Londolozi Private Game Reserve is an unashamedly exclusive and
luxurious safari destination covering 14 000 hectares (34 580
acres) in the heart of the game-rich 56 000 hectare Sabi Sand
Game Reserve.
Londolozi is a Zulu word meaning "protector of all living
things" - an ambitious conservation ethic that Londolozi
embraces in its sensitivity to the natural world. This is why
the Londolozi Model is the blueprint of CC Africa's founding
principles:
"Care of the land, care of the wildlife and care of the
people". |
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Game Drives
Activities at Londolozi centre around game viewing drives
in open vehicles that traverse an area of some 14 000
hectares (34 580 acres) in search of wildlife, including
nocturnal species viewed after sunset. You may request
the sole use of a Land Rover for game viewing, (subject
to availability.)
Interpretive Walks
Armed rangers will lead you on bush walks - the quintessential
wilderness experience.
The Shangaan are renowned trackers of wildlife - a skill
honed to perfection among the many CC Africa trackers
and rangers. Shangaan people are in the majority in the
southern Lowveld and most of the staff at Londolozi come
from this cultural group.
Adventures
Your game viewing experience is complemented by many other
memorable activities such as:
- moonlit bush dinners
- private bush breakfasts
- guided stargazing trips
- bird-watching
- port served on the airstrip - usually after dinner
on a clear night*
- fishing with bamboo rods and "magic
- bush boxes" for children
- visits to the staff village encompassing the crèche,
school, adult learning centre, clinic and craft centre
(available to guests at Tree, Founders, Pioneer and
Bateleur Camp)
- bush presentations in orientation centre (available
to guests at Tree, Founders, Pioneer and Bateleur
Camp)
*If you are wondering why we would invite you to sip port
on our airstrip - all will become clear when you are driven
there on a cloudless night. What you will see is a panorama
of breathtaking proportions. Since the airstrip is on
a slope, the ground seems to slip away from you into a
massive sky full of shimmering constellations.
Library
For those cosy winter nights - a collection of wildlife
books, magazines and videos are available for you to enhance
your enjoyment of Africa. There is also a guest library
at Tree Camp. |
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 Londolozi
Private Game Reserve is proud to be the recipient of numerous
top awards
- Voted
by readers of Condé Nast Traveller onto the magazine's
2001 annual gold list of the world's best travel destinations.
- Londolozi Private Game Reserve was named Top Safari Resort
in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2000 Readers’
Choice Awards.
- Voted #1 by Travel + Leisure magazine’s (USA) annual
reader survey on the World’s Best Values, 2000
- Featured as #1 in the Top 10 Hotels for Service in Africa
and the Middle East in Travel + Leisure magazine, June 2000
- The first game reserve in the world to be awarded Relais
& Chateaux membership
- Voted #1 in the Top 10 Hotels for Service in Africa and
the Middle East in Condé Nast Traveler, July 2000
- Association of Southern African Travel Agents (Asata)
"Game Lodge of the Year", 1997
- Travel Trade Gazette's "Best Game Lodge Award”,
1997
- Winner of British Airways’ "Tourism for Tomorrow"
Award, 1992
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The four exclusive camps of
Bateleur, Tree and Bush (Pioneer and Founders) are secluded
in dense riverine forest on the banks of the Sand River,
in the northern section of the private reserve. In the
early dawn, you will hear the haunting calls of fish eagles,
and the booming snorts of hippo.
Each camp is totally private and self-contained.
Londolozi Bateleur Camp
Bateleur Camp has eight luxurious chalets and four gracious
suites. The camp was built on the site of the original
hunting camp, in remembrance of Londolozi's pioneering
days.
Londolozi Tree Camp
Tree Camp is so named because the dense riverine forest
environment and most notably the ancient Ebony Tree shading
the camp. Tree Camp has six lavish suites elevated 70
feet above the Sand River.
Londolozi Founders Camp
Founders Camp (Part of Bush Camp) has five chalets and
one suite secluded in dense riverine forest overlooking
the Sand River.
Londolozi Pioneer Camp
Pioneer Camp (Part of Bush Camp) consists of three exclusive
suites and three chalets and features unique open-plan
living spaces.
