Londolozi – February 2008

My sister and I arrived at the airstrip at Londolozi on a beautiful hot, clear day. We were feeling rather jaded after a long flight from London but were met by a very welcome sight – Bronny waving cheerfully with Chris, our guide, sporting a Mexican style moustache and unusual tattoos.

We were whisked off to Tree Lodge and were given delicious champagne almost immediately. We were greeted by Duncan, the Manager of Tree Lodge, wearing an alarmingly small pair of lime-green shorts and a pink cowboy hat. The laughter was infectious, we felt at home straight away and we knew we were going to have fun!

Duncan led us to our sumptuous suite – a perfect combination of nature and luxury. The eye is immediately drawn to the views from the massive glass windows – the private plunge pool, deck and sala and beyond that to the trees. The rooms had absolutely everything we could possible want and was very stylishly decorated. Although we were reluctant to leave this haven of tranquillity we did not want to miss the afternoon game-drive so quickly unpacked, changed and joined our fellow guests for tea before heading off.

The afternoon/evening drive gave us a fantastic insight to Londolozi and Chris was chatty and informative. Sadly his moustache had gone! Our tracker, Jeremiah, was excellent. We saw lots of game but the highlight was seeing three lionesses and nine hungry cubs.

Back at Tree Lodge we had a delicious dinner and great wine selected by the expert – Duncan! Before eating we were told about the menu by Petunia – we were not sure whether she was responsible for the cooking but her introduction was a treat. Another treat was to follow. The Londolozi Ladies Choir appeared, as if from nowhere, to entertain us and Duncan threw himself into the dancing in a most enthusiastic and energetic manner with two of the ladies. We laughed until we cried.

When we returned to our room we were thrilled to find beautifully gift-wrapped presents waiting for us on our pillows. Very spoiling and much appreciated.

We both slept extremely well in big comfortable beds with gorgeous bed linen. It felt like the middle of the night when we had our 5.00am wake-up call with a tray of Early Grey tea and some ruskies.

Chris decided we would go and search for leopard. He did not disappoint us – we saw a beautiful young male. We also saw the lions we had seen the previous evening, a herd of buffalo wallowing, giraffe, zebra, elephants and numerous buck. There is no shortage of game at Londolozi.

We had brunch back at Tree Lodge followed by a tour of the local village where the Londolozi staff live. Matthew, the butler from our lodge, acted as our guide and we particularly enjoyed the crèche where we were greeted enthusiastically by the children.

After a quick pit-stop at the delightful shop we had a private yoga session with a wonderfully patient instructor by the pool. This was followed by a fabulous massage in our room. We had lunch on our deck before heading our again for the 4.00pm game drive.

That evening we saw a rather dramatic kill. A baby water buck took refuge in the dam near to the lodge to escape a hyena in hot pursuit only to be taken by a crocodile in one frighteningly rapid strike.

It was quite late when we returned to Tree Lodge and we were feeling rather weary after an action packed but fabulous day. We strolled back to our room with a view to getting changed for dinner and were delighted to find the table laid and lanterns lit all ready for us to eat in our private sala.

After dinner (no peace for the wicked!) we met Duncan, as arranged, at Varty Lodge. Bronny was going to join us on a moonlight walk with her brother, Boyd, and some of the other guides but sadly Bronny told us she had other work commitments so off we went.

It sounds clichéd to talk about senses being awakened but walking in the bush at night is a very different experience to being driven around by a guide in daylight. You are aware of the slightest noise, the movement of the shadows under the (almost) full moon and the scents of the bush. We were followed by a curious hyena and saw hippos and wildebeest at a distance. I am sure there were a lot of other things out there who was us too.

After walking for what seemed like an hour but was probably less we met up with a vehicle and I thought we were about to be driven back to the lodge. Boyd whispered with great seriousness that he wanted to show us one more thing. After a short drive we rounded a corner to see an area of boulders overlooking the river lit up with candles and covered with rugs and cushions. There was a also a vast selection of drinks set out on a table and a laughing Bronny to welcome us.

We relaxed on the cushions, chatted, gazed at the stars and enjoyed the tranquillity. At least we did until James (whom Duncan described as a porridge distributor) and Duncan decided to entertain us. James played the guitar and they both sang in what can only be described as their very individual and hilarious style. For the second evening running we laughed until we cried.

We fell into bed at 1.00 still smiling.

On our second and final morning we had breakfast with Bronnie and her parents Shan and Dave and then Bronnie gave us a tour of all the wonderful lodges at Londolozi before we left for the airstrip.

