As a guide here at Londolozi, it's Angus Hart's unspoken pact with us binocular-toting, snap-happy ecotourists that he will deliver the "Big Five." A former London banker (of all things), he knows what we want: The drama of the dance between predator and prey. A bit of mixing it up between territorial bulls. A tender moment between mother and cub.

It occurs to me, as a yellow-eyed lioness and I engage in a staring contest not tempered by bars or fence, that perhaps we crave the delicious if chilling reminder that we are, you and I — in our most fundamental state — simply another flavor of meat. It makes for a powerful connection.

The context of looming predators sharpens all other experiences at Londolozi. The just-bloomed savanna gardenia that Angus picks and passes around the Range Rover is that much more fragrant. The lilac-breasted roller and saddle-billed stork, that much more intriguing in flight and on the nest. The nocturnal bush baby, a big-eyed jumper, that much more endearing.

True to plan — a far-fetched one conceived decades ago by John and Dave Varty — Londolozi works on a number of levels, most evidently, in terms of protecting the savanna habitat and resulting prides, herds and flocks. It also works for the local people, the Shanganas, who are employed as trackers, guides and cooks, and whose children attend a local preschool where they play with Legos and learn English. (The staff-to-guest ratio at Londolozi is 3:1, with 170 staff at the beck and call of 60 guests. More vital than this number, however, is the megafauna-to-guest ratio, which is much higher.)

Londolozi has its roots in a hunting camp called Sparta founded in 1926 by Boyd Varty. The land here escaped development for farming and grazing because of the scourge of the mosquito and tsetse fly. When Boyd died, his sons, John and Dave, were young, but had grown to love their retreat. They convinced their mother to keep hold of the property and set about finding a way to make it pay.

Londolozi, a Zulu word meaning "protector of all living things," opened in the early '70s, and these days, is one of the grand dames of private game reserves; a model of ecotourism according to many, not the least being former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Londolozi is known the world over for its leopards. Adding to their allure is that John Varty has documented the lives and habits of these usually elusive cats in a number of films. Other parks and reserves have leopards too, of course. What makes the ones at Londolozi special is that guests can actually see them with an amazing rate of predictability, to the tune of several times daily.