About RockFig Safari Lodge
INCLUDES DRINKS! Wonderfully stylish upmarket lodge of just 6 gorgeous suites joins the very top rank of Timbavati lodges – we love the compact public area with the comfy lounge and dining area neatly linked by the gorgeous pool!
For many years the Timbavati was very much in the shadow of the more famous Sabi Sand reserve and this translated into the Timbavati lodges being generally a lot simpler than their counterparts in the Sabi Sand. More recently however, a new generation of more upmarket lodges have been opening in the Timbavati, with the stunning new RockFig Safari Lodge being one of the very best!
We at Bushscapes make little secret that we prefer smaller, more intimate lodges as a very general rule – simply put, fewer guests usually translates into a more memorable guest experience where the service you receive truly is “personal” and you end up really getting to know your fellow guests and the lodge staff (and of course they get to know you too!) It also usually results in a more compact and manageable camp, where you don’t have to schlepp vast distances to get to your room after a filling dinner (being housed in Room 21 out of 22 can feel like a marathon every time you walk to and from the main public areas believe me, especially in the heat of summer!) The main public areas around the bar and lounge areas are also usually on the cosy side rather than cavernous, impersonal and lacking ambience as can be the case with larger lodges.
Well the good news is that with just 6 gorgeous Suites (3 lie on each side of the main public area) RockFig succeeds in getting things just about spot on! We particularly love the compact nature of the main public areas which flow wonderfully, creating a seamless transition between the indoor lounge and dining area out onto the lodge’s gorgeous outdoor lounge area under thatch overlooking the lodge’s inviting swimming pool deck and waterhole beyond, with the inviting boma with its atmospheric firepit lying adjacent. Managing to put all these different elements into a relatively small area in such a stylish way really is an architectural design triumph!
RockFig also manages to achieve the perfect balancing act of blending some traditionally rustic game lodge stylistic elements like thatched roofs with bang-up-to-date contemporary furniture and décor elements – it all adds up to one of the most attractive new lodges to open in the last decade! Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference: for example, the pillars supporting the lovely thatch roofs could easily have been constructed from normal bricks and mortar – instead they’ve used gnarly old tree trunks which add so much rustic character, charm and authenticity!
The lodge’s 6 Suites are similarly attractive and echo the lodge’s signature grey and green colour palette. The things that really stands out for us are the open thatched roofs with their attractive beam structure and also the way that the suites open up wonderfully to the private decks through the use of large sliding doors which really manage to blur the line between inside and out – the overall result is a wonderfully spacious and airy feeling. Lovely screeded cement floors aid the visual flow between the bedroom area (with a large canopy incorporating mossie net curtains over the king size bed) and the gorgeous open-plan bathrooms. The stunning stand-alone baths with their views out over the bush are a romantic highlight and another fave for us has to be the dual indoor and outdoor showers! Perhaps the only thing missing if we’re really nit-picking is private plunge pools.
The Timbavati is renowned for the quality of the game viewing with big cats a speciality, but RockFig has another trick up its sleeve in this regard – just 6 guests share a vehicle which means that all guests get to enjoy an all-important “window seat” and there is plenty of space for you to store your camera, binoculars and those sundry bits of clothing you end by taking along to keep you warm.
As you would expect, guiding at RockFig is top-drawer quality with guests consistently raving about the sightings on offer. That’s helped by the fact that the lodge uses both rangers and trackers which we always much prefer as a rule rather than having a poor ranger trying desperately to multi-task – imagine concentrating on driving, conversing with guests, listening for news of sightings on the radio, holding a spotlight AND looking out for animals all at the same time!
One of the things that the lodge really prides itself on is the quality of the dining experiences on offer at RockFig. Guest feedback is consistently excellent on both the quality of fare on offer as well as the imaginative dining locations used – in fact, the lodge prides itself on trying to make each meal experience and location different: from bush dinners or brunches in dry riverbeds, to snacking on pizza on the pool deck, or enjoying a private dinner on your suite’s deck. One of the things we really like (and which is sadly becoming all too rare) is having your ranger join you for a chat over dinner and the lodge also encourages guests to dine together through having 2 massive dining tables, one inside and the other out on the deck. But if you prefer to rather have a romantic dinner alone, don’t worry – the friendly team at RockFig will work their magic to come up with something unforgettable!
