When you've been living the safari lodge lifestyle, indulging in three splendiferous, gut-busting meals a day with lots of schnacks, nibblies, hors d'oeuvres and munchies in between and enough adult beverages to refloat the Titanic, it's time to hit the gym. And not just any gym. A safari gym with views to die for while you work up a sweat. 

Let's face it, sitting on your butt in a game vehicle, on a lounger next to the pool or slumped in a comatose state on an overstuffed couch somewhere quiet can push fitness to the limit, especially when you're surrounded by smiling people wanting to spoil you and surprise you with something really tasty, like ALL day! 

You absolutely need to get moving in between game activities. And seeing as you can't exactly go for a run when there's beasties with big teeth and claws hanging about, the gym is all you've got. Or 50,000 laps of your private plunge pool. Or your Zumba app. Nah, gym is it. Really. Which is why these luxury safari lodges have invested in fitness centres with some of the most radical views you could ever wish for while pounding a treadmill! 

So, let's explore some of the contenders for Sexiest Safari Gym... They may not have all the gear, bells and whistles your local urban franchise has, but you're not going to find their views anywhere else on the planet...

Crunches in Kruger

First up are the salivatingly sensational Singita Lebombo and Singita Sweni in South Africa's Kruger National Park. They share an awesome fitness centre with sweeping views of the wilderness alongside the N'Wanetsi River. It's an uber exclusive concession with game viewing that's off the charts and views to die for in one of the most celebrated, wildlife-rich areas of the Kruger. So don't be surprised to share your work out with an elephant or two. Both Lebombo and Sweni lodges have awesome lap pools that are the perfect cool-down reprise to your exertion. 

Core training in the Cape...

Next, we have Future Found Sanctuary in Cape Town. We reckon it's one of the best-kept secrets in South Africa's mother city and one of the only dedicated regenerative travel destinations we know of in the Rainbow Nation! You'll find it up in the foothills of Table Mountain on the edge of the Table Mountain National Park and a short distance from the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. 

With a spacious gym that's been positioned to overlook the surrounding fynbos of the Cape Floral Kingdom and spectacular views of the wilderness around it and the valley below it, your mind won't focus too much on your legs turning to jelly and your abs screaming "STOP!" as you pump iron to your heart's content.

Leg lifts in paradise...

When it comes to gyms with gob-smacking views, it's hard to beat the Maldives. And when it comes to the Maldives, we reckon Kuredu Island Resort & Spa in the Lhaviyani Atoll is up there with the best of them, especially if you're an Energiser Bunny who's used to being active and on the go. 

The gym in this piece of paradise has views out over the never-ending turquoise of the Indian Ocean, with obligatory swaying palms and a soft white sand beach just footsteps away. How's that for making you forget how many reps you've just completed? Start over? Why not?

The circuit of life...

OK. Now we've given you the earworm of all earworms, courtesy of The Lion King, let's talk about the Masai Mara, the sweeping great plains of East Africa dotted with a million wildebeest, Meryl Streep getting frothy with Robert Redford and all that jazz. 

Kenya's flagship destination is also home to two safari gyms blessed with what are perhaps the most stunning views ever, at the equally incomparable Angama Mara and &Beyond Bateleur Camp. You can go all eliptical, jump on a bike that goes nowhere or jog your tush off, all while ogling the vast horizons of the Mara, bursting with life and positive vibes. Some of that life may pass you by as you focus on keeping the rhythm going and not falling off. Or passing out. 

Rowing on the river...

Well, not actually on the river, but overlooking it. On a rowing machine on the banks of the Zambezi at the absolutely fantabulous Victoria Falls River Lodge! This where you can get ripped with what has to be one of the most gorgeous views in Southern Africa, watching this mighty waterway chug past on its way to the 100m drop of the world's largest sheet of falling water. 

Small, chic and impossibly pretty (for a gym, because let's face it, gyms don't really do beautiful, per se), this is where you get to feel better about all that sumptuous food you packed away at breakfast to soak up the three bottles of wine at dinner. You get the drift!

Talk to us about finding you a safari lodge with great gym and fitness facilities and we'll point you in the right direction. But whatever you do, when you come on safari with us, leave the starvation diet behind and just go for it - the food is just too good to miss and worth every minute of gym time!