Jozini Tiger Lodge

The dam fills the view from every balcony here. Jozini Tiger Lodge sits on a hillside above Jozini Dam in northern KwaZulu-Natal, its 71 rooms built in tiers so each one looks down over the water and the dam wall beyond. Rooms range from the Classic, with a queen bed and floor-to-ceiling doors onto a private balcony, to the Deluxe, with a four-poster king bed and a hydro bath, to the family-sized Loft Room, which sleeps up to four across two levels. A rim-flow pool sits above the dam, and a children's waterslide runs down the hillside to a splash pool below. Guests fish for tiger fish directly off the lodge's stretch of water, by boat or by arrangement with local operators, and daily cruises take up to 40 people out onto the dam for sundowners. Self-guided trails wind along the shore past crocodiles and hippos, and a guide leads birding walks through the surrounding bush. The lodge lies within reach of several game reserves in the region, including areas known for the Big Five, and Sodwana Bay is about an hour's drive away. In the evening, the Jozini Restaurant and its outdoor boma open onto the same dam view, with a fire pit and braai for groups. Check-in runs from 2pm.