ANDREW DOUGLAS travels to South Africa and gets up close and personal with the wildest of animals

TWO lionesses appear from the inky darkness and pad slowly along the red dust track. Caught in the Land Rover's headlights, they glance in our direction without breaking their sauntering stride.

They are trailed by two hungry males, who must wait for the females to make a kill before they feed. One lazily lies down to rest but quickly rises when the lionesses pick up a scent of prey.

The engine suddenly fires up and we lurch down an adjacent track and cut across the veldt, circling round in front.

Five minutes later they appear out of the undergrowth in single file, heading straight for the low-dip of our lights before passing down the side of the opentop vehicle and vanishing into the night.

I aim my camera blindly into the darkness and the flash momentarily lights up a blur of a big beige cat. It's not until I'm home and flicking through the photos that I realise just how close I came to one of nature's most graceful and majestic killers - a matter of a few feet. Alarmingly, she seemed to be looking straight at me. . .

During two days spent at the Royal Malewane, one of South Africa's premier private game reserves, I was fortunate to see the so-called "Big Five" - lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard - all at close quarters.

Other animals encountered on the guided game drives included giraffe, zebra, warthog, cheetah, kudu, impala monkey, eagle and a fantastic squadron of circling vultures.

It's very easy to forget you are in the wild, but a glance at the vultures or at the rifle slung across the Land Rover's dash, provides a sobering reminder.

Guests are told that the animals are used to the vehicles but any behaviour out of the ordinary - such as standing up or shouting - could trigger a deadly response, especially from the big cats.

Guides are highly-trained in avoiding dangerous situations - and dealing with them, should the unexpected happen.

After all, a charging elephant, rhino or hippo can easily tip a Land Rover.

A safari on foot was one of the highlights. After a 5.30am wake-up call, we spent an hour driving round to pick up the trail of rhino. We then set off in single file through the bush, led by a local tracker and our guide, rifle slung over his shoulder.

We are told that rhino are shortsighted and that, should they charge, we are to stand still as in all likelihood they will simply thunder straight past.

Failing that, we should stand behind a termite mound or a tree. And if things get really hairy, we should climb a tree.

Not a word is spoken, as we reach a clump of bushes and there, a few hundred yards away, are two fully grown rhinos with a baby.

We crouch down and stare, taking in the moment. I glance around nervously, checking for termite mounds or climbable trees, as one of the rhinos begins to lumber our way. Fortunately, it stops after a few yards to graze on the knee-high grass.

Royal Malewane is on the 12,000 hectare Thorneybush Game Reserve at the western fringe of Kruger National Park in Limpopo province. It provides a highly personalised service for a maximum of 16 guests amid stunning colonial splendour. Past visitors include U2's Bono and Hollywood actor John Cusack. During my stay, staff were gearing up for the impending arrival of designer Calvin Klein.

The all-inclusive price of a (basic) luxury suite starts at £425 per person per night, based on two sharing. For that you not only get free game drives and gourmet dining but also an armed guard back to your cottage.

The precaution is necessary as the complex is unfenced. It's a novel experience drifting off to sleep with lions roaring just outside your door.

While reserves like Royal Malawane and the equally opulent Shamwari Game Reserve, near the Eastern Cape city of Port Elizabeth, are luxury destinations, you can safari on a budget.

South Africa is dotted with national parks plus game and nature reserves, and most offer guided tours. There is a range of accommodation and game drive safaris to suit all budgets, ranging from backpackers right up to Mr Klein.

Kruger National Park is one of the easiest places to see the Big Five. Here, in an area the size of Wales, you can stay at one of the 20 rest camps, made up of thatched chalets which start at around £25 per night for two.

Many of the animals can be seen from the roads but the best option is to go off road on guided night and day safaris.

Shamwari Game Reserve is just 45 minutes drive from Port Elizabeth at the end of the Garden Route. One of the world's most successful conservation projects, it was established ten years ago. Its 20,000 hectares was reclaimed from eroded wasteland and re-populated with game that once roamed the area, some after an absence of 150 years.

It offers six separate luxury lodges, ranging from a restored Edwardian manor house to five-star tented camp.

The countryside here is much more mountainous than the flat veldt of Royal Malewane, and morning and afternoon game drives offer a superb opportunity to get up close to the wildlife.

The highlights included getting within a few feet of a male lion, who was sleeping off a huge dinner, cheetahs, rhino, elephants, giraffe, a hippo and trailing a pack of wild dogs as they set off through the early morning mist in search of prey.

Going wild in South Africa is simply a real thrill.

FACTFILE

* Andrew Douglas travelled with South African Tourism and South African Airways as part of their Sunsation promotion. The two Sunsation packages depart from London Heathrow between April 19 to September 10. Different rates apply from July 10 to 31.

* Package from £899 includes return flights, seven days/six nights, minimum three star accommodation, with breakfast, airport/hotel transfers, travel to at least two provinces and including domestic flights and airport taxes.

* Package from £1,499 includes return flights, 11 days/10 nights minimum four-star accommodation with breakfast, airport/hotel transfers, a full day safari, travel to at least three provinces and including domestic flights and airport taxes.

For more information on Sunsation log on to www. southafrica.net or call 0845 2020133. For information and brochure surf to www. flysaa. com

* For information on Kruger National Park log onto www. krugerpark. co. za

* Accommodation, coach House, Agatha, Limpopo at www. coachhouse. co. za; Royal Malewane, near Hoedspruit, Limpopo, at www. royalmalewane. com; Protea Hotel, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, at proteahotels. com, Courtyard Suite Hotel, Port Elizabeth, at www. cityhotels. com