A new breed of lodges offer an alluring combination of animal spotting and spa-ing. Here's where to take your bikini and binocs

Karloof
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Much more than a mere spa, South Africa's Karkloof is a remote 8,650-acre private game reserve that makes the most of rural KwaZulu-Natal's drop-dead-gorgeous scenery. On game drives and guided walks, you'll traverse mist-belt forests crisscrossed by tumbling rivers and waterfalls, grassy plains, and dolerite plateaus in your pursuit of white rhino, black rhino, and herds of buffalo, giraffe, zebra, and antelope. The spa's eco-friendly low-impact design and ingenious "living" roofs on which animals graze offer up-close-and-personal wildlife encounters too: Therapists work their magic while warthogs, giraffes, and nyalas munch a few feet away, and even the stroll between the spa and your villa, tucked into the forest, reveals inquisitive monkeys and bush pigs with whippy, aerial-like tails. The traditional Thai massage is the standout treatment here, and the world-class hydrotherapy facilities alone are worth the journey—don't miss the magically lit flotation pool after an African mud wrap in the rhassoul chamber. But if you really need to unwind, Karkloof's X factor is that 1,730 acres of the reserve are fenced (and thus free of potentially dangerous big game) so you can venture off on a whim, without a guide, in complete safety—and you have the spa as your reward after an afternoon careering through the hills on a mountain bike or hiking to the spectacular 340-foot-high Karkloof Falls (27-33-569-1321; karkloofspa.com; doubles, $452, including meals). Jane Broughton

Southern Ocean Lodge
Kangaroo Island, Australia
Australia's answer to the Galápagos is a 1,700- square-mile island inhabited by ospreys, koalas, and sea lions and in whose waters bottlenose dolphins and southern right whales are spotted. The lodge is a contemporary marvel: 21 suites along a rugged cliff, with terraces, sunken lounges, and floor-to-ceiling windows. The clifftop spa has treatments by Australian brand Li'Tya; the three-hour Ocean Dreaming combines Aboriginal healing with marine essences, kelp, and sea salts (61-2-9918-4355; southernoceanlodge.com.au; suites, $1,800$3,600).

Azura
Benguerra Island, Mozambique
Reopening this month after a fire, this 16-villa honeymooners' idyll is the place to see kingfishers and crocodiles in freshwater lakes, plus turtles, humpback whales, and even the rare dugong. The lodge combines driftwood chic with boutique sophistication; the spa has two treatment rooms under jekka thatch, and sunken outdoor showers. African-inspired treatments include a wrap using shea, avocado, and mafura butters infused with tingling peppermint and a massage with marula miracle oil (27-767-050-599; azura-retreats.com; villas, $1,350$2,850).

Sasaab
Kenya
The Masai Mara might be unbeatable for seeing animals close up, but for real Kenyan wilderness, go north. From Sasaab, a nine-room lodge eight miles west of the Samburu National Reserve, you can venture forth in search of long-necked gerenuk, Somali ostriches, and Grevy's zebra, plus elephants and big cats, or enjoy mesmerizing views over the Ewaso Nyiro River from your tented room. Brit beauty queen Liz Earle, whose Naturally Active Skincare line uses botanicals from Kenya, opens a spa here in August (254-20-892-234; sasaab.com; doubles, $1,180, all-inclusive).