More independent travellers will find what they are looking for in the six fully equipped camping sites, where you can shower in the open air before falling asleep to the rhythm of the desert. at the other end of the resort, the Boutique Farmhouse offers a privileged retreat eight standard or luxury rooms with breathtaking views of the dunes that line the horizon. AT BAGATELLE, THE HOURS ARE DIVIDED BETWEEN ADVENTURE AND CONTEMPLATION A safari at dawn or dusk leads to the spectacle of springboks leaping in the low light, giraffes, wildebeests, imposing groups of oryx and zebras. Two impressive rhinos graze peacefully. Horseback rides offer a silent approach to wildlife, while encounters with cheetahs, under the watchful eye of the resort’s passionate guides, are disconcertingly close. In the cool of the late May morning, we set off on foot alongside the Koi-San Bushmen to discover the ingenuity of their survival techniques in the Kalahari Desert and the depth of their traditions. They are fantastic storytellers and when they mime, it is a real pleasure to share their
sense of observation and, unsurprisingly, to see how far we have strayed from nature. We like to imagine the astonishment of the Bushmen in the company of the writer Laurens van der Post in the late 1950s, who could not hear the song of the stars, whereas they could. He must have been seriously ill, thought the Bushmen. A man as deaf as we are in a living universe where everything is naturally connected, but whose original vibrations we have lost. Bagatelle is not defined solely by its accommodation or activities: it is a place imbued with a philosophy. The owners, Angela Carstens and her children, are committed to combining hospitality with respect for the environment. Abundant solar energy powers most of the lodge; water, precious in this desert, is treated by reverse osmosis to preserve the aquifers and guarantee its purity. The buildings favour natural materials that blend harmoniously into the landscape, and every management decision aims to reduce the footprint on this fragile environment. At Bagatelle, travellers learn to slow down, listen to the vibrant silence and savour the beauty of an endless horizon. Between refinement and ecological awareness, between discovery and contemplation, the desert becomes a memory and the stay becomes a story.
www.bagatelle-lodge.com
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CLASS & RELAX LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE ~ 2025
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