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There's a kind of quiet you only find in the bush. Not silence – the bush is never silent. But the kind of quiet where your shoulders drop, your phone stays in your bag, and the only thing on your schedule is whatever the river is doing and wherever the next game drive takes you.

Last Word Makanyane sits beside the Marico River, tucked into the Madikwe Game Reserve. It's a malaria-free Big Five sanctuary designed for travellers who want space without sacrificing the thrill of being in the wild. With just eight private luxury suites, the lodge is intentionally small, giving guests a rare sense of seclusion that's hard to find and harder to leave.

Each suite is built for watching. Wide glass frontages look out over the water and the riverine fringes, and even the en-suite bathrooms are positioned so you don't miss a thing. Step onto your private deck, settle into a lounger, and let the river do the entertaining. On cooler evenings, light the fire and watch the bush settle into night.

Think two game drives a day, guided bush walks, a gin bar that opens onto the view, and traditional boma dinners under the stars. All meals and beverages are included, so the only decision you need to make is whether to watch the sunset from your deck or from the back of a game-viewing vehicle. Wildlife moves through the veld, birds call from the canopy, and the view is never the same twice.

Find out more at thelastword.co.za The lodge is run by Steve and Maryna, whose shared philosophy is simple: live like someone left the gate open. Steve is a former safari guide who's spent years across the Kruger, Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania, and Maryna's heart beats for conservation and the wild places she calls home. Together they bring a warmth that makes Makanyane feel less like a lodge and more like someone's home – one where you just happen to have the Big Five as neighbours.

Privacy in the wild isn't just a tagline here. It's the whole point. Space, stillness and a private sense of "we found something special". This is safari at its own pace, and entirely yours.

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Win a two-night safari escape at Last Word Makanyane, worth R74 000

One lucky TASTE reader will win two nights at Last Word Makanyane for two people, including all meals, beverages and two game drives daily.

Enter here to win

Ts&Cs apply.