Africa Deluxe Tours

05/09/2018

SOUTH AFRICA'S CHORAL TREASURE TROVE
Africa Deluxe Tours arrange country-wide tours for visiting international choirs (in addition to wildlife safaris, highlights tours, etc.).

We work with top incoming choirs. More often than not, on touring the country, their expectations of what South Africa has to offer in terms of choral music are completely blown out of the water.

Not only is the quality of our choral music literally world-class, the diversity in choir's repertoires is impressive. Our top choirs cover everything from classical to contemporary choral pieces, 'western' to African, as well as contemporary music not normally associated with choral performances. The interactions between visiting and South African choirs are simply magic.

In the attached video the Stellenbosch University Choir, conducted by André van der Merwe, perform Michael Jackson's 'Man in the Mirror' (available on Google Play Music).

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2AszDYFRPU

Man in the Mirror - Original arrangement Annie Nepomuceno. Adapted by Andre van der Merwe

19/05/2018

USA & NMU CHOIRS CO-CONCERT IN PE - SAT, 19 MAY
The Hope College Chapel Choir (HCCC) currently touring South Africa will be performing tonight at the Nelson Mandela University South Auditorium. The excellent Nelson Mandela University Choir will also perform. 18:00 (6pm) at R50pp for adults and R25pp for students and pensioners.

Come and join us for a magnificent programme of choral music.

The attached video contains an extract from 'Elijah Rock', as performed by HCCC in Umhlanga Rocks last night.

12/05/2018

HOPE COLLEGE CHAPEL CHOIR - SUNDAY, MAY 13

Please join them at any of the below:

--> 08:00 Rosebank Catholic Church (RCC)
--> 12:00 Soweto: AME Church
--> 19:00 NGK Universiteitsoord

(Map links follow lower down.)

The Choir's South African tour kicked off on Saturday with visits to the excellent Apartheid Museum, Braamfontein Neighbourgoods Market and Constitutional Hill.

During dinner in Sandton an impromptu performance of two songs was received with great enthusiasm by patrons and staff alike (cellphone video attached).

RCC location: https://goo.gl/maps/E7XCnQ15iTu

AMEC location: https://goo.gl/maps/4wS12S2gDiP2

NGKU location: https://goo.gl/maps/wP2fnLneWJE2

08/06/2017

THINKING OF OUR KNYSNA FRIENDS
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our tourism and other friends in Knysna, where a devastating fire has caused havoc over the last 24-hours. Many people have lost their homes in the devastation.

We're proud to learn that local tour companies and establishments are utilising their facilities to provide emergency relief.

We know that, however difficult it will be, the people of Knysna will rebuild. We'll do our little bit by continuing to take our clients to the jewel of the Garden Route. Beautiful, special and unique Knysna.

Stay strong.

From all of us here at Africa Deluxe Tours.

22/03/2017

BECAUSE ...CAPE TOWN
Yet another beautiful Cape Town time-lapse video by Brendon Wainwright.

All the locations in the video are within Cape Town proper and include the Cape Town 'city bowl' and -Harbour, Lion's Head (mountain peak), Table Mountain, Devil's Peak, The Twelve Apostles (mountain buttresses) and Camps Bay. The flat water scene is probably one of the catchment dams atop the Mountain.

Brendon's YouTube videos are here: https://goo.gl/8ZtIOb

via Anton Magnin (with thanks!)

https://youtu.be/5GAP1PdLBUM

For the last 3 years I have been exploring Table Mountain National Park in pursuit of capturing its beauty like never seen before Time-Lapse video. All foota...

29/11/2016

AFRICAN SPLENDOUR FROM ABOVE
Attached is some spectacular drone footage of various destinations in Southern Africa. We provide time-stamped information on the destinations in the video at the end of this post.

We'd love to take you to some of these destinations, simply contact us and we'll do the rest!

Vimeo user 'Naudewashere' uploaded the video recently and indicated that he shot the footage in a space of three years during his travels. Naudé is a Cinematographer/Photographer from Cape Town, South Africa (his links follow below).

SOUTHERN AFRICA
Southern Africa offers an incredible diversity of destinations and experiences. South Africa in the south has everything from a sub-tropical eastern coastline to a dry and barren western coastline. In-between there's semi-desert, forest, mountain ranges, the sparsely populated and arid Karoo, the incredible wilderness of the Kruger National Park and much more.

