Discover Zambia’s hidden gem

Zambezi Grande guests can choose from many adventures and experiences. Aside from the usual safari experiences, the lodge offers fishing excursions in the great Zambezi River. Guests have the opportunity to see and catch the Tiger Fish and Vundu.

After the safari expeditions, guests can also unwind on the pool deck. It has a photo-worthy infinity swimming pool that looks out onto the river. They can also enjoy a sundowner river cruise or dinner, under the stars on a private island. It’s also fun to simply pass time watching the wildlife from the lodge’s terrace.

Authentic Zambia design

Previously a Cape Dutch-style homestead on the river banks, Zambezi Grande was meticulously designed to celebrate a bygone safari era. Michele Throssell Interiors recreated a vintage lodge amidst breathtaking natural surroundings. The interiors reflect the warm tones of its verdant setting.

Zambezi Grande sleeps just 20 guests with two room categories: Luxury Rooms and Superior Suites. Each offers unobstructed views of the Zambian wilderness in total privacy.

The five Superior Suites enjoy unique riverfront locations. Meanwhile the Luxury Rooms are perched high up in the wilderness. These rooms boast private verandas and inviting interiors.

Similar to La Esperanza Granada in Spain, local artisans produced much of Zambezi Grande’s furniture. The pillows and other soft furnishings are also made especially for the lodge. All the rooms at Zambezi Grande have a handmade drinks cabinet curated explicitly for each guest. Usually these are stocked with South Africa’s finest wines, local Zambian gin, and homemade fresh juices.

Sustainability in Zambia

Zambezi Grande protects the local community and preserves the natural beauty of the Lower Zambezi Valley. The lodge offers a sustainable income for households in the region and inspires local youth.

Guests can join the lodge’s Chengetai Tree Project. Chengetai, which means “to keep” or “to preserve” in the local Gova language. This epitomises the project’s ethos. To participate, guests can purchase and plant trees in the Muguramano or Chijata villages.. By slowing deforestation and desertification, the Chengetai Tree Project encourages environmental regeneration.

For more articles on the best safari lodges in Africa, please click here

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One of my favorite holidays was a stay at Bushman’s Kloof, one of the world’s best luxury nature retreats. On my last trip to South Africa, we drove over from Cape Town to the Cederberg Mountains, where it is located, for a few days of wellness and safari.

WELLNESS AT THE BEST LUXURY NATURE RETREAT IN AFRICA

For our stay, we’d created a full itinerary of safari drives, yoga lessons, meditation sessions and spa treatments. So we were booked from early morning to midnight with activities most people only dream about.

Bushman’s Kloof really is the perfect wellness destination. And the team at Bushman’s Kloof topped our holiday with some truly magical dining experiences that I’ll remember forever.

WELLNESS RETREAT AT BUSHMAN’S KLOOF

Our wellness retreat involved a lot of yoga, of course. And at Bushman’s Kloof, guests can arrange for private yoga lessons in the most amazing locations on the reserve.

So each day at 630 AM, our ranger Martin waited at the gate of the beautiful Cederberg House, with two yoga mats in hand. He would then drive us to some beautiful clearing for our private yoga lessons with Stephanie.

Martin always met us on time with a cheerful countenance. He was always unfazed by the task of executing three or four events everyday as we basked in the good energy of the Cederberg Mountains and eagerly awaited the next surprise.

“Good morning!” He boomed as we trudged out half asleep. “Are you ready for yoga?”

For our private yoga and meditation lessons each morning, Martin always drove us to a perfect spot with shade and a view of the Cederberg mountain range. Here yoga instructor Stephanie guided us through the motions. At my request she even performed a therapy treatment with her Tibetan singing bowls while I marveled at the blue skies. 

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HOW TO ACHIEVE TRANQUILITY

Cool winds blew, trees shuddered with a comforting sound, and chirping birds flew overhead as I advanced towards inner tranquility in 90 minutes. By the end of each session, I was ready to make peace with myself and with anything that breathed.

Then, when my personal reverie was over, we had fresh juices and eggs cooked-to-order in a garden next to a river bed where monkeys played. These are simply semantics, though. In reality, the chefs at Bushman’s Kloof are actually willing to create anything guests fancy on a best effort basis. Yes, it’s the kind of place that seriously likes to make its guests happy.

