A baby elephant stumbles out of the bushes and darts along the dirt track. A giraffe’s head peeps out above the tree tops. A pair of lions rouses from slumber to wander past our vehicle.

I’m not sure which of these moments makes me realise why “going on safari” is the top of many travel bucket lists.

Our media group is unofficially on safari moments after disembarking at Hoedspruit (Eastgate) Airport, when the team from Kapama Private Game collects us in open-sided LandCruisers.

Kapama is adjacent to the Kruger National Park and right opposite the airport, meaning we start spotting wildlife on the way to our accommodation.

At more than 15,000ha, Kapama is one of the biggest privately owned reserves in Greater Kruger, with four game lodges.

My home for two nights is a new Tamboti superior suite at Kapama River Lodge, the biggest lodge, complete with a serene wellness centre overlooking a riverside pool where elephants sometimes come for a drink.

Decor and design are in harmony with nature, incorporating lots of warm wood and stone finishes. Huge sliding doors to the balcony allow the breeze in but keep bugs and cheeky vervet monkeys out.

Like the bedroom and balcony, the freestanding bath and separate shower have uninterrupted views of the Big Five game reserve.

There’s no TV but I don’t expect to spend much time in my room. We have morning and afternoon game drives and a wellness program to pack in around our all-inclusive meals. One morning this means meditation on the deck with a side of hippo spotting, followed by a foot and leg massage.

For my first lunch at indoor and outdoor dining room Xitsumbeni, I order the peri-peri chicken. I eat a lot of spice, but this is eye-wateringly spicy.

Afternoon game drives start at 4pm and take up to three hours. We meet our guide and tracker, Edwin and Humphrey, experts at spotting wildlife by identifying old and new animal dung, footprints, scents and the slightest movement in the breeze.

We’ve been driving about 40 minutes when we see our first elephants.

They’re big, beautiful, majestic . . . but when one starts picking up pace as it approaches our vehicle, I’m glad Edwin knows how to quickly throw it in reverse.

As the sun starts to set, we come across nature’s real-life zebra crossing.

Not long after sunset we spot our first lions, two brothers cast out by their pride. I’m happy they are sleeping but when they start to stretch and move, I freeze. Lions can apparently can only see the shape of the vehicle, not individuals but I don’t budge until they have moved on.

At each meal we have the same waitress, Remember, and she and the kitchen team do an outstanding job of remembering our group’s myriad serious allergies and less serious intolerances.

Morning drives hit different. At 6am it’s cold enough to need a beanie, then warms up enough for sunglasses and one less layer. Giraffes are out for a stroll, then we spy a pair of resting white rhinos.

Despite anti-poaching patrols, rhinos and elephants are still threatened, so guests are requested not to share geolocations.

Across four safaris I see a painted dog, all manner of birds, lots of impalas, a lioness, distant hippos, a warthog and many baboons, one with a tiny baby. I learn leopard pee smells like popcorn and hyenas sometimes hide their pups in abandoned termite mounds.

Cape buffalo lounge in mud to smother ticks but are the most dangerous of the Big Five and have killed more hunters. Vultures have become endangered through poaching their eyes for traditional medicine.

Each game drive has a coffee or drinks stop somewhere safe and a great range of snacks.

Our final evening drive brings us alongside an adorable baby elephant, probably my favourite sighting of the stay.

Kapama River Lodge has several lounge and bar areas with open fires. On our final night, we have a flame-cooked open-air “boma” dinner and are joined by our guides.

Edwin joined Kapama in 2010 as a gardener and pool cleaner before being supported to study. He was a tracker from 2014 to 2018, then with more study, became a guide.

“Before I came to Kapama, if you see a snake, any snake, beautiful snake, scary snake, you kill it,” he laughs.

“We didn’t know some of the snakes were not even venomous.”

Someone asks Edwin if he has ever been chased by a lion.

“That’s why I am still here,” he says.

“I might quit my job if the lions start chasing me.”

Edwin’s favourite animal is a honey badger, because “no one messes with a honey badger.”

On our final morning there’s an epic sunrise and farewell sightings of buffalos, giraffes and zebras. The leopard is the only one of the Big Five that eludes us.

I’ll be keeping that one on my bucket list.

+ Sue Yeap was a guest of South African Tourism which has not influenced this story, or read it before publication.

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kapama.com

Tamboti superior suites start from $1450 per person, per night twin share including all meals, select drinks, morning and afternoon game drives and bush walks.