By Jamie Krane
Photography by Duncan Lawson

The backdrop of rivers, streams and stretches of open vistas makes the game drive experience truly spectacular.

Relax. Unwind. These two unassuming yet somehow elusive concepts describe Mabula Private Game Reserve in the Waterberg mountain range to a tee.

Snugly cradled in the mountains near Bela Bela in the Limpopo Province, the 12 000 hectare Mabula Reserve is home to a mosaic of exceptional scenic landscapes as well as an abundance of wildlife species. We arrive at this beautiful place on a hot, lazy Sunday afternoon to the quintessential African sound of Cicadas and beaming, welcoming smiles at reception. We are shown to our thatched chalet which is sparsely decorated in lovely muted tones in keeping with the bush. The rooms also come with flat screen TVs with limited DSTV channels, a complimentary bottle of wine, air con and some of the most gorgeously aromatic bath products I have ever come across.

Mombasa dreaming
By Jo Kromberg
Photographs supplied by The Serena Group
…I gaze dreamily at the rolling lawns, the mile high softly swaying palm trees and the colour changing chameleon sea beyond in the last rays of the setting sun…
There is a scene in the movie Out of Africa where Robert Redford kidnaps Meryl Streep in his Tiger Moth and whisks her away to the dreamy, palm-fringed paradise of Mombasa, accompanied of course by John Barry’s searing, haunting music – the kind of scene where words like azure piece of heaven still can apply without the hint of a cliché.

Seaing is believing…

By Graham Howe

The sprawling complex of villas, temples, amphitheatres, forum, markets, baths… and brothels is forever frozen in time…

As experienced cruise passengers, we rated the Crystal Serenity as the most family-friendly of a dozen luxury cruises we have taken around the world.

Intro: “What would you like to drink with your canapés this evening?” Choices, choices. Sasa, our butler, is worrying about what to chill in the ice-bucket for sundowners in our penthouse aboard Crystal Serenity…

By Jo Kromberg

Photographs by Duncan Lawson, kids photographs supplied by Tuli Lodge

The snaky branches of the giant baobabs besiege the skies in the fading light in quite, desperate prayers of rain.

The mercury steadily rises like a zeppelin in slow motion the further we travel north into the heart of southern Africa. Its 33 degrees as the brown bushes rush past us.

The blistering white sky is blinding and the air is hot as though the earth is slowly breathing fire. Gradually Mopani trees start appearing and I now know we are nearing the South Africa/Botswana border post. We are en-route to the Northern Tuli Game Reserve (courtesy of Waterberg Countrywide Transfers), located in the easternmost corner of Botswana, close to the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site in South Africa and an easy 5 or so hour’s drive from Johannesburg…