If there was ever a rulebook for what a tented safari lodge should look like, Liz Biden didn’t just ignore it. She tore it up and fed it to the hippos. With the opening of Masiya’s Camp, the dynamic founder of The Royal Portfolio – which includes The Silo Hotel, Cape Town’s stunning urban retreat, and Winelands villa Franschhoek House – has flipped the script on safari style.
Situated in a private concession within the Greater Kruger National Park, Masiya’s Camp is not only a tribute to its namesake but a bold celebration of African art and creativity. And that’s evident from the moment my Land Cruiser crunches to a halt at the entrance.
Instead of khaki neutrals and vintage nostalgia, Masiya’s Camp bursts from the bushveld in a splash of colour and creativity. This is safari with a side of Palm Beach maximalism: saturated colours, layered patterns, and fearless personality. And while that kind of riotous design might fall flat in other hands, in Liz’s, it sings.
Opened in May 2025 as the fourth lodge in The Royal Portfolio’s private concession, Masiya’s Camp joins Malewane Lodge, Waterside, and Farmstead – each with its own character and charm, but none quite so singular in style.
Inside Masiya’s Camp
Wander down the wooden stairs to the main lounge and dining areas, and you’ll discover that khaki has been banished. Neutral tones are gone. Natural textures? You’ll find them beyond the glass stacking doors that let the bushveld views in. Inside, it’s a riot of colour and pattern, from the candy-striped canvas roofs to the sinuous banquettes in the dining area.
The bar takes centre stage, with its bold accent lights and embroidered stools, inviting guests to pull up a seat. On the walls, a pair of colourful canvases by Zimbabwean artist Tafadzwa Tega – one of Liz’s personal favourites – take pride of place.
Linked by meandering boardwalks, each one of the six dusty-pink canvas roofs rise above the treeline of bushwillows, and there is a sense that the camp already feels rooted in place. Though colour may seem out of place in the bushveld, much of the palette is drawn from the wild. Look closely and you’ll notice the colours of the carmine bee-eater, woodlands kingfisher, and the impala lily.
“For Masiya’s Camp, we wanted something different, fun, and exciting,” explains Liz. “I love Marrakech, which is where the inspiration for the colour of the tents comes from. I wanted it to represent rose-pink, which is also the colour of the African sand. The European roller also inspired me with its vibrant pink, green, and turquoise plumage – it’s always been one of my favourite birds.”
Suite style and outdoor retreats
All six suites share the same generous footprint, but each is individually styled. Headboards are covered in richly embroidered fabrics. Lacquered writing desks invite a relaxed hour of journaling. Thirsty? The mini bar is well-stocked.
I take my drink onto the deck, where one of four outdoor relaxation areas beckon. Sun lounger or gazebo? Spacious couch beneath lazily swirling fans, or bistro-style table in the shady corner. I try them all, as well as the heated plunge pool that seems to flow straight into the bushveld.
Honouring a tracker’s legacy
And it is, after all, the bush that draws you here in the first place. The Royal Portfolio’s private concession offers the memorable game viewing you’d expect of the Greater Kruger – with exclusive traversing rights, well-managed sightings, and some of the best guides in the business.
It began, fittingly, with a man named Wilson Masiya. Together with his guiding partner Juan Pinto, Wilson was among the first employees of Malewane, the original lodge in The Royal Portfolio. One of only a handful of master trackers in the world, he and Juan were a formidable team shaping the conservation ethos of The Royal Portfolio.
Wilson succumbed to cancer in 2015, and Masiya’s Camp was named in his honour – but his legacy endures beyond the boundaries of this landmark luxury lodge.
Unlike many luxury lodges, Masiya’s Camp puts tracking at the heart of the safari experience, following in the formidable footsteps of Wilson. “Tracking is fundamental to humanity,” says Juan, now Director of Wildlife and Conservation for Royal Malewane. “There are only two things we can share with the first humans: to look into the fire, and to look at a footprint in the sand and understand the story it has to tell.”
Juan believes that sharing those stories with guests is central to any meaningful safari. “It completes the experience, and if you don’t have it, you’re missing a key part of the experience of conservation in wild land,” he says.
That’s also the thinking behind the Tracker Institute, housed at Malewane’s Conservation and Research Centre. “It’s an avenue for retired master trackers to pass on their skills to guides, trackers and researchers across the globe,” adds Juan. “The Tracker Institute is the legacy of Wilson in action.”
That legacy is also evident in the way The Royal Portfolio has distinguished itself by training its guides and trackers. Currently, only 13 professional field guides worldwide hold FGASA Scout status, and two of them – Juan and Nikolas Vonnou – are part of the Royal Malewane team. Moreover, only two master trackers are working in the Greater Kruger National Park – both employed by Royal Malewane.
And while all eyes are likely to be on Liz’s fabulous decor, for me, the true soul of Masiya’s Camp isn’t in the art or architecture, but in a quiet corner just off the reception area. Here, a pencil-sketch portrait of Wilson hangs against a backdrop of Liz’s colourful wallpaper. Wilson is smiling broadly, perhaps quietly proud of the camp that bears his name. He certainly should be.