We had been at Londolozi for less than 48 hours but it felt as if we had been there for so much longer. We felt privileged to have stayed there and the happy memories will be with us indefinitely. There is a great atmosphere at Londolozi – almost certainly because of the ethos of the Varty family without whom it would not exist.

Whether you have been to lots of game lodges or none I would defy anyone not to love Londolozi

Northern Mozambique January 2007

Labels: Mozambique

In September my sister asked if I would be interested in joining her on a trip to the Karoo. I am always happy travelling with my sister but had little knowledge of the Karoo. I thought it would be flat and uninteresting with a lot of grazing sheep so had given little thought to what we would find at the end of our drive from Plett. How ignorant I was....

The driver itself was fascinating. We drove through Alfred's Pass with its breathtaking and diverse scenery stopping for tea near the Outeniqua trout Farm.

We arrived at Samara late afternoon and were greeted with smiles and spiced roibos tea. After a brief explanation of what was available for guests at Samara we were shown to our sumptuous accommodation. We had our own "cottage " a short walk from the main house carefully constructed in traditional settler style. The external simplicity of the building belied its interior - every comfort had been thought of and supplied in the spacious room. A large inviting bed, armchairs with lots of cushions, a beautifully appointed bathroom and a perfectly private deck with chairs to sit and admire the landscape and huge open skies.

After enjoying the complimentary champagne thoughtfully provided we strolled over to the main house for dinner. All the guests eat together with their guide so you can be unlucky if your fellow diners are not on the same wavelength. That said dinner itself was delicious - a delicate soup followed by meltingly tender beef.

The following morning we were woken with tea at 7.00 in time for a "light" breakfast before heading out on a game drive. Our guide, Les, was knowledgeable and charming and worked so hard to ensure that we saw not only fantastic game and birdlife but also appreciated the dramatically varying landscape of the Karoo. The fact that he was born in the area may have contributed to his enthusiasm.

My preconceived idea about the Karoo being flat was quite wrong. Mountains, meadows, thicket and vast areas reminiscent of the great African plains - all within a mornings drive. I had no idea it was so beautiful and a great contributory factor to our enjoyment was that we did not see another vehicle. I am lucky to have travelled extensively within Africa and been to several game lodges but found myself rather weary of the same old routine - guides radioing to other guides and all descending on one of the big five with vehicles taking it in turns for pole position so that their punters can take photoraphs to impress friends on their return home. There is none of that at Samara and what a joy it is to be privileged to be given that experience of uninterrupted nature.

On the second day after another sumptuous dinner we stalked cheetah on foot and Les led us to a Mother and her six cubs. We were able to watch them from as close as 20 feet - far closer than I had ever been to wild cheetah on foot. This will remain ingrained in my memory.

I could go on - the relaxing facial massage given by Elaine, the plentiful supply of drinks and nibbles on the game drives, the fact that lunch and dinner were moveable feasts in a different location each time, the "proper" pillows, the smiling staff.......we were made to feel so welcome and felt at home instantly.

We were sad to leave Samara - two days is barely enough to sratch the surface and begin to absorb the atmosphere.

My admiration for the owners is immense. They have created a uniquely special place in this fascinating wilderness and they have taken the time to do it with the respect that it demands. I hope they succeed in making Samara the commercial success that it deserves to be but selfishly I don't want too many people to know about it....

I have told my husband about Samara and he longong to visit - he will love everything about it. I am just worried he will want to buy a farm in the Karoo too......

By Hilary Griffiths, sister to Albee Yeend

Heaven on Earth.....................................

Flying in to North Island by helicopter from Mahe, a mere 15 minute ride, you are shown breathtaking views of pristine white beaches and clear turquoise waters and if you're lucky, whales and dolphins can sometimes be spotted. North Island is one of the inner islands of the Seychelles archipelago and opened only a few years ago. When you land on the fine sand surrounded by swaying palm trees you really feel as if you have arrived.

We were greeted by charming staff bearing chilled face cloths and home made lemonade. We were then whisked away in a golf buggy to villa no 5, where apparently Prince Andrew was the last person to have stayed there, so at least I am able to say that I have slept in the same bed as Prince Andrew!

There are only 11 self-contained villas on the whole of North Island, which is 460 square meters. Villa nos 11 is the most exclusive, the most remote and also the most expensive of the villas, but to be honest I certainly didn't feel remotely cramped or overlooked as the villas are all spacious, secluded and cleverly built. There is a central dining room, with a wine cellar (albeit with a rather disappointing selection of wines-apparently there were waiting for the ship to come in with new stock), a lounge, library, gym (I have to confess that this was not ventured into) a 45m long elevated swimming pool, a spa, plus a Padi dive centre. There were also mountain bikes for exploring the island, but the thought of cycling uphill through sand in the heat was rather too energetic for my liking.