Elsewhere in Southern Africa you have Namibia in the west featuring the second largest desert in the word - after the Sahara -, Botswana with the unique Okavango Delta, Zimbabwe and Zambia sharing the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls, Malawi with a huge lake, and Mozambique with its beautiful beaches and gateway to various Indian Ocean Islands. This is just scratching the surface of what the region has to offer. The attached footage gives you a tiny sample of all the magnificence to be explored and experienced in Southern Africa.

NAUDE'S INFO
Thank you to Naudé for sharing! Here's where you can find him:

--> On Vimeo: vimeo.com/naudewashere/videos
--> On Facebook: www.facebook.com/pg/naudewashere/
--> Instagram: www.instagram.com/naudewashere/

SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!
Of course, if you want to travel anywhere in the region, or want to do a multi-country trip through the region, contact us and we'll put something together for you.

VIDEO TIME STAMPS
Naudé doesn't share information on the destinations in his video, but we believe we recognise most of it. Any time stamp marked with an asterisk indicates that we're making an informed guess. If you notice a mistake please point it out in the comments below :-)

If you want more information on any of these destinations or want to visit it, contact us.

--> 1st Scenes Okavango Delta* (Botswana)
--> 00:12 Okavango Delta (Botswana)
--> 00:32 View from Bloubergstrand of Table Mountain across Table Bay (Cape Town, South Africa)
--> 00:36 Okavango Delta (cheetah, cape buffalo, boabab tree)
--> 00:53 Probably private concession in the Addo Elephant National Park or somewhere close-by in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
--> 01:00 Okavango Delta (rec lechwe, elephant), Botswana
--> 01:14 - Makgadikgadi salt pans in Botswana
--> 01:28 Shore-based whale-watching at Hermanus, South African
--> 01:34 Public tidal pool below the Marine Hermanus (South Africa)
--> 01:38 View across Green Point & the Cape Town Stadium of Signal Hill and Lion's Head on the right and Table Mountain in the back. (Cape Town, South Africa)
--> 01:41 View across Clifton's 4th Beach towards Camps Bay and the 12 Apostles buttresses beyond (part of the Table Mountain Range) - Cape Town, South Africa.
--> 01:48 Fly-over of Table Mountain top, with drop down to the Cape Town 'city bowl' and Lion's Head and Signal Hill on the left. Beyond Signal Hill in Table Bay you can make out Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated.
--> 01:55 Mist blows in over Lion's Head with Table Mountain beyond and in the distance Devil's Peak. Hiking up to the top of Lion's Head is very popular. The little 'k**b' at the top-right extreme of Table Mountain is the upper cableway station. (Cape Town, South Africa)
--> 02:02 Namib Desert sand dune, probably Dune 45 near Sossusvlei. (Namibia)
--> 02:09 Deadvlei near Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert. Very few serious landscape photographers will skip this location when travelling through Namibia.
--> 02:15 A 'poler' / guide on a mokoro (traditional 'canoe') in the Okavango Delta (Botswana)
--> 02:22 Elephant in the Okavango Delta? (Botswana)
--> 02:24 & 02:25 - no idea :-)
--> 02:27 Probably the Okavango Delta or upper Zambezi, but difficult to say.
--> 02:29 Storms River Mouth, Garden Route, South Africa. The kayaks passing underneath one of three pedestrian suspension bridges are operated by Unlimited Adventures - we highly recommend their 'kayak and lilo adventure'.
--> 02:34 Devil's Pool (with the bathers) atop the Victoria Falls in the Zambezi River between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
--> 02:40 - not sure...
--> 02:41 Hikers on the Robberg Peninsula, Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route, South Africa. A truly spectacular hike with beautiful secluded sandy beaches. Highly recommended hike but rather don't swim - there are riptides.
--> 02:43 - Botswana, location difficult to be sure.
--> 02:44 Okavango Delta (Botswana)
--> 02:46 Somewhere on the Table Mountain Range, south of Table Mountain proper with views out towards Muizenberg and False Bay.
--> 02:48 Okavango Delta (Botswana)
--> 02:49 Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour ziplines in the canopy of the Tsitsikamma Forest, Garden Route, South Africa.
--> 02:51 & 02:53 Looks like wilderness area in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Perhaps Kwandwe Private Game Reserve near Grahamstown?
--> 02:55 Namib Desert in Namibia.
--> 02:56 Okavango Delta (Botswana)
--> 02:58 Probably reservoir atop Table Mountain Range, Cape Town, South Africa.
--> 03:00 Zebra in Botswana*
--> 03:01 Victoria Falls viewed from the Zambian side, the upper Zambezi to the right above the Falls, the Zambezi Gorge below and to the left part of Zimbabwe. The Gorge is where arguably the best commercial white water rafting in the world is operated.
--> 03:03 Eastern Cape coastline, probably near Knysna*, South Africa.
--> 03:07 Gemsbok in the Namib Desert, Namibia.
--> 03:10 Camps Bay tidal pool? (Cape Town)
--> 03:12 Umh...
--> 03:20 Cape Winelands, outside Cape Town.
--> 03:31 Upper Zambezi*

