Sabie Sands, Djuma Galago Camp.

My family decided to spend Christmas in the bush last year. We wanted to find a place that catered for 8-10 people and had the luxuries of a bush lodge while still providing a somewhat homely place to celebrate Christmas. We couldn’t have been more spoiled with Djuma Galago Camp, our bush home for one week. There is a beautiful main house with a welcoming lounge, kitchen, veranda and dining room which opens up to a barbecue area and pool. The natural vegetation surrounding the property really made it private and all the more ‘wild’.

A small walk from the main house takes you to the separate units, some which lie on the dry river bed and really offered a romantic and private paradise for my children and their partners. These private ‘rooms’ had outdoor showers, private decks and a spacious, African-mod design which we all fell in love with instantly. The set out of the camp gave us the opportunity to come together as a family around the fire pit or on the stoep of the main house, but it also provided a lot of space to take that much-needed breather from each other.

We were given the option of a ‘chef’ who cooked all our meals for us according to a menu which we set and food that we provided. As the matriarch and sole cook of the family, this really took the stress of festive feasting off my shoulders but still kept it personal as I decided on all the meals. You cannot ask for a better day than waking up at 5 am for a three hour morning game drive and coming back to a breakfast of your choosing laid out. The wonder women chefs offered to braai for us too - but this was obviously not accepted by the boys and ‘braai masters.’

Each morning and each evening we had a personal game drive with the same guides for a week. It was wonderful to form a relationship with our guides who are experts in their fields and taught us so much, patiently answering all of our relentless questions. The morning drive always included a tea and rusks pit stop in the middle of the bush and the evening drive a cooler of sun-downers and a sunset leg stretch. As it was only our family on the drives, we had complete control and could decide to move on from a sighting or stay, which routes we would like (do you want to chase lions or wild dog?) and when we wanted to head back. I have never experienced such a personalized drive before and it was awesome not having to wait around while foreign tourists marvel over impalas.

The most special thing about this trip, and it is a long list, is that guides can drive off the road and straight into the bush (oftentimes driving straight over small trees). We pursued a leopard and her kill off the road and deep into the wild and watched her eating a few meters from us. We followed another leopard and her cub - a Christmas day gift! That proximity to animals is difficult to find in other reserves and we were spoiled with amazing sightings every day.

This trip was a perfect balance of luxury and comfort, of elegance and raw nature.

For Christmas this year we'll be heading to a whole different kind of wild - London! I am not much of a big city gal, so i'll definitely be planning some day trips from London.