There are few places on the African continent that are so picturesque, let alone iconic, but the picnic site at Angama Mara overlooking the Masai Mara grasslands has to be top of the list.
Imagine gazing down over somewhere in the region of a million herbivores, from the very same spot that Robert Redford and Meryl Streep picnicked in Out of Africa; hot air balloons floating in the still Kenyan air beneath you, swallows swooping all around, and the stillness of the magnificent continent stretched out to the hazy horizon.
As fancifully romantic as this sounds, it really is an experience you can live. Angama Mara offers intimate picnics for two at the little koppie (rocky outcrop) next to their southern camp, right where Out of Africa was filmed, or at least that scene from it.
But it is far more than a simple picnic that has guests travelling from all over the world to this stunning camp, perched literally on the rim of Africa. The wildlife, the staff, the views that take one’s breath away… take your pick of any one of multiple reasons that have made Angama the award-winning camp that it is today.
The first time you walk out on to the deck of the main lodge will be a moment you won’t forget in a hurry. You truly feel as if you are gazing out over the rest of the world.
Perched up on top of the Oolololo Escarpment, Angama Mara sits above the Mara Triangle, an incredibly wildlife-rich area best known for the wildebeest crossings that take place there every year as the migrating herds thunder across the Mara River, braving crocodiles, often raging water levels, and often marauding lion prides waiting on the riverbank.
Yet it’s not only about the migration: year round the wildlife viewing is stunning, with black rhino, elephant, leopards, cheetahs and many more being constant features of the terrain, even when the wildebeest herds (that get funnelled into the triangle by the steep walls of the escarpment itself) have turned back south.
Photography plays a key role in the safari experience at Angama, and their dedicated photographic studio is at the core of their media offerings.
Guests can learn the fundamentals of photography, hire a private photographic guide, and even print their own photographs on canvas as a special memento to take home. Few destinations in Africa lend themselves so well to wildlife photography as the Masai Mara and its sweeping plains.
The Angama experience is ultimately as well-rounded as one can find, with activities ranging from traditional game drives to balloon flights to cultural immersions. This is a place where the true meaning of safari can be understood, in the very place where the word originated.
To stand on Angama’s deck and gaze out over endless horizons is to gaze out at limitless, beautiful possibility…
It has been 26 years since I first journeyed to Londolozi Game Reserve, yet every time I visit I still feel the same sense of giddy excitement I did on that initial visit so long ago, the same sense of nostalgia when I climb up into the Land Rover for the opening game drive of the trip, and the same overwhelming sense of sadness when I leave.
It’s not just the amazing sightings of leopards in trees, lions wading through the Sand River, or being surrounded by the 7th herd of elephants for the morning. It’s far more than that.
This for me was where my true love for the bush began, as I began to see exactly what type of experience it could – and should – be.
My first visit to Londolozi, 26 years ago (I am standing centre). Ranger Julius Ngwenya (sitting in front) has his son now working as a tracker at Londolozi.And our latest trip, out on game drive waiting for lions to wake up in the evening.
This is what Londolozi does so well. There’s no formula. That went out the window long ago. Yes there is a framework within which the lodge operates – out before sunrise each morning to catch the dawn chorus, night drives following lions on the hunt, bush walks to make you touch, smell, and truly listen – but the reality is that each safari, each time you venture out of the camp gates in fact, is tapered to suit your specific needs.
One of the many herds that inhabit the reserve wade across the Sand River (Pioneer Camp is just out of picture to the left).The winter months are an especially good time to see elephants in the South African bush.
Birding is your thing? No problem; the focus shifts to the myriad different habitats that the reserve features, with the guide and tracker fully aware of which species are to be found where. Photographically inclined, wanting to capture that magical silhouette shot of a leopard outlined against the vivid reds of an African sunset? The tracking team will find that leopard, and – conditions permitting – the ranger will know exactly where to position the vehicle and what camera settings to use to make sure you nail the shot. There is no such thing as homogeneity in the Londolozi experience. It’s always unique and always special.