https://vimeo.com/187296593

This video was shot over the course of 3years in various destinations all over Africa. It shows a unique perspective of Africa and the many wonders she holds. Being…

24/11/2016

To our American friends, enjoy your THANKSGIVING!

We're *thankful* to have had the pleasure of showing many of you around our neck of the woods. You can be a strange bunch at times, but we at Africa Deluxe Tours have only been enriched by spending time with you. We look forward to seeing you over here again.

Uh, go slow on the turkey... ;-)

31/05/2016

MAIN STREET SINGERS SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR
We had the honour of operating a South African tour for the Main Street Singers, from Los Altos High School in San Francisco, this past April. A bunch of very talented senior high school students shaped by the brilliance of choir director Mark Andrew Shaull.

The two week tour included various highlights of the country, as well as a number of choir performances. The attached video provide some glimpses from this most enjoyable tour. We certainly hope to see MSS returning in the not-too-distant future.

Choir member Luke Dzwonczyk and fellow student Katie Munro used footage from the tour to put together the video as senior project in their Film Analysis class. Thank you to the two of them for sharing it with us!

Asimbonanga, used as title for the video, is taken from the title of a 'struggle song' written in the late 80's by South African performer Johnny Clegg and devoted to Nelson Mandela and other struggle icons - at the time Mandela was still incarcerated by the Apartheid Government. MSS performed the song together with the Durban Girls' College Choir at one of their evening concerts during the tour. Audio from that particular concert starts at 04:48 into the video.


----------------


The video contains lots of quick views from a host of destinations covered during the tour. If you're interested we've provided the timestamps and names of the featured destinations below:

--> 00:40 All wildlife & wilderness images from this point filmed at Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa's northern KwaZulu-Natal Province.
--> 00:50 Cheetah; 00:58 Male Lion; 00:57 Zebra & a herd of Impala; 01:00 Zebra and Blue Wildebeest (GNU); 01:06 Giraffe (couple more times later on); 01:11 - hallo Addie Feldman!; 01:27 Lone Elephant Bull; 01:33 Lion Cubs.
--> 01:40 Bush dinner at Phinda
--> 01:52 Scenes in- and outside a Phinda Mountain Lodge chalet
--> 02:08 Port Elizabeth shoreline
--> 02:12 The Donkin Reserve in Port Elizabeth mosaic and lighthouse
--> 02:19 Crossing the Gamtoos River near Jeffrey's Bay
--> 02:22 Storms River Mouth - flowering aloe; small beach; rocky coastline; pedestrian suspension bridges; the Storms River and final suspension bridge spanning it
--> 02:41 The Featherbed Nature Reserve at Knysna - sea cave where choir sang impromptu
--> 02:46 Beach at the Robberg Peninsula near Plettenberg Bay
--> 02:53 Crossing the Bloukrantz River Bridge, location of highest commercial bridge-based bungee jump in the world.
--> 02:55 The Knysna Elephant Park
--> 03:00 Township and shacks on outer edge of Knysna
--> 03:05 Underneath Dolphin Point road with views to Wilderness (beachfront town).
--> 03:12 Road leading out from Kaaimans River Gorge
--> 03:14 On the Outeniqua Pass
--> 03:21 View towards Knysna's 'Eastern Head' (again at 03:31) and then Estuary from within the Featherbed Nature Reserve on the 'Western Head'. Then pathway from mouth along estuary shoreline.
--> 03:42 The Cango Ostrich Farm near Oudtshoorn
--> 03:47 Cape Canopy Tour near Grabouw
--> 04:32 Steenbras Dam in the Hottentots Holland Mountains
--> 04:35 Cresting the mountain ranges that frames the greater Cape Town and -Winelands area, with Fals Bay on the left.
--> 04:44 Cape Town City Bowl / CBD
--> 04:47 Part of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront with Table Mountain in the background, shot from the choir's hotel.
--> 04:58 'Seal Island' (Duiker Island) during boat cruise from Hout Bay Harbour, followed by Harbour scenes.
--> 05:09 Chapmans Peak (coastal) Drive with views over Hout Bay, lookout point and road features.
--> 05:17 African Penguin Colony at Boulders in Simon's Town
--> 05:21 Driving towards Table Mountain through Cape Town's Tamboerskloof neighbourhood.
--> 05:25 On top of Table Mountain
--> 05:36 At Cape Point
--> 05:47 (&06:05) Combining with Durban Girls' College Choir in singing Asimbonanga
--> 05:59 Cape Town & Table Mountain
-- Lots of images from destinations captioned above and closing with a shot of the South African Flag --


