Located about 20 km out of Ladysmith and almost perfectly poised between both Durban and Johannesburg, Nambiti is one of the newer reserves in South Africa – formed in 2000 the reserve originated out of the dream of 2 trout fishing mates to create a Big Five reserve relatively close to Durban. After a couple of years of fruitless searching, they came across a suitable piece of land that was for sale, bought it, and set about realising their dream. Old farm fences and alien vegetation were removed, the perimeter properly fenced and the re-stocking of the conservancy with game commenced – as well as the Big Five there are currently over forty other species of game including cheetah, giraffe, hippo, hyena, impala, springbok and zebra (not to mention more kudu than we have ever seen before – they seemed to be more common here than the usually ubiquitous impala!)

We have to admit to being a bit sceptical about what sort of bush experience Nambiti would offer as we planned our trip there, but we needn’t have worried as the reserve and Nambiti Hills in particular ended up surpassing our expectations! What we certainly hadn’t prepared for was the stunningly spectacular and varied scenery – the reserve’s 8000 hectares offers up diverse landscapes ranging from steep hillsides and valleys carved out by the tumbling Sundays River (including 2 dramatic 40 metre waterfalls) through to expansive open grassy plains that reminded us inevitably of the Serengeti (only on a much smaller scale of course!)

The reserve now has 10 game lodges on it, some of them renovations of the existing farm-houses, and the most exclusive of which is arguably the five-star Nambiti Hills lodge. The lodge lies perched on a hilltop towards the south of the reserve from where it enjoys expansive views over the plains beyond – you can quite happily sit for hours on your private deck with a pair of binoculars and search out the game playing hide and seek in the bush below you!

The rooms at Nambiti Hills are seriously stylish and luxurious, particularly given the price. There are 10 Luxury Suites and 1 Honeymoon Suite - each is home to a private viewing deck with a discreet pathway leading off the bedroom where you can enjoy private and uninterrupted contemplation. Both suites’ interiors feature a contemporary eclectic mix of local African design - they are spacious and luxurious (though not over the top) and offer the most spectacular views across to the opposite hillside. All suites boast an outdoor shower as well as an extra-long indoor standalone stone bath (fit for a king or, perhaps more likely, queen!) whilst an air-conditioner is in place to take the edge off the summer heat (and it converts into a heater in winter) The Honeymoon Suite adds a stunning contemporary four poster bed as well as a separate lounge area.

But perhaps the highlight of the lodge is the wonderfully chic main viewing deck areas – the upper deck features a gorgeous sunken seating area around a fire pit – after dinner this is the perfect place to gather with fellow guests to chat and compare notes on the day’s happenings over a glass of red wine or a cold beer. An extended lower deck boasts the lodge’s swimming pool (which is also heated for your comfort!) we particularly loved the stunning views over the reserve which you can take in whilst sprawled on one of the pool loungers with a good book (obviously interrupting your reading on occasion to see if any animals have wandered into view) A new addition is the adjacent pool bar so you can enjoy an ice-cold drink without even having to walk up up to the main bar.

In the evenings you can look forward to a three-course meal of fusion food and luxurious desserts - dinner is set in the open plan dining-room which, on a hot summer’s night, may spread out onto the deck. In fact you may even decide to have dinner on your private veranda of your own exclusive suite, secluded from all the other guests and overlooking the reserve. What could be better than spending time with that special person out in the wild, an inky-black sky sparkling with stars above, and a luxury king-size bed beckoning just metres away!

As we said previously we enjoyed the game drive experience here more than we ever anticipated. Aside from the wonderfully scenic landscapes through which we travelled, we also saw some excellent game including 4 of the Big 5 (as is so often the case, the darned leopard proved elusive!) with the highlight probably being 10 minutes spent watching some jackal pups playing outside their den. Being in the southern section of the park, one small drawback is that your game drives generally head further north into the heart of the reserve which means that you get to see quite a lot of these connecting roads. Another minor quibble is that there are power lines visible in the “Serengeti plains” area in the far west of the reserve, obviously a legacy of previous years when this was farming land. But really these are minor quibbles and we ended up thoroughly enjoying our drives at Nambiti Hills.

If you want an easily accessible dose of romance and the all-pervading sense of peace that only the bush can bring, then Nambiti Hills is a great option! The complete change of pace for starters; the background music of bird calls (and the odd animal’s grunts!); the distinct smells of the bush (better than any perfume - a rather compelling combination of dust, dung and vegetation or at least, this is what I imagine the components of the smell to be!) – all of this means that 2 or 3 nights at Nambiti Hills will see you return to the city refreshed, renewed and ready to take on the world again!