Melozhori Private Game Reserve in Cape Town, South Africa
- Apr 12
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 15
If you're going to make the 17-hour flight to Cape Town, you're a fool to not experience a safari. And while there are endless options of places to go and experience the wildlife, many safaris can feel a bit like a cruise ship: mediocre all-inclusive buffets, economy rooms, and hordes of tourists with selfie sticks.
The Melozhori is exactly the opposite.
Located an easy two-hour drive outside of Cape Town, this game reserve was developed by a successful hotel operator who wanted to create a safari experience that was as untouched by humans as possible. To do so, they built a half dozen structures across the roughly 6,000 acre grasslands. These structures are spread out across the property and all have different names and accommodations. For example, "The Lodge" sleeps eight guests and comes will a chef and prepared meals. The other smaller "Pods" sleep two and come with a stocked fridge and suggested menu, but you are your own chef!
When you arrive at Melozhori, there is no check-in counter or lobby. You simply call the safari guide and they'll buzz you through the gate. You'll then follow the wooden road signs guiding you to your pod through the property. The safari guide will meet you at your door and give you a tour of your space and an overview of your stay.
When you enter through the gates of the Melozhori, you are inside the enclosure with the animals themselves. All of the wildlife roams freely through the reserve, outside of cages or indoor facilities. That meant that during our stay, we had antelope sitting on our front porch! Now you might be wondering: Does this mean I am inside the enclosure with lions and tigers, who would very much like to grind their teeth on something fresh? For this reason, the animals at the Melozhori are all herbivores. Our guide assured us that as long as we acted with some sense, it was completely safe to walk around, explore the land, or take advantage of the bike rentals.
This is an important note. While you'll see stunning landscapes and giraffes, zebras, antelope, kudu and more, if you're looking for the Big Five (lions, buffalo, leopards, elephants, and rhino), you won't get that here. My rec? Spend one night at a bigger resort during your trip where you can cross that off the bucket list. I promise, the wildlife and stunning landscape at the Melozhori is still very much worth your time, and you only really need one day to witness the Big Five up close at another resort.
But back to the Melozhori. We should spend some time here discussing the Pods. If I lived in Cape Town, I would come here once a year. All of the Pods feel completely private from one another, designed intentionally to blend into the natural surroundings. And once inside, these Pods have both impeccable design and awesome "toys." For example, the Pods all have their own wood-fired hot tub, outdoor grilling area, and wood-fired pizza stove.
While The Lodge is a bit pricier, we paid less than $800 USD for the weekend (including our food!), which is a slam-dunk price for a safari, even without the level of accommodation you get at Melozhori.
Like I mentioned above, all Pods besides the larger and more expensive Lodge are "self-catered." This means they send you a recommended menu, you make some selections, and when you arrive, the fridge is stocked. They also set out a beautiful charcuterie board for our arrival and stocked the place with some extras we didn't pay for, like a fresh homemade loaf of bread and jam plus plenty of shelf staples like coffee, tea, chips, granola bars, and other snacks. At first, I was a bit reluctant to cook all of our own food for the weekend (hello, it's vacation??) but this turned out to be a true highlight. We had a blast playing with the pizza oven and making fresh pizzas and flatbreads for lunch and dinner. The outdoor grill came with stacks of cut wood and there's something right and simple about being outside on your deck, grilling meats and veggies as the sun goes down.
The wood-fired hot tub was another highlight. Every night after we finished up our grilled abundance, it felt only right to sit in the hot tub star-gazing. Our "backyard" looked out over acres and acres of brush and the isolated darkness let us see the Milky Way. We sometimes saw a few eyes in the dark looking back at us, but we were raised enough from the ground that we weren't worried (and remember, these animals all eat leaves, not meat!).
And as for the safari itself? Every day of your stay includes a safari tour on a off-roading jeep, led by different guides who are expert in animals, vegetation, and the local area. My highlight was seeing a "teenage" giraffe and his mother graze leaves from across the enclosure. True to the vision of the reserve, the guides were incredibly respectful of the animals (more so than other safaris we went on), giving them space and finding vantage points that didn't interfere with the wildlife. If you email the Melozhori in advance, you can also book extra safaris each day for a small extra cost. We also paid a bit extra for the sunset ride, which came with a private evening safari, a secluded campfire, and some snacks, champagne, and treats.
I could go on about this place forever, but the real point is that the Melozhori feels like an untouched corner of the earth, which I think is the intent of a safari. It's designed to be a welcome retreat away from the 19,000 unread emails in your inbox, 30-minute warning text for your Resy booking, and Ring doorbell notifications. Go explore the land, stare at the sky, and give it a rest.
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