Royal Malewane is a bit of a charade. They want their guests to believe that Thornybush is part of the greater Kruger National Park. In reality, Thornybush is fenced on all sides. Since they try to keep this a secret, they have a "geen draad" policy, i.e. guests are not supposed to see the fence on game drives. On the Thornybush safari radio channels you can frequently hear RM vehicles asking whether "the draad" can be seen at reported sightings. Surprisingly often it can (fences make convenient territorial boundaries and the roads along them make for easy walking), which means that RM guests sometimes miss out on sightings that other who have paid only a fraction of the price get to enjoy.

For those who go to a game reserve to see the wildlife (why else go?), I would recommend any number of other lodges in Thornybush (or elsewhere, for that matter) over Royal Malewane.

For those who come for the luxury and only want the Big Five lined up in the shortest possible time, Royal Malewane is a good choice. On the other hand, why not stay at a top hotel in Johannesburg and visit the zoo? They have the Big Five, and polar bears to boot.

Johan