You never know what will be around the next corner at Londolozi…
I try to get back there once a year, except these days it’s not just me and my husband but my kids as well, and my brother and his wife regularly accompany us.
We try to stay in Pioneer Camp each year, the most westerly of the Londolozi camps. One of Londolozi’s three Relais and Chateaux camps, Pioneer only has three rooms, perfect for a family of our size. The adults go into two of them while the kids squeeze into the third (which is connected to ours by a discreet walkway).
And for a magical ten days, the camp becomes home.
The camp manager this year was Shannon Dawson, the most wonderful person you could ever wish to meet, and she shares a similar history with us in that she has also been visiting Londolozi with her family since she was small. And now she calls it home too.
Nothing was ever too much for Shannon, and her delightful smile was always there to welcome us home after game drive, morning and evening.
This leopard was waiting for us just off the edge of the Pioneer Camp deck as we returned from game drive one evening!
Travelling out from Atlanta, GA, where I live these days (having moved from South Africa in the 90s), it makes far more sense for us to come for a longer trip, so ten days is usually the least amount of time we will stay. I cannot emphasise enough the value of a longer stay. It allows one to truly sink into a place, to adjust to the flow of the African bush, and get to know the ranger, tracker and camp staff far better than one would in what would traditionally have been a three night adventure.
Our coffee stop one morning in a treehouse overlooking the Sand River.
A young leopard cub peers down nervously from the boughs of a marula tree, still uncertain of the best way to descend.
Particularly for those coming from further afield, long stay safaris are slowly starting to replace the three night visits, which travel trends are definitely starting to reflect. The idea it seems, is to go deeper, not broader. Rather than hopping between lodges, discerning travellers are preferring to remain in one place, getting the absolute most out of a visit that they can.
This is certainly what we try to accomplish each time we visit Londolozi.
Tiny wild dog pups emerge from their den as their mother calls them out.
This was our first time back in a couple of years, Covid-19 and other circumstances having prevented us visiting since July 2018.
The best thing for me was just how easy travel was in these times: flights were not a problem, covid-compliant and everything almost seemed easier than normal, especially given that airports are far less crowded. A hop, skip and a jump, and back in Londolozi we were…
And what a return it was.
Lions taking down a buffalo on our first morning, male leopards roaring back and forth at each other, a female leopard with her cubs just learning how to climb, wild dog pups emerging from their den for the first time… The sightings were incredibly varied and seemingly endless.
And in between them was the Londolozi fun; Wimbledon-themed dinners, soccer games for the kids, tracking lessons from Joy Mathebula… Whenever we least expected it, there was something new and exciting on the cards.
Tracker Andrea Sithole – who our family have known for years – celebrates a goal with my daughter Brodi in a soccer game organised for the kids staying in camp.One of the dominant male leopards that Londolozi is so famous for, drinking only a few feet from our vehicle.
Londolozi doesn’t just thrill with the wildlife. They take you into their world and open your eyes. You get to see what this one wild life we have all been given should really be about: fun, connection, intimacy with nature and ultimately finding the best version of yourself.
I know I find that person whenever I’m at Londolozi.
And you can too…
Down towards the south-east corner of South Africa’s world-famous Sabi Sand Game Reserve lies one of its hidden gems.
Unobtrusively nestled between the old bed of the Selati railway line to the west and the Sand River to the east lies Notten’s Camp, a small, family-run bush lodge that redefines what it means to feel at home in the wild.
Owned by the Notten family since 1963 and open as a commercial lodge since 1986, this land has seen almost four decades of conservation-focused safaris conducted upon it, and the experience of the staff reflects that.
Like the rest of the Sabi Sand Reserve, Notten’s is a leopard paradise, and the greater area boasts the highest density of these magnificent cats yet recorded on the African continent. It is not at all uncommon to spot a leopard sauntering past the deck of your chalet, or even to catch a glimpse of one ducking off the camp walkways. Sightings are common out on game drive, and the Notten’s guides are well practiced in getting photographers into the right position for the shot.
Two young leopards spar playfully. Despite already possessing fiercely sharp claws, their play sessions generally cause no harm, and are important in developing the skills they will need in later life.