Londolozi Safari Lodge
Safari Lodge is located in a secluded spot along the Usutu
River in the southern section of Londolozi Private Game
Reserve. Safari Lodge's six intimate chalets embrace luxurious
simplicity and closeness to nature. |
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Landscape
The Sabi Sand Game Reserve is a mostly flat landscape
of undulating crests with some rocky outcrops, bisected
by the Sand River.
Game
Londolozi is a prime wildlife haven and has been rated
the best game experience in Southern Africa. The characteristic
species of the Sabi Sand are impala, greater kudu, giraffe,
buffalo, lion and leopard. Lions are the only truly social
members of the cat family, and sightings of lion prides
are the order of the day at Londolozi.
Open water channels and pools are favoured by hippo. Reedbeds
are favoured by buffalo and elephant. Riverine forest
along the river is green all year round, and is the haunt
of leopard, greater bush baby (galago) and bushbuck.
The dainty-hoofed klipspringer and rock dassie (hyrax)
are the only larger mammals restricted to rocky outcrops
in the Sabi Sand. Chacma baboons use the outcrops as vantage
points.
Bird Life
Bird diversity is high, with over 40 species of raptor
including Hooded Vulture, Secretary Bird, African Fish
Eagle, Bateleur, Brown Snake Eagle, Dark Chanting Goshawk
and Giant Eagle Owl. Cuckoos, Rollers, Kingfishers, Hornbills,
Shrikes, Starlings and Weavers are well represented. Some
common birds along the Sand River are the Paradise Flycatcher,
Heuglin's Robin, Collared Sunbird and Green Pigeon.
Open water channels and pools are favoured by Pied Kingfisher
and African Black Duck. Reedbeds are populated by Burchell's
Coucal, Redfaced Cisticola and various Weavers. Some common
savannah birds are the Green Spotted Dove (formerly called
the Emerald Spotted Wood Dove), Woodland Kingfisher, Blue
Waxbill, White Helmetshrike, Lizard Buzzard, Yellow-billed
Hornbill and Lilac-breasted Roller.
Reptiles
There are 13 lizard species. Interesting reptiles found
basking in the area are Bushveld Lizard, Flapnecked Chameleon,
Tropical House Gecko and Water Monitor/Leguaan. Nile Crocodile
swim through the open channels and pools.
Fish and Amphibians
Open channels and pools are also favoured by fish such
as Sharptooth Catfish, Bowstripe Barb and Mozambique Tilapia.
There are over 20 varieties of frog including Broadbanded
Grass Frog, Snoring Puddle Frog, Tremolo Sand Frog and
Golden Leaf-folding Frog.
Flora
Groves of Wild Date Palm grow on the outer fringes of
reedbeds. Jackalberry, Tamboti, Brack Thorn, Knob Thorn,
Flame Creeper and Sycamore Fig are among the trees that
flourish in the forest along the river. The forest is
green all year round. Red Bushwillow and Marula dominate
the crests and slopes while Knob Thorn, Leadwood, Tamboti
and Magic Guarri are abundant on the flats. The distinctive
scent of the Potato Bush permeates river banks in spring.
Arid-adapted plants provide a sparse covering on rocky
outcrops, forming a distinct habitat to which certain
plants and animals are restricted. Distinctive trees include
the Largeleaved Rock Fig, cactus-like Candelabra Tree,
purple-stemmed Common Star Chestnut.
Habitats
The principle habitat of Londolozi is bush savannah and
a thin band of evergreen riverine forest along the Sand
River. The watercourse of the Sand River is lined by swathes
of sand - from which the river derives its name. It is
the artery that sustains the region's wildlife. Three
other river-associated habitats can be distinguished,
each with characteristic species: open water of channels
and pools, reedbeds and riverine forest along the river.
These forests are green all year round. Rocky outcrops
also create a unique habitat for flora and fauna alike.
Conservation
The Londolozi Model, demonstrating the sustainable multi-use
of wildlife, was the blueprint on which the principles
of Conservation Corporation Africa (CC Africa) were founded.
The basic principles that guide all CC Africa endeavours
are "Care of the land, care of the wildlife and care
of the people".
Londolozi is in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, adjacent to
the world-renowned Kruger National Park, in the