THAT INDIVIDUAL STYLE

After breakfast, I had some time to read a book back at Cederberg House before our scheduled massage. Our villa, set amidst spacious gardens within a fenced enclosure, was straight out of a design magazine. Decorated in the classic country style, it was elegant and inviting, with decorative items and artworks chosen by the owner.

Beatrice Tollman, a self-made travel magnate who reportedly selects Christmas presents for every employee in her vast empire, also reportedly chose many decorative items in our villa. Her taste is literally evident everywhere on the estate as well. For example, guests can try her favorite lemon pie for dessert at lunch. 

Because it was so comfortable, Cederberg House was difficult to leave even for a moment. We loved the stacked bar, the sketchbooks and paintboxes in the bedrooms, and the interesting books on every table so that one always caught my eye. I’d picked up a book on South African writers as soon as I entered, and it almost never left my side. 

Every afternoon, I did a couple of sketches by the pool too. This was one of my absolute favorite things to do just at sunset. The Cederberg mountains are mesmerising and I tried to capture the colors around me.

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ABOUT CEDERBERG HOUSE

Bushman’s Kloof sleeps only 34 guests and each lodging offers luxurious comfort in the bush. Cederberg House, where we stayed, is built in the traditional Cape Dutch style on the banks of the Boontjies River.

It has two spacious master suites and a large living area with whitewashed walls and a vaulted ceiling. It leads out onto an expansive terrace with a swimming pool and a grand view.

AFRICAN ART IN BUSHMAN’S KLOOF

The house also showcases excellent South African art including works by Esias Bosch, Gabriel de Jongh, and Walter Battiss. We loved stargazing by the private pool every night and listening to music in the living room before dinner. 

The villa can accommodate four people. Bookings include meals and activities including the services of a dedicated ranger, nature drives, rock art excursions, spa treatments, mountain hikes and cooking classes, among others.

Read more stories about beautiful nature and wellness retreats in South Africa in Travelife Magazine.

The post Instagram-perfect breakfasts in Africa appeared first on TRAVELIFE Magazine.

We were in the Okavango Delta of Botswana for a nine-night 4×4 camping safari that would take us through four campsites till we reached the border of Zambia. Our campsite was secluded, with the nearest safari neighbors over a kilometer away. The camp did not have a fence or electric barriers – just trees, bushes, and through the clearings, the vast sky of Africa. 

As we drove into the camp, after a safari drive from the town of Maun in Botswana, we saw a herd of impala settling for the night, about 30 meters away from our tents. Intermingled with the impala was a congress of baboons. Apparently, the members of congress wasted no time coming into camp to steal whatever they could.

HANGING OUT WITH HYENAS

I walked 10 meters to the open-air tent in Botswana. Then I scanned the small square space for scorpions, spiders, and other things that crawl in the night. I didn’t zip the tent yet – I wanted to see what was out there. The bugs began swarming to my little light, so I reluctantly switched it off.

It was almost pitch black except for the dim glow cast by the electric lantern and the stars glittering through the canopy of tree branches. The bugs quickly disappeared. It was quiet – except for the constant scurrying, buzzing, flapping, clicking, chirping, and snorting of the African night.

“Wooooo-huup!”

I woke up to the racket of frogs and crickets. When I looked out of my tent I saw the sky lightening. Then I heard the distant whoop of a hyena and the barking grunt of what I took to be a lion.

The sharply ascending whoop was followed by another three-second “wooooo-huup!” It was a hyena and it sounded closer than it did half an hour ago. The whoops began before sunset and were quickly getting louder, which meant that the hyena was approaching our area. It whooped again.

There was another loud whoop but this time from another direction – clearly a different hyena. As exciting as it was, I began to feel a bit vulnerable, so ready or not, I went back to my tent. I came on this safari in Botswana to photograph wild animals, not to get mangled by one.

A TWO-STAR CAMPING SAFARI IN BOTSWANA

We were two-star safari camping in Botswana. This meant that we had decent-sized tents with space for our bags, and narrow but comfortable cots with mattresses and pillows. We had two open-air bushy-bushy tents and one open shower tent. Water for showers was rationed carefully and we were limited to one drip shower of about 5 or 6 liters a day per person. Additionally, we also had an open-sided dining tent which was the camp’s social center.

