Royal Malewane reopens: what we remember, and what the fact sheet confirms

Malewane Lodge, the original property of The Royal Portfolio, reopened on 1 July after closing in the middle of January for structural work. It began as the Biden family's holiday home in the Thornybush and became the first lodge in the collection when it opened to guests in 1999. We find ourselves in an unusual position for a journal entry: we know the lodge well, and we haven't seen this version of it yet. What we have is a long memory of the place, plus a photo library currently taking up a flattering amount of space in our inbox.

So this is not a review. We live up the road and will do the site inspection properly, in person, before we send a single guest. Consider it a briefing on what changed, and why the timing matters if this one has been on your list.

What we knew before

For those who haven't stayed: Malewane Lodge sits on an unfenced reserve within the Greater Kruger, so the wildlife has no idea where the reserve ends and the park begins. Which is rather the point. It takes just twenty guests across eight suites, and the guiding team is the reason the lodge gets talked about the way it does. Two of the only thirteen professional guides in the world holding FGASA Scout status work here, alongside the only two active Master Trackers in the Greater Kruger, a qualification held by a handful of people alive. Masiya's Camp, just along the reserve, is named for Wilson Masiya, the Master Tracker whose legacy the guiding team still carries. No renovation improves or diminishes any of that. It walks out to the vehicle each morning regardless of what the floors look like.

One of those Master Trackers is Lucas Mathonsi, whom we first knew years ago at Lion Sands, long before his path and ours led where they have. That we can put a face and a shared history to a qualification this rare is exactly what booking through people who live here is supposed to buy you.

What the builders did

The work was structural rather than cosmetic, and the suite count has not moved. Six Luxury Suites and two two-bedroom Royal Suites, the same configuration as before, which we read as a good sign. This was a lodge deciding to feel new without becoming something else.

The details are where it gets interesting. The Luxury Suites gained new entrance halls, and the Royal Suites now arrive through private courtyards behind Moroccan doors, with a service kitchen moved back of house so private-chef meals appear without ceremony. The plunge pools have been retiled and heated. Underfloor heating went into the Royal Suites, and the bar and observation lounge have been redesigned to open onto the bushveld. At the Royal Waters Spa, a sauna and cold plunge have been added, along with new treatment spaces around the lap pool. The fitness centre was upgraded too. There is even a new arrival pavilion at the lodge's airstrip, because apparently the arrival experience was the one thing left to polish.

The practical bits

The Royal Suites take children of all ages and come with a private chef and host, plus a vehicle of your own with its Field Guide and Tracker. The Luxury Suites take children from ten up. The Royal Suites also have their own kosher kitchens, which matters to several of our client families. Hoedspruit's Eastgate airport is about forty-five minutes away by road, or you can fly straight in to the lodge's own airstrip.

The honest advice

There is a practical reason to pay attention to a reopening, and it has nothing to do with sentiment. A freshly rebuilt lodge spends its first year at its best, with new thatch and a team with something to show off, and availability tightens once the photographs make their way around. If Malewane Lodge has been on your list, the months ahead are a sensible time to have the conversation. By the time you do, we will have driven over and seen it for ourselves.

That is the advantage of planning a safari with people who live here. We don't work from fact sheets for long.

FAQ

When did Malewane Lodge reopen?

The lodge closed in the middle of January 2026 and reopened on 1 July 2026, after structural work that ran through the suites and the main lodge areas.

What changed in the renovation?

The Luxury Suites gained new entrance halls and the Royal Suites gained private courtyard entrances. The plunge pools were retiled and heated, the bar and observation lounge were redesigned, the spa added a sauna and cold plunge, and a new arrival pavilion went up at the lodge's airstrip. The suite count stayed the same.

How many guests does Malewane Lodge take?

Twenty, across six Luxury Suites and two two-bedroom Royal Suites. The Royal Suites each sleep four and come with a private chef and host, plus their own safari vehicle.

Can children stay at Malewane Lodge?

Children of all ages are welcome in the Royal Suites. The Luxury Suites welcome children from ten years old.

How do you get to Malewane Lodge?

Fly to Hoedspruit's Eastgate airport, about forty-five minutes from the lodge by road, or charter directly to the lodge's own airstrip.

Thinking about the Greater Kruger? Start the conversation. We plan from Hoedspruit, just up the road.

Vikki Jackson is co-founder of Marula Hill Travel. We plan boutique safaris across South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Namibia, and Mozambique. We have stayed in most of the lodges we recommend, and we tell you when we have not.