The titles at the end of the video provide acknowledgements for music, etc. Due to copyright limitations the video may possibly not play in certain territories - especially on mobile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-gi5k9hQFs

In April 2016, the Los Altos High School Main Street Singers performed throughout South Africa during a two week concert tour. Created by Luke Dzwonczyk and ...

17/05/2016

When in Cape Town, MARKETS, because...

We just discovered CapeMarkets.co.za. It allows you to browse markets by place or day and contains updates on new market developments and happenings. It's a great resource for residents and visitors alike. Market on!

http://capemarkets.co.za/

04/04/2016

Because ...coffee
..and a great location near Parliament, the District Six Museum, City Hall, etc.

08/12/2015

*Beautiful Cape Town*
The New York Times' take on "36 Hours in Cape Town" (video). There's no way one can represent Cape Town in a 6-minute video or tour it in 36-hours, but The Times does a pretty good job of whetting your appetite.

Listen to Capetonians from different walks of life, in their different accents, introduce you to some of the diversity of one of the most popular cities in the world. They share with you a small selection of the 'see', 'eat' and 'do' on offer in "The Mother City".

There is of course much more to Cape Town. Hopefully you get to see and experience some of Cape Town for yourself soon! BTW, the South African currency is at record lows, which means everything is that much more affordable.

http://nyti.ms/1PAIa1R

Cape Town is a singularly inviting place, wowing visitors with its art, architecture, wine and culinary offerings, not to mention its spectacular setting amid mountains and sea.

07/12/2015

Great video. Bushbaby & friends in fence pole at a rest camp (2014).

On night game drives in the Park, its private concessions or adjoining private reserves you'll occasionally experience the treat of watching these tiny nocturnal creatures jump from branch to branch. They may stare curiously back at you for a few seconds before performing their next super leap.

A special experience in the Kruger Park between guided or self-drive game drives, is discovering all the fauna and flora on offer inside your 'rest camp'. Whether you encounter a warthog while walking from your bungalow to the restaurant or go on a walk-about in search of trees, birds and other creatures there's always something special to be found without even leaving the rest camp. In private, unfenced, lodges leopard or the like often wander through the lodge grounds at night.

I don't know if Christopher, who shot and edited the video, just got lucky. I suspect he may have had to spend some time in filming this. But the up-close daylight footage of the bushbabies is a true gem. Towards the end of the video you'll also get to see their incredible ability to jump vast distances, relative to their diminutive physical size. The only thing better than this is being there yourself!

If you want to discover more photographs or videos on special stuff in Southern Africa please 'like' our page.

As page we can't 'tag' Christopher's FB profile in this post, but we'll get an individual to do so in the comments below. Or follow this URL: https://goo.gl/pS33U6. Consider giving him a shout-out.



https://vimeo.com/142115986

Filmed footage from my last trip to the Kruger I did with my Dad at the end of 2014. Probably one of the coolest things I saw during my time there. Added some little…

01/12/2015

> Okavango Delta also features in Condé Nast Traveler list <
The incredible Okavango Delta is yet another Southern African destination to make it into the Condé Nast Traveler "50 Most Beautiful Places in the World" list.

Yesterday we featured the inclusion of a Southern African desert in the list, the Namib Desert - the second largest in the world after the Sahara. The Okavango Delta borders Namibia in the north-west of Botswana. In contrast to the Namib, the Delta is a water wonderworld. It's a perfect illustration of the variety of destinations to be found in the larger region.

The Delta is unique not only for its wildlife and topography, but also for being an inland delta that empties into Botswana's Kalahari sands, as opposed to flowing into an ocean.

Whether you choose to visit 'The Delta' during the annual flood season or at any other time of the year, a magical experience awaits you. It's a very exclusive destination and therefore does come at a price, but if your budget allows it's an absolute must-visit. There's no other place like it.

