area. Swa Vana runs multi-purpose centers in local villages that ensure the children are fed, clothed, given access to healthcare, and supervised after school daily. Visitors to Sabi Sabi can see first-hand the work being done by Swa Vana, and get a glimpse into local village life, on a community tour offered by each of the reserve’s four luxury lodges scattered around Sabi Sabi’s sprawling reserve. Over lunch the previous day, project manager Pontso Natoi told me how Swa Vana began in 2003 with 30 children and now cares for 375 children across
with its surroundings, entry is via a tunnel through a hillside, which leads to 13 suites with curved walls of sand, stone, and raw woodwork. Each of Sabi Sabi’s four lodges has a distinct personality, with their different designs offering a different type of experience. If it’s the vintage African safari aesthetic you are looking for, book recently refurbished seven-suite Selati Camp, complete with four- poster beds, Persian carpets, roll-lipped bath tubs and 19th-century railway antiques. Selati Camp evenings are set up in the style
guests to and from their suites after dark). If Selati channels the feel of “yesterday” and the modern Earth Lodge is “tomorrow,” then the remaining two lodges (25-suite Bush Lodge and six-suite Little Bush Camp ) are “today.” Both are warmly decorated with antiques gathered from around Africa; Little Bush offers intimacy while Bush Lodge appeals to families with its “EleFun” children’s center. Each lodge serves sumptuous barbecue dinners in its boma , a traditional livestock enclosure under the glittering African sky, or international cuisine inside the lodge. Together, the four lodges form a National Geographic -approved Unique Lodges of the World, one of a small, select group of world- class hotels chosen for their elevated guest experiences and commitment to protecting surrounding habitats and cultures (crucial to this point, the reserve has its ownanti-poaching unit). Spend some time here and you’ll quickly understand that those are the very pillars of the Sabi Sabi experience. And what makes a visit here so much more than just a safari trip. I traveled to Johannesburg directly from New York with South African Airways. Sabi Sabi’s airstrip is a one-hour direct flight from O.R. Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg). Alternatively you can fly via Skukuza Airport or Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (Nelspruit), or opt for a scenic 5-hour chauffeured or self-drive from Johannesburg. Lodges can be booked via Ker & Downey in the US. Reservations:
three different local communities. Watching Jack at work, I quickly realized that a safari at Sabi Sabi was about even more than observing its abundant wildlife. And speaking to Pontso, I also came to find that the entire experience goes deeper than a typical luxury getaway. Though, of course, there’s that too. After the bushdrive, I add the day’s sightings to my checklist—I was just missing buffalo to complete the “Big Five” of lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant—and return to Earth Lodge for dinner in the underground wine cellar—the reserve has won accolades for its careful wine selection, which includes many rarities and South African wines from small boutique wineries. In spite of the waterbuck I’d spotted hovering aroundmy private plunge pool that morning, it struck me that the contemporary design of Earth Lodge was far from that of a typical game lodge. Embedded into the earth so that it completely blends in
of a bygone era with glowing lanterns dotted around the camp. Selati’s honeymoon suite overlooks a watering hole often visited by elephants and lions. When I visited, the previous night’s guests told me they had seen the Big Five without even leaving the lodge (as the reserve is unfenced and animals roam freely through it, the lodge staff escort
(800) 423-4236; www.sabisabi.com kerdowney.com flysaa.com -- Karen Gardiner is a freelance writer from Scotland based in the U.S. Her recent stories have appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Saveur, National Geographic Travel and BBC Travel. WESTONMAGAZINEGROUP.COM 135
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