The Lodge

RockFig Safari Lodge features just six chalet-type suites, making it ideal for exclusive-use bookings for families or groups of friends. The sense of place comes through strongly, with the colour palette in each room inspired by the purple and green hues of local birds and plants. Although guests are always conscious of where they are, no stone is left unturned in the quest for comfort and luxury, with each suite featuring both indoor and outdoor showers, a private verandah ideal for romantic candlelit dinners, a minibar and a bath. Specially commissioned watercolour paintings add notes of cool beauty, and – as with every space in the lodge – the aim is always to delight the guests who’ll stay here. There’s a thoughtfulness to the decor, with the emphasis being on the guest experience – but also an unmissable sense that it’s the natural beauty of the Timbavati bushveld that’s the true hero.

Indoor Guest Areas

Spending time in Timbavati is always a nourishing experience, and this is reflected in the layout of the indoor guest areas at RockFig Safari Lodge, just as much as in the menus with their emphasis on locally grown ingredients. The open-plan kitchen is a favourite with younger guests, who love to sit at the counter and watch their meals being prepared, while it’s hard to resist the pull of the fireplace in the lounge on a winter’s evening. Subtle touches of opulence are throughout, including the dreamy chandelier that hangs over the impressive, 4m-long table, which is perfect for shared meals and safari stories. Many of the pieces of furniture in the lodge were commissioned from local artisans, while the colours take inspiration from the Rockfig tree and the area’s lovely lichen-spotted rocks.

Outdoor Guest Areas

A second, long dining table can be found outside, where you can feel the energy flowing in from the surrounding bush … a vibrancy which in turn is reciprocated by the warmth and hospitality of the RockFig Safari Lodge staff. The undoubted outdoor centrepiece is the comfortable covered lounge with its arresting views, although the pool deck, overlooking the waterhole, is just as inviting. A dip into the pool perfectly symbolises the feeling of being immersed in the rhythms of Timbavati, while its surrounding loungers are responsible for a perfectly relaxed afternoon, perhaps punctuated by pizza from the outdoor oven. The boma area becomes the focal point on starry nights, as the crackles of the firewood compete with the cackles of hyaenas and the hushed, happy whispers of guests. Stepping outside at RockFig brings you even closer to the bush, without ever feeling that you’ve left the comforts of your new home-from-home behind.

Lodge Dining

Meals at RockFig Safari Lodge let you experience the tastes of Timbavati. With so many styles of dining on offer, from informal to the bushveld equivalent of silver service, and the plentiful venues throughout the lodge in which to enjoy them, no two meals are the same. If you’re sharing your Timbavati experiences with your significant other, opt for private dining on your verandah; if you’ve brought your kids along, let them watch their dinner being prepared from the kitchen counter. Alternatively, join your guide and fellow safari connoisseurs at our long table and share stories long into the evening.

Bush Dining

Bush dining takes RockFig Safari Lodge mealtime moments and transplants them into the wild. The element of surprise only adds to the experience – don’t expect us to give the game away; the table settings will be vibrantly displayed under the spreading branches of a mighty Jackal-berry tree. Naturally, everything tastes better al fresco, whether it’s a cheeky morning Mimosa from the bush bar or bacon and eggs being prepared over the coals. The combination of the morning breeze rustling through the Africa bush and the not-so-distant animal calls add to the magic of Bush Dining.