Death of Tshukudu Game Lodge Founder and Son

I am very sorry to announce that the founder of Tshukudu Game Lodge in Limpopo, Ala Sussens and her son Ian Sussens were killed in a car accident on 6 April 2010. Ala was a safari doyenne, one who cared deeply for animals and was known to take in any injured animal and nurse them back to life. This is why on any visit to Tshukudu you are likely to find tame animals like leopard, cheetah, elephant and any number of other creatures that you can actually touch.

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Here’s some news about eco-friendly safari camps and ‘green’ safari lodges that go the extra mile take care of the environment:

Garonga Safari Camp

Garonga Safari Camp in the Makalali Reserve (not too far from Kruger National Park) ensures that all rubbish is separated and foodstuffs are used for warthogs and kudu in winter.  They also have a water system whereby all used water is pumped into filtration pits and after 2 years is suitable for release to be drunk by animals.  They have started to grow their own organic vegetable garden (baboon-proof at the moment) which will find their way onto guest’s plates at Garonga Safari Camp and supplement staff rations.

Jaci’s Safari Lodge & Jaci’s Tree Lodge, Madikwe Game Reserve

 An exciting indigenous tree nursery project has been initiated by Jaci’s - by teaching the community to collect seeds and germinate indigenous trees for resale both within and outside of the Madikwe Game Reserve. This project has gained significant success and has generated valuable funds to be used within the greater scheme of the community driven waste management solution, including the benefit of planting over 300 trees in the game reserve.

 Ant’s Nest & Ant’s Hill, Waterberg

The objective of the Ant Collection is to create sustainable tourism by means of conserving the environment around us, enriching the lives of our guests and staff alike as well as uplifting the community and providing as much skills development to the locals as possible

Motswari Safari Lodge, Timbavati, nr Kruger

 Getting passed as a ‘Fair Trade in Tourism’  product is tangible evidence of commitment to the land and its people. It’s not an easy process, so any lodge that goes through it really wants to demonstrate fair trade practices. Motswari was particularly commended by Fair Trade in Tourism for their investments in community health and education and the maintenance of a family-friendly staff village, which is a critical strategy for combating HIV/AIDS in the game lodge industry.

If you want to know more about these places contact me at: safaritart@wydahtours.com 

Leopards on the lounger; elephant at the poolside;  and a bad day for a buffalo

.. …these special safari moments occurred at Tintswalo Safari Lodge recently  http://www.safaritart.com/?p=304 :

Read the comment below to see what a recent guest said about Tintswalo.

To book this lodge email: safaritart@wydahtours.com

I wouldn’t mind going to Heaven if it was like Singita Lebombo. I have been here once before (Lebombo, not Heaven) but this visit had a more profound effect on me. The subtle change in décor, from touches of lime green and grey amongst a sea of white, to a palate of ripening corn through straw to old oak, sang to my soul. What can I say? There are things that can dramatically influence the way you feel and Singita Lebombo cosseted me in waves of harmony and tranquillity.

In a previously pubished review, I said that Singita Lebombo is like existing inside a magazine photo shoot. It’s cool contemporary design would not look out of place if were situated by palm-lined beach or in a sun-drenched city, but here it is in the heart of the African bush looking perfectly comfortable.

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Singita Ebony Lodge is the well loved original lodge of Singita’s small and exclusive stable of safari lodges in South Africa, with other, more exclusive safari vacation properties recently acquired in Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

Ebony Lodge retains the nostalgia of its beginnings by keeping the same look and feel that it always had. It’s had regular refurbishments but never a complete makeover.  The décor is hard to describe and has strong colonial elements from well waxed dark furniture, heavily varnished woods, historic prints and leather-bound volumes in darkened corners, while never feeling stuffy.

There are also aspects of a Scottish castle, with a huge brick fireplace and bright tartan fabrics. Throw in some African artefacts and a myriad of red and yellow upholstery and cushions in plaids and stripes and you are probably wondering how this eclectic mix actually works together and who would have been bold enough to create this. I think it was an act of committed inspiration when it was first created more than ten years ago. 

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You are treated at Tintswalo in the same way the owners treat their staff, like family. It’s like being a guest at a luxury villa of an old family acquaintance, except that it is deep in the African bush.

I woke up in a glow, remembering yesterday as if it were a special birthday. Without trying very hard, we saw Africa’s Big 5 animals in just two game drives, even though an encounter with eleven lions was not expected. Nobody had ever seen this pride before - they had come up from the south, killed a buffalo and gorged until their stomachs looked like they would burst (especially the young males who snatch as much meat as they can before the older females snarl them into submission and send them packing). The Tintswalo rangers and trackers are hoping this pride will settle here as it’ll make their life a lot easier when there are forty-four paw prints to track to the source.

 My tracker and ranger team at Tintswalo Safari Lodge of Alfie and Omega (where do they get these names?), swear that with this many lions in the Manyaleti Game Reserve of 23,000 hectares, not a single day will go by without them finding the lions.

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You may think that a safari lodge decorated in no other colours than black and white (and variations from rich creams to deep brown), could be monotone. But it’s not. Lion Sands Ivory Lodge in the Lion Sands Private Game Reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park, uses shades and textures to create a truly unique look. The contrasts of ebony and ivory combine creatively to create a strong Afro-European statement.

Ivory Lodge suites are huge - 165 square metres - which is bigger then my little cottage by the sea in Cape Town. And talk about ‘wow’ factor. Walking through the huge wooden doors to the suite was one of those few moments that rendered me almost speechless. It’s amazing how design and décor based on the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stupid - can be so profound. Read the rest of this entry »

When people mention Royal Malewane, they use the kind of hushed tones often reserved for someone held in high regard. This is because Royal Malewane seems to have effortlessly created a safari lodge at the pinnacle of taste, within the boundaries of timeless, classic elegance. Simply put, it epitomizes all that is luxurious about safari in its purest form.

Attention to detail and quality are paramount in all things at Royal Malewane, and such is their seamless integration into the daily operation of the lodge, that if you were not as nosy as me, you may not notice some of the finer details like; sleeping on Ralph Lauren linen, eating from monogrammed plates, resting your feet on Persian carpets, and buttering your bread from an antique silver dish where the butter has been etched with RM.

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Camp Jabulani left me feeling enriched in so many ways and I am now completely in love with elephants. Camp Jabulani is one of the good guys in elephant back riding - according to my safari tart friend Shaz, who did a magazine exposé on the elephant riding safari industry. And I became convinced of this on my own accord. Camp Jabulani is also one of the best safari lodges in Kruger National Park region, in terms of top accommodation, sublime food, décor elegance, sophistication, charming staff and the whole shebang.

I was lucky enough to be hosted by permission of the owner Lente Roode, whom I met and under whose spell it was easy to succumb. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but she’s soppy on the inside and loves animals to distraction. I empathized completely.

Read on to find out how she rescued a baby elephant and how that led to her owing a whole herd of tame elephant.

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On a private concession inside Kruger National Park….

Rhino Walking Safaris have, in my opinion, got it right. They have a variety of safari experiences in their three accommodation options; 4×4 safari drives, bush walks and a multi-level large wooden platform in the middle of nowhere, where you can spend a night in the branches overlooking a little waterhole.

There are three different accommodation options here and they suggest starting in Rhino Post Camp, their solid-walled safari lodge on the banks of a dry riverbed. It combines rustic and luxury (if that is possible) with innovative design features like dry packed stone walls held in check by wire casings. From here they give the option of walks or 4×4 drives - the night drive is fascinating, when bushbabies leap from tree to tree and owls stare into the spotlight.

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