As with the other major destinations within Southern Africa it fits nicely into a regional tour or you can treat yourself to a longer Delta-only safari.

--> You'll find +Condé Nast Traveler's list, from which the attached image is derived, here: http://goo.gl/GSCnRx

--> If you want to visit the Delta we're willing and able to help you with that :-)

27/11/2015

Bridge Street Brewery in Port Elizabeth. Restaurant & micro-brewery. Great evening spot. A recent American group of ours loved it to bits.

27/11/2015

Craft beer tasting in Port Elizabeth
The back yard at The Beer Yard in Port Elizabeth. Just did a guided beer tasting. Great fun.

27/11/2015

*Cape St Francis Lighthouse to re-open to public*
Breaking news: Just heard from SANNCOB rep at Port Elizabeth event that the Cape St Francis Lighthouse will be re-opening to the public from about February 2017.

Love South Africa

27/11/2015

Tsitsikamma Village Inn is a unique hotel option in the Village, not far from Storms River Mouth. Owners Chris and Irma know everything worthwhile doing in the area and will gladly get you organized. Great base to explore Tsitsikamma and surrounds, unique village arrangement of accommodation and lots to do and experience.

Tsitsikamma Village Inn Love South Africa

http://www.tsitsikammavillageinn.co.za/

27/11/2015

Untouched Adventures at Storms River Mouth on the magnificent Garden Route in South Africa. We're meeting up with owner Marthinus again at PE . Great experience, great location, great guides. Definitely one for your bucket list! http://www.untouchedadventures.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnhIjTcdiKE

Kayak and Lilo adventure activity in Storms River, Tsitsikamma National Park on South Africa's Garden Route. Kayak from the harbour at Storms River across th...

27/11/2015

Attending tourism industry hookup in the 'Friendly City" - Port Elizabeth in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. Building relationships with existing partners and discovering new attractions and activities. Doing the research and networking so that our clients don't have to. Great city, beautiful region with lots to do.

Love South Africa

28/10/2015

Just some of the elements that make South Africa so magical...

https://goo.gl/QT6ke2

South Africa Land of Diversity is located at the southern most region of Africa, with a long coastline that stretches more than 2,500 km and along two oceans...

19/10/2015

TOUR THROUGH SOUTH AFRICA - SEPT 2015 (PHOTO-OVERVIEW)

Members of the Calvin College Alumni Association and CALL ( Calvin College's Centre for Lifelong Learning) from the USA got to travel through South Africa in September of this year. The tour included many of the country's general tourism highlights, as well as elements tailored specifically to the group's Christian reformed and Dutch heritage.

The itinerary, among other destinations, included Johannesburg, Soweto, Pretoria, The Sunshine Coast, Addo Elephant National Park, The Garden Route, The Cape Winelands, The Cape Peninsula and Cape Town. Addressing specific interests for the group included visiting sites linked to Nelson Mandela and Apartheid, as well as attending two church services from local churches in the reformed tradition. We also hosted a discussion on The Confession of Belhar and met with a member of erstwhile President Mandela's staff in which she shared her memories of his presidency.

The group had a great time and we thoroughly enjoyed hosting them. Looking forward to the next one!

SOUTH AFRICA TOUR - CALVIN COLLEGE ALUMNI & CALL
(Tour moments captured with mobile phone on the go)

Africa Deluxe Tours, in co-operation with our USA partners - Witte Travel & Tours, had the privilege of taking ten members of the Calvin College Alumni Association and the College's Centre for Lifelong Learning (CALL) on tour through South Africa recently.

John Apol was the tour leader for the group. He is a veteran of South African travel and have done more than a dozen trips to the country over two decades. John has in-depth knowledge of South Africa as well as strong relationships with a network of locals. Father and son team from Africa Deluxe Tours - Mike (i) and Mike (ii) Smuts managed and guided the tour.

The 13-day tour (in-country) took place from September to October 2015. We focussed on tourism highlights, Nelson Mandela, community projects, two church visits and a couple of meetings with South Africans and others.

While we do tours for visitors from varying backgrounds, this tour was designed to specifically include elements relevant to Calvin College's reformed Christian tradition and Dutch heritage, in addition to regular tourism components. We have done similar tours for Calvin , Dordt and Trinity Christian Colleges in the past, as well as other American groups with a Dutch heritage. These tours provide a rich experience touching both hearts and minds. We ourselves are also enriched by the experience and can't wait for the next group to arrive!

