Malewane could fit into a bigger South Africa trip, I'd love to help you work out which lodge suits you and how to piece it all together. Get in touch with Prestige Travel & Events and we'll start planning.