 The impish vervet monkey scampering
on the roof does not seem to notice what is lurking below him. He has his eyes
on the sandwiches and cookies being set out for afternoon tea at Singita Sweni. You, too, are
hungry after a sunrise safari in Kruger National Park, so you settle onto the
couch in the open-air lounge. While you dab your forehead with a chilled towel,
a gentleman sitting next to you spots the hippopotamus in the river and spills
his spiced iced tea.
Staff members’ attentions turn to the gentleman, while you and
other guests look to the river just below, where one of the most dangerous
animals in Africa yawns and sinks below the surface. Of course, the sighting
should come as no surprise at Singita Sweni. The camp and its sister property,
Singita Lebombo, are set in a private concession within Kruger, which is said to
have the continent’s greatest density of wild animals.
 The Singita camps ensure that you enjoy the wildlife without
sacrificing safety—or comfort. At Lebombo (named after a nearby mountain range),
glass-walled suites decorated in natural tones feature living rooms, indoor and
outdoor showers, deep soaking tubs, and private decks that look onto the
surrounding veld. Sweni, located 500 yards down the hill from Lebombo, offers
six airy, freestanding suites set just above the camp’s namesake river—and the
8,000-pound beasts that call it home.
SETTING: The two camps are set 500 yards apart in a 33,000-acre
private reserve within South Africa’s Kruger National Park, near the Mozambique
border. SLEEPING: Six riverfront suites at Sweni and 15 on the cliffs (with
better views) at Lebombo. DINING: Dinner menus change nightly but usually feature kudu, springbok,
and other local game. The lodges also hold barbecues under the stars several
nights a week. DIVERSIONS: Two Land Rover safaris per day plus guided bush walks. Expect to
see lions, elephants, buffalo, white and black rhinos, hyenas, giraffes, zebras,
waterbuck, hippos, wildebeests, kudu, and crocodiles. The lodges share a fitness
center, a spa, and an African art and jewelry boutique; each lodge has its own
swimming pool and library with Internet access. RATES: About $1,100 per person, per night.
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