Apart from a spacious and sumptuous bedroom with ocean views, we had a large bathroom, with a sunken bath big enough to fit two in. My favourite piece of furniture in the bathroom was a large wicker lounger with a squishy cushion covered in white fluffy towelling. After a hot bath or outdoor shower sinking onto this was what I can only imagine would be like sinking into a large marshmallow.

The round private plunge pool on our deck was perfect for wallowing in at the end of the day with a large G & T looking out over scenic ocean views. Alternatively there was a day bed, which was perfect for an afternoon snooze. For those guests who had children or who wanted an office (heaven forbid on holiday) there was another bedroom, with twin beds which could be set up according to one's needs. We put it to good use as our in-villa spa, and experienced reflexology and aromatherapy massage treatments, which were truly divine.

The villas have a TV that can be wheeled out, a DVD player with an average selection of DVDs, plus CDs. Mobile 'phones work on parts of the island, plus internet connection is possible from the villas. All this is fairly discreet and if you want to escape from modern technology and the office, this is certainly the place to do it.

In the villa area was also a kitchenette with a fridge packed full of alcohol plus a delicious variety of sorbets and ice creams, which were topped up every day according to your preference. Flavours varied from coconut to guava to passion fruit-all grown on the island. There were also home made crisps and chocolate chip cookies for when you were feeling a bit peckish.

For me the best part about North Island was being able to eat what you wanted, when you wanted, and where you wanted. I have an absolute aversion to buffets. For example when you arrive at 09:50, with breakfast finishing at 10:00 and you are expected to eat the only remaining few warm morsels left, it is not amusing. One spends ones life having to stick to office hours and routines, so on holiday it is great to do what you feel like when you wake up in the morning and not have to rush. The meal set up was aided considerably by the fact that each villa has its own private butler, with ours being called Brighton. He was from Zimbabwe and was incredibly efficient but also very humble and wasn't remotely intrusive. He was extremely flexible and was put to the test of setting up meals in various parts of the island. Also the rest of the staff on the island were charming and nothing was too much trouble.

We shared our villa with a Giant tortoise, who lived underneath and seemed completely unperturbed by our presence and quite happily pottered around doing its own thing. There are several tortoises who roam freely around the island. Apart from tortoises, North Island has an ongoing wildlife conservation programme and rare indigenous plants are being reintroduced.
To get around, we were given our own golf buggy which was great to have the freedom to explore the island, although I have a feeling that the speed limit had been set/reduced as they weren't able to go quite as fast as the girl racer in me would have liked and went particularly slowly uphill.

On the island are four main beaches, one being in front of the villas and main dining area, one being by where the helicopters land and then on the other side of the island from the accommodation were two other beaches. One was called honeymoon beach which could be booked off for private picnics and when I say picnics, to be honest it was the full works, with the waiters carting hampers over the rocks full of fresh produce and chilled wine in large ice buckets. They set it all up, leaving you in complete privacy until you were ready to leave.

The great thing about North Island is that you can be as sociable or as unsociable as you wish. Every evening before dinner there are drinks around the bar in the main dining area or on the sundowner beach, (which is the fourth beach), where most of the guests tended to congregate in the evenings. One evening whilst enjoying a local cocktail watching the sun go down, when all the other guests had left, a turtle came ashore and started looking for a place to bury her eggs, which was a wonderful and memorable sight.

The dive centre is extremely well equipped with all the latest kit and instructors who filled you with confidence, which from my experience is not always the case. The visibility was fairly good and seeing turtles not to mention sharks (small ones) were the highlights of my dive.

On our last morning we were about to head off to the helipad, when the resident ecologist mentioned that some turtles eggs had hatched in the night and there was one poor turtle who hadn't made it to the ocean. Did we want to go and help release it? There was obviously no question that we could miss this opportunity. With turtles you can't just put them in the water, as they need to remember their journey down the beach into the ocean as all female turtles come back to the exact spot where they were born to lay their own eggs. Watching this poor little creature struggle down along the sand was quite painful to watch, but as soon as it hit the water it was off and looked exactly like a wind up toy. Apparently they swim furiously for several days until they reach deep water and hope that they are not taken by a predator along the way. What a lovely sight to end our stay on North Island.

But the fun didn't end there as rather than returning by helicopter we took the option of going back by boat and managed to catch several barracuda along the way.

Would I return there? I'd be on the plane tomorrow if I won the lottery!

For more information about North Island, click here.