aha Ivory Tree Game Lodge

Set in the basin of an extinct volcanic crater within Pilanesberg Game Reserve, Ivory Tree Game Lodge occupies a landscape shaped by eruptions thirteen hundred million years ago. The reserve lies two hours north of Johannesburg and Pretoria and is entirely malaria-free. Seventy rooms are divided among five categories: sixty Standard Suites with twin or king beds, four Deluxe Suites with king beds and freestanding baths, four Luxury Suites with heated plunge pools and fireplaces, five Family Suites with two bedrooms and private pools, and one Royal Suite with a jacuzzi and private boma.

All rooms include en-suite bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers, air-conditioning, minibars, and tea facilities. The main lodge houses two lounges, a dining room, a cocktail bar, and a twenty-five-metre rock pool. A covered pergola and an outdoor boma serve breakfast and dinner respectively. Amani Spa operates from three treatment chalets on stilts with views across the bushveld; it has won four safari spa awards since two thousand and seven.

Guided game drives depart twice daily in custom-built open vehicles. Rangers and trackers cover the reserve's Big Five populations—lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino—as well as cheetah, wild dog, and over three hundred bird species. Six hides dispersed across the park allow guests to leave vehicles and watch waterbirds at close range. Activities include quad biking, archery, air-rifle shooting, and heritage tours of Bakgatla cultural sites. The lodge accommodates conferences for up to one hundred and twenty delegates and weddings for one hundred and forty guests.