“An African safari by day is video and by night is stereo. Never go out of your tent at night unless you really have to and never if you hear or see animals.”

Consequently this meant that we didn’t have to worry about setting up or breaking camp. Aside from Frank our guide, we had a hardworking two-man crew (our happy camp manager and our excellent camp chef ). They saw to it that the camp was always ready when we arrived from our daily safari drives. We did not have air-conditioning, electric fans, a generator, or guns – which were not allowed in Botswana.

AFRICAN SAFARI BY DAY & BY NIGHT

“An African safari by day is video and by night is stereo,” said Frank. “Never go out of your tent at night, unless you really have to and never if you hear or see animals,” he emphasized. “Just listen quietly from your tent and enjoy the wild African nightlife in surround stereo. That’s a night safari.”

Back in the relative safety of my tent, I was having a hard time sleeping. The audio safari was picking up intensity so the urge to leave the tent to see wildlife or to sit under the African sky was strong. I tried peering through the mesh of the tent, but everything was fuzzy. And so I reluctantly lay back and listened to the night.

“We are safe in our tents,” said Frank. “African predators are not curious about solid shapes like tents or vehicles, and as long as you don’t stand out, they will not be curious about you. They are not interested in the smell of humans.” 

“Animals will come into the camp but as long as you are not moving or standing, or sticking out like a sore thumb, they will not be attracted to you,” said Frank.“The animals will not care about you if you are still and quiet. They were not taught to hunt humans by their mothers.”

HEART-STOPPING CLOSE CALLS

I could hear more hyena whoops, scurrying, grunts, snorts, night calls, flapping, and now, occasional shrieks and barks at a distinctly higher intensity. I peeked through the mesh and saw one of the camp members looking out of his tent, scanning the area with his powerful flashlight.

The team was obviously alert and it wasn’t till the next morning – after all hell had broken loose – that they told us their concerns about the hyenas. They suspected the hyenas we heard at sunset were approaching our camping area.

The flashlight seemed to calm things down and the night chatter toned down. I tried to sleep but I was too jetlagged, restless, and by now, excited.

Something big was slithering on the ground near my tent. Holy whooping hyena! That one was just a few meters away and the whoops were urgent and close. The bush was alive with animal scurrying and cries, and our camp was awake.

EXCITEMENT IN EVERY HOUR

12:52 AM. I needed to go badly so I unzipped the tent, scanning the tree line with my puny flashlight. After I zipped up, stepped back into the tent, and lay down. Within minutes, the hoof steps were back and within meters from our tent. Then I began hearing crackling leaves, snuffling, and bleating. And so I peered through the mesh, but all I could see were shadows.

12:58 AM. It sounded like something big was slithering on the ground near my tent. Holy whooping hyena! That one was just a few meters away and the whoops were urgent and close. The bush was alive with animal scurrying and cries, and our camp was awake. Then I looked through the mesh and vaguely saw the crew scanning the camp grounds with their flashlights.

1:01 AM. The bush was in chaos. The herd of impala was restless and alarmed, the monkeys shrieking, and baboons barking. Suddenly, something large was beside my tent, literally a few feet away from me.

Then I looked outside the mesh and saw two large dog-like shapes running across the camp. But one of them paused close to the camp fire, silhouetted by the glowing embers, before moving to the camp perimeter. As a result, there were more whoops, barks, and growls as the noises rose to pandemonium.

1:17 AM. After over 15 minutes, the bush settled down and the fading whoops of the hyena receded. I was totally excited and amped with adrenaline. After a few exhilarated moments, 20-20 hindsight suddenly hit like a hammer. Three to four minutes ago, I was standing peacefully outside my tent doing my thing and star-gazing.

BREAK OF DAWN

4:24 AM. I woke up to the racket of frogs and crickets. When I looked out of my tent I saw the sky lightening. Then I heard the distant whoop of a hyena and the barking grunt of what I took to be a lion. Bird calls were slowly filling the air. It would be sunrise soon, my first sunrise in the bush, in wild Botswana, and I didn’t want to miss it.

