The other — which is where you’ll find me — opens the door to a world of billowing mosquito nets, G&Ts at sunset, gourmet meals, private pools, four-poster beds, private land rovers, wooden walkways… must I continue?

While purists may argue over the supposed separation between the tourist and ‘the bush’, I‘ll pick the latter safari any day of the week. Hyenas rummaging through the rubbish and lions prowling outside the tent at night may have a sort of rustic charm, but washing dishes in the dark and being besieged by mozzies certainly does not.

So, you’ve decided that the former is not for you. You’ve emptied your bank account into one giant slush fund and are all ready to pack your bags for… well, that’s where the latest book from Gerald Hoberman steps in.

‘Exclusive Safari Lodges of South Africa’ is about as self-explanatory a title as it’s possible to have, so let’s not waste time on that. You get the idea…

Weighing in at a kilo or two, this book should come with a free coffee table, for the all-glossy, beautifully printed and even more-beautifully bound volume is simply made for browsing through at your leisure as you plan your next safari sojourn.

Covering over 70 of South Africa’s top lodges — including the legendary outfits of CC Africa, Shamwari, Mantis Collection and Singita — this book covers the best of the best. Expect lodges that set the bar for luxury escapes in South Africa and whole-heartedly deserve their double-page spread of photographs showing off what they have to offer. In between the lodges you’ll be treated to a selection of Gerald Hoberman’s wildlife photography from each reserve. And what photography! Leopards at rest, baby hyenas at play and ellies at, well; eating, eating and more eating… it’s a selection of wildlife moments surely gathered from hundreds of hours in the bush.

Before launching into a visual feast of what it means to take a five-star safari in SA, the book explains (no doubt for the legions of foreign tourists who will buy this overseas to plan their next trip) a typical day on safari; from the pre-dawn wake-up for a morning drive, through lazy days spent around the pool and through to the magical evening game drives and boma dinners around the fire. A useful species guide at the back offers a handy introduction to the animals of Africa for the safari virgin.

If there’s a criticism to be made it’s that we could have done with more text about each lodge, to provide just a little more background to the history and unique aspects of each establishment. Experienced travel journalist Carrie Hampton provides a good few paragraphs on each of the 70-odd lodges featured, but with five-star lodges so often cut from the same cloth learning more about what sets each apart would have been handy.

It’s a trivial complaint though, for this is — unashamedly — safari eye candy. The tourist’s equivalent of a lion watching an impala daydream downwind through the bushveld. Eye-candy of the highest order that is, perhaps, within your grasp. While the lion has a shot at a stealthy attack, your best bet of sampling the delights of these lodges probably lies in a well-planned siege involving a strict budget and a monthly savings plan. Or a bank robbery. If you’re planning a no-expenses spared safari or simply want to see some of the wondrous lodges that South Africa has to offer, the this book has it all.

Yes, the lodges in the book aren’t your spur-of-the-moment weekend getaway (unless your surname is Oppenheimer or Sexwale), but what this book does impeccably is show off the very best that South African safari lodges have to offer.

Exclusive Safari Lodges of South Africa
Gerald Hoberman
ISBN: 978-1-919939-37-7
R495