Insider’s Review of Waterside House at Royal Malewane

Accommodations at Waterside House Royal Malewane

Amidst the verdant boughs and limbs of fever trees, Waterside House is styled with an eye for African maximalism and natural materials. Rough-wood beams on the ceiling contrast playfully against the thick, jewel-toned rugs on the floor below, and hand-carved objets d’art on the coffee table complement silken cushions depicting birds and plants on the comfy couches that gather around the fireplace. Each of the four suites are flanked by a private plunge pool and an en-suite, well-furnished bathroom. At night, we’ll enjoy cocktails and fire-grilled dinner in our private outdoor sala under the stars, or gather in the lounge while our private chef prepares appetizers in the open-plan kitchen. Should you wish to explore further, all guests at Waterside House have access to the neighbouring Waterside lodge’s library, dining area, and Reflections Spa and fitness centre. For any request, your personal butler and your Micato Safari Director will attend to your wishes.

Activities and Attractions at Waterside Royal Malewane

Game drives are the heart of a safari stay at Waterside, and rightly so. As we explore Thornybush in our state-of-the-art game-viewing vehicle, we might come across giraffes, their elegant heads towering 18 feet in the sky, or, perhaps, a solitary dark-maned lion, watching us with amber eyes. In addition, our Micato Safari Director can arrange a jaunt of helicoptering to fly over the dramatic vistas of Blyde River Canyon or a round of golf at Leopard Creek, where the Crocodile River at the par-5 13th hole presents an invigorating challenge. Restorative healing treatments and a traditional Hammam await at the Reflections Spa, where guests might book a soothing hot-stone massage, aromatherapy, or a rejuvenating full-body scrub.

For those seeking something a little further afield, Micato guests can be part of moving conservation excursions, from rhino dehorning, a technical operation that relies on wildlife veterinarians to help keep these animals safe from poachers, to accompanying an expert ecologist to nesting sites of the endangered Southern hornbill, one of the Great Kruger region’s more than 250 bird species. A crowd-pleaser is sure to be an afternoon spent with Royal Malewane’s Tango K9 anti-poaching unit, where guests of all ages can speak with Field Rangers and meet their devoted tracker dogs. Children are welcomed at the Royal Ranger programme, which curates private and group activities, both indoors and out in the bush, to spark learning and curiosity—and there’s even a Royal Cubs Spa menu.