5:23 AM. The wildlife action continued. I heard shouts from the dining tent. Someone was chasing a member of congress from the dining tent after another successful thievery, this time carrying away our morning serving of bananas.

And so it was hard not to eagerly jump out of my cot before dawn every day. We were in the heart of Africa. In the middle of nowhere, wildlife surrounded us, and every morning began with a clear sense of impending adventure. Pure, wild nature – there was nothing more deserving of reverence, and nothing more exhilarating. 

Read more about safaris in Africa in Travelife Magazine.

Photographs taken by Dondi Joseph

The post The thrills of camping in Botswana appeared first on TRAVELIFE Magazine.

The main camp of the MalaMala Game Reserve is the grand dame of safari camps. It’s South Africa’s oldest and most historical private game reserve.

ABOUT THE MALAMALA GAME RESERVE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Michael Rattray, founder of MalaMala, begun the concept of a luxury safari experience ahead of everyone else by improving on a safari camp established in 1927 by his father’s friend. This was in the 1960s, at a time when most other camps were nothing but tents and bush. Little has changed at the MalaMala Game Reserve in the Sabi Sands over the past decades.

“We’ve kept this lounge pretty much as is,” explained Greg Baldwin, MalaMala’s head ranger and our host for our stay, as we walked past a cavernous room done up with leather chairs and animal skins.

He added, as we stopped to inspect faded black-and-white photos of the camp on the walls, “If you look at these, you’ll find that much of it is still very recognisable.”

Each group of guests at the MalaMala Game Reserve is assigned a ranger who takes care of every detail of the stay, including menus, activities and transfers. We were lucky to be assigned their best man. In fact, Greg is probably the best ranger I’ve had in the 20 safaris I’ve done in Africa.

Greg was a master planner and also a mean 4WD driver, a great storyteller and a walking encyclopedia on everything in the bush.

STEEPED IN NOSTALGIA

Indeed, the camp layout is almost the same, as are the original cone-shaped lodgings from the 1930s. The structures have been rebuilt and upgraded since then. But the rooms and suites at the main camp nevertheless have simple native-inspired furniture and a comfortable old-fashioned atmosphere.

The bougainvillea trees that line the pathways provide a delightful shock of pink, when in bloom, to an otherwise typical green-and-brown safari landscape. These trees were planted by an English aristocrat back in 1935.

Meanwhile, adjacent to the lounge is what is perhaps the camp’s most famous room. The MalaMala bar is cozy, lined with vintage photos and its centerpiece is a masculine wooden counter made shiny from use.

This bar counter has been there ever since anyone can remember. It’s the venue of perhaps a thousand stories. In fact, it still has the old score board on the wall on which safari goers used to tally their animal sightings for the day over rounds of drinks before dinner.

IMPORTANCE OF WATER SOURCES IN A SAFARI LODGE

However MalaMala is not only big on history but also literally in size. With over 13,000 hectares to its name, it is South Africa’s largest Big Five private game reserve. Also, it enjoys the enviable asset of having a major river (and watering hole) running across it. This practically ensures the significant presence of animals on its property.

SAFARI FOR KIDS: ACTIVITIES AT MALA MALA

In South Africa for a family holiday, we’d thus chosen MalaMala because of its history, its size and for its tailor-made safari programs for children. MalaMala even prepares tuckboxes with chocolate chip cookies, candy and milk for the children to take on their game drives.

The Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa

ANIMAL TRACKING

Tutorials on following and identifying various animals in the wild via their spoor markings.

SURVIVOR CHALLENGE

Hands-on lessons on basic survival skills including water sourcing, plant identification and food foraging.

“READ” THE BUSH

Junior rangers are taught the warning signs of dangerous animals, and first aid skills for emergency situations in the bush.

GAME WALK

Learning more about the different rocks, trees, birds and nests in the wild via walks around the camp escorted by an armed ranger.

JUNIOR CHEFS IN THE WILD

The host ranger prepares a bush breakfast that enables children to learn how to make fire and how to prepare a meal outdoors.

RADIO COMMUNICATION ON SAFARI

Children are taught the skills and etiquette of radio communication, as practiced on drives and out in the bush by the MalaMala rangers.

Read about family fun at the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve in South Africa

The post The gold standard safari in South Africa appeared first on TRAVELIFE Magazine.