Thank you for visiting to John, Roland & Una, Evelyn & Sharon, Lois, Marie, Grace, Arlene and Alison. You're welcome to tag yourselves in this post / album. We enjoyed your company and humour - including the constant giggling in the back of the coach :-)

13/10/2015

SOUTH AFRICA TOUR - CALVIN COLLEGE ALUMNI & CALL
(Tour moments captured with mobile phone on the go)

Africa Deluxe Tours, in co-operation with our USA partners - Witte Travel & Tours, had the privilege of taking ten members of the Calvin College Alumni Association and the College's Centre for Lifelong Learning (CALL) on tour through South Africa recently.

John Apol was the tour leader for the group. He is a veteran of South African travel and have done more than a dozen trips to the country over two decades. John has in-depth knowledge of South Africa as well as strong relationships with a network of locals. Father and son team from Africa Deluxe Tours - Mike (i) and Mike (ii) Smuts managed and guided the tour.

The 13-day tour (in-country) took place from September to October 2015. We focussed on tourism highlights, Nelson Mandela, community projects, two church visits and a couple of meetings with South Africans and others.

While we do tours for visitors from varying backgrounds, this tour was designed to specifically include elements relevant to Calvin College's reformed Christian tradition and Dutch heritage, in addition to regular tourism components. We have done similar tours for Calvin , Dordt and Trinity Christian Colleges in the past, as well as other American groups with a Dutch heritage. These tours provide a rich experience touching both hearts and minds. We ourselves are also enriched by the experience and can't wait for the next group to arrive!

Thank you for visiting to John, Roland & Una, Evelyn & Sharon, Lois, Marie, Grace, Arlene and Alison. You're welcome to tag yourselves in this post / album. We enjoyed your company and humour - including the constant giggling in the back of the coach :-)

24/08/2015

Nelson Mandela Capture Site Memorial
I spent two days in the glorious KwaZulu-Natal Midlands with South African Tourism (Love South Africa) and a group of SATSA tour operators last week. The highlight for me was always going to be visiting the 'Nelson Mandela Capture Site'. On my previous visit prior to the installation of the art work in the picture, the site was marked simply by a small plaque.

The new installation is literally pure art. A collaborative effort by artist Marco Cianfanelli and architect Jeremy Rose, it consists of 50 steel poles arranged in such a manner that at a distance of roughly 35m on the approach path a silhouette of Nelson Mandela's face appears. The art work was installed in 2012 to mark fifty years since Nelson Mandela's capture at this location, which effectively marked the start of 27 years of incarceration for the man that was to become South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994.

Currently a museum is also being constructed on site - in the meanwhile a small exhibition on Nelson Mandela's life is housed in a temporary venue on site. The site also offers a restaurant and on-site tour guides. It's a couple of kilometers outside Howick on the R103.

In addition The Midlands Meander, mainly along the R103, offers dozens of attractions and activities. Accommodation is ample and include country hotels and farm guest houses

Mike Smuts - Africa Deluxe Tours

Image: The attached picture was taken with my cell phone and is zoomed in a bit. It doesn't quite do justice to the art work but should give you a good idea of scale at least.



03/07/2015

Sabi Sabi is a private game reserve within the larger Sabi Sand Game Reserve, which in turn is a private extension of the massive Kruger National Park - all with open borders to each other. The game viewing in Sabi Sand is excellent, especially the frequency with which guests get to see leopard up close.

Earth Lodge in Sabi Sabi is a high-end luxury lodge that in addition to offering a great wildlife experience makes a lot of green technologies. The main building, in the attached picture, is set back into a slope and you enter from the back via downward-angled 'tunnel' that descends from above 'roof level' to the lounge and dining area. The roof is covered in grass and earth and blends in with the terrain behind it. The elephant in the picture must have walked straight onto the roof, treating it just like any other grassy spot...

The image comes from Sabi Sabi's Instagram account. The incident apparently occurred yesterday.

I've stayed in many a lodge where there would be evidence the next morning that a leopard casually walked through during darkness. In the north of Sabi-Sand my wife and I, as well as other guests, were having dinner in an open-walled dining area under thatch when in a leopard came strolling by on the illuminated riverbank below. It's for this reason that game lodges in Sabi-Sand and elsewhere in Southern Africa often require that an armed ranger accompany you to your room after dark.

But an elephant on the roof of a lodge's dining and lounge area? Haven't seen that before. Wow.

_Image credit: Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve_

https://instagram.com/p/4o0hjuG6Jn/

“Happening now!! The beauty of a lodge that blends in with nature, nature blends in... …”