Mantis Hiddn in Addo

Hiddn sits seventy-two kilometres from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, on 880 hectares of land that shares a boundary with Addo Elephant Park. The lodge holds fourteen rooms and carries a five-star rating. Its position — on a large private landholding directly adjoining one of South Africa's major national parks — means that the wildlife moving through Addo has room to cross onto the property.

Guided safaris go out into the surrounding terrain, and the lodge also offers wellness programming. Staff speak Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa, and isiZulu.

The Mountain Suites look out over the Zuurberg mountains and the Wit River below. Each suite has a spacious deck fitted with an African wood-fired KolKol — a traditional outdoor heater — and a shaded timber canopy. After dark, a Swarovski telescope on the deck brings the night sky into focus; at this distance from any city, there is very little light pollution to work against.

The lodge is accessed from Frostdale, outside Gqeberha, on Farm 37.