The rest of the Big 5 are sure to fill your frame just as fast, and elephant, buffalo, rhino and lion are also plentiful in the area. The waterhole situated in the open clearing directly in front of the lodge’s main area attracts a plethora of wildlife throughout the day, particularly during the dry winter months, and one simply has to glance up during breakfast to see herds of impala, stately kudu or the resident bull waterbuck sauntering by.
Lions are regularly encountered on safari at Notten’s…
It’s certainly not only about the larger stuff though, and it is the sheer diversity of life here that will astound you. Over 2000 species of mammals, birds, trees, insects, reptiles and amphibians have been recorded on the reserve; an incredible amount of biodiversity which makes game drives, bush walks, or even a simple stroll through the camp a constant stimulation.
The Notten’s camp is unfenced, and wildlife is regularly encountered on the lawns around the swimming pool in particular.
The rooms at Notten’s are what make the place truly special. Lit by candlelight and paraffin lanterns, they retain the feel and charm of an old-school bush camp, whilst sacrificing none of the comfort. The rooms are air-conditioned and charging facilities are available, so there’s no danger of running out of power for your battery or cellphone.
Whether it’s a romantic getaway you are after or a Big 5 photographic experience, Notten’s ticks all the boxes, and with their current specials there is no better time to visit. The winter months offer some of the best game viewing on the continent, and when summer starts rolling around again, visitors will be treated to the most remarkable changes as the bush flushes green once more, the migrants return, and the lodge comes alive with the buzz of cicadas and the galavanting of newborn antelope.
For those of you who have been yearning to satisfy that travel urge over the last 15 months, the thrilling news is that you can do that sooner than you think.
Right now, in fact.
United Airlines recently returned to South Africa with its direct flight from New York to Johannesburg, and this route is set to continue as a daily service. Just as exciting is the anticipated resurrection of the New York to Cape Town route, set to launch in October, which will give visitors direct access to South Africa’s Mother City, right on the southern tip of the continent.
Current US Rules allow those fully vaccinated with the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson jabs to return home without having to undergo any period of quarantine, so the worry of getting back home can essentially be forgotten.
Photograph courtesy of Getty Images
For those wishing to head on a breathtaking African safari, there has literally never been a better time.
With most operators offering once-in-a-lifetime specials, fairly quiet lodges, and the game viewing unaffected by what has been happening in the greater world and just as spectacular as ever, the only question seems to be, “Why not?”
Rwanda is open for gorilla trekking, and incredibly sophisticated COVID-19 protocols (everyone in the tourism industry has been vaccinated) make this one of the safest countries to visit.
Botswana’s Okavango Delta is still – as ever – performing its own rendition of Eden, and the leopard viewing in South Africa’s Sabi Sand Game Reserve continues to be unrivalled anywhere in the rest of the continent.
South Africa’s Sabi Sand Reserve is world-renowned for its leopard viewing in particular.
Iconic Africa director Terri Abadi recently flew out to South Africa to visit Londolozi Game Reserve, a place that has been close to her heart for over twenty years, and had this to say about her experience in getting there:
“I flew out just before the New York flight opened so I routed through Amsterdam, and my family flew out after me on the direct NY flight.
Both of our experiences were absolutely seamless. The airlines have adjusted completely to the new normaland to be honest it almost felt like nothing had changed since before COVID-19.
My layover was only two hours in Amsterdam and before I knew it, I was on the ground in Johannesburg and transferring to my flight down to the bush.
I’m excited to see what this means for travel, as once people start to realise how easy and most of all safe it is to get out to Africa, I anticipate people clamouring to go on safari once more!”
Terri Abadi and family enjoying the sunrise on a misty morning at Londolozi Game Reserve.
With the worldwide tourism industry having suffered through the bulk of 2020, but now slowly starting to turn a corner, we are thrilled to be able to contribute in our small way to helping the continent get back to its feet in the travel sector.
The new normal of travel is about responsibility; the awareness of the difference you are making to both the people and the wildlife in the places you visit. Sustainability, reduced impact, boons for local conservation projects and the socio-economic upliftment of communities are all part of the new jargon of travel.
Our destinations and packages are carefully picked to fulfil both a unique and life-changing African experience for the guest, as well as make a positive impact in the areas they serve.
We look forward to welcoming you to this stunning continent.
She is waiting…
An African safari has the power to change you. To make you feel so truly connected to yourself and your surroundings that you feel that this is the way life should be lived. Far from the trappings of the fast-paced modern world with all its distractions, the African wilderness reaffirms the values that our humanity holds dear.
And almost inevitably, as your safari winds down, your mind lets itself wander into the fantasy of “If only I could live in the bush…”
Well Tulela, a magical 5-bedroom lodge in the Greater Kruger Park of South Africa, will make you feel like you are…
As close to a home in the bush as you can find, Tulela is an exclusive-use lodge that is so much more than just a base to see the Big 5 from. Bespoke safaris both in a vehicle and on foot, sleep-outs under the southern stars, conservation initiatives that guests can get hands on with… your stay at Tulela is far more of an immersion into the wilds of Africa than a simple stay in the bush.
The lodge was designed with that homely feel in mind. Situated on the banks of the N’tsiri river, the rooms and main area are nestled in the shade of magnificent riparian trees from which the gentle background ambience of the local birdlife emanates. A waterhole positioned in full view of the deck attracts a continuous procession of wildlife – particularly in the drier winter months – and the overwhelming feeling here is that you are part of nature.
With over 6000ha of the Klaserie Private Game Reserve to explore with your own ranger and tracker, you essentially are…
Tulela is child friendly, so is perfect for families looking to open their children’s minds to the wonders of nature.
Or, if it’s simply an exclusive getaway for ten friends that you are after, this is the perfect place to allow you to simply put your feet up and be free from worry, totally at peace in the tranquility of the African bush.
We can’t wait to share more about this amazing destination with you.
For more information about Tulela and all that it offers, feel free to get hold of us here…
We came across this written piece recently and felt it was too beautiful not to share. It has gone viral around the South African airwaves but we unfortunately don’t know who the original author is. Please get hold of us if this was your piece of writing…
In the meantime, enjoy…
“I sit here quietly thinking about what it means to me to be South African, a visitor to South Africa or even African. It seems easier to explain the effect that this land has on me…
The perfume of rain on African soil. The scent of woodfires drifting across the highveld on winter evenings. There’s a very distinctive aroma just as one starts coming into George / Knysna / Plett’ (I’ve never figured out which herb it is), in much the same way the smell of Wild Sage defines the area around Santawani in Botswana. The odour of thatch in a game lodge. The bouquet of dust and the various plants when one gets into the bush, sometimes a whiff of something dead. The tang of the ocean at the seaside. The smell of ‘moer’ coffee over an early morning fire, or the delicious aroma of roasting meat over flames – whether you call it a braai or shisa nyama (but definitely NOT a barbeque, a barbie, or a sausage sizzle!)
There is also something about the light here. “Santorini Blue”… I don’t know if that’s an actual colour, but it seems to describe the hue of the highveld sky on a winter’s day to perfection. We live in “big sky” country – whether blue, or orange in sunset, or dark grey and rent by lightening, or velvet black and filled with stars that seem close enough to touch – the sky is ever present. As is the moon. I am always aware of the moon, from a sickle moon to the full fecund globe that is full moon. Silver light gilding thorn trees, juxtaposed against dark shadows on the savannah, is not a sight one easily forgets.
The caw of the ubiquitous, raucousHadeda in suburbia, the burbling call of a rainbird (Burchell’s Coucal) when a thunderstorm is on its way, the beautiful Diederick’s Cuckoo announcing the arrival of spring, the screech of a barn owl or the evocative call of the Fish Eagle. Jackals calling as the sun goes down, a lion’s roar quite literally making the air reverberate, or the chilling whoops of the hyenas. The cacophony of barking geckos that start up as the sun goes down over Deception Pan, or a veritable orchestra of frogs around a pan in the summer months. Cicadas shrilling on days so hot that the air shimmers, or a nightjar calling in the dead of night in the bushveld.
Days of withering heat often followed by the lightest cool breeze, just as the sun is setting. A gentle little wind, which plays with your hair like an absent-minded lover, reminding you that the cool of the night will soon be with you. Walking in the bush very early in the morning, the sun’s rays catch the dew on spiders’ webs, reminding you that life, both seen and unseen, is all around you. Trout fishing as the sun peeps over the horizon in Dullstroom, so cold that the water droplets freeze on your line…
The colours of this land are not subtle either. The blood red of the coral tree, the green metallic glint of sunbirds, the striped black and white hide of the zebra, or sapphire blue of a kingfisher. The miles and miles of yellow and orange daisies in Namaqualand in September, or pink and white swathes of cosmos along the roads in April. The lilac and turquoise of the roller, the tawny hide of a lion or the emerald green of a little dung beetle that makes its appearance in the summer months. From the golden dunes of the Namib to an unimaginable number of greens in the Knysna Forest. All vivid and arresting.
Talk to me of Morrungulo or Tsodilo Hills, the great Drakensberg, Platteland dorps and the great Karoo. The warmth of Sodwana Bay or the icy kelp forests of the Atlantic Ocean. Of wine farms and fynbos in the Cape, to meerkats and diamonds in the north. Show me our people, in so many hues, with brightly coloured traditional costumes – and even brighter smiles.
All of this creates a frisson of excitement, passion each and every day, a vivid, immediate sense of being alive that I have found nowhere else….
These are my people. This is my land.
Because I am, at the very core of my being, a child of Africa!”
Cape Town has something which will appeal to all travellers – from honeymooners and romantics to big families. The multifaceted city caters for the more adventurous, as well as the leisurely who prefer beaches and spas. Without question, Cape Town is one of the world’s most spectacular cities resting against the iconic “New 7 natural wonders of the world” member, Table Mountain.
Here are a few interesting things you might not know about the Mother City:
Affectionately known as the Mother City by locals and travellers, this city’s nickname derives from theGreek word ‘metros’ meaning mother – as it was the first metropolitan city in South Africa according to Selwyn Davidowitz, a recognised Cape Town tour guide.
Another nickname you may have come across while planning your vacation to Cape Town is Cape of Storms. This name was given b the famous explorer Bartholomew Dias because of the unpredictable weather of the Atlantic Ocean that used to render ships and sailors forsaken just off our coast.
Did you know that Cape Town’s 2011 census survey indicated that 43.2% of the Western Cape’s population is 25 years or younger… This city is a hotspot for young solo travellers.
The celebrated and legendary Table Mountain which began forming around 280 million years ago witnesses at least two nuptial services a month! What better way to begin a romantic life with your beloved than overlooking candyfloss-clouds cascading down the mountain side.Did you know that the plateau of Table Mountaispans almost 22 000 hectares and claims more flora than the entire British Isles or New Zealand?
The Cape Floral Kingdom – a UNESCO world heritage site – is home to nearly 7000 indigenous plants such as the peninsula snapdragon.
Cape Town boasts the only tobogganing track in Africa…If you enjoy the thrill of downhill sledging then head 25km out of the city centre for a day of adventure at Cool Runnings.
Cape Town has been named one of this year’s top 10 cities in the world for surfing.
Meeting certain safety, security and cleanliness standards, eight Cape Town beaches have been given Blue Flag awards by the Blue Flag Campaign. These beaches include Clifton, Camps Bay, and Llandudno, as well as Muizenberg and False Bay.
Lion’s Head wasn’t name after wild felines roaming the mountain. In fact, around 300 years ago, Dutch settlers named the peak Leeuwen Kop (Lion’s Head) and what’s known as Signal Hill today as Leeuwen Staart (Lion’s Tail) because the two peaks formed what resembled a crouching lion.
The Castle of Good Hope was actually built using stone extracted from Signal Hill.
With an abundance of vineyards, it is undeniable that Cape Town is famous for its beautiful farms and wines – our key export!
For more on where to stay in our exquisite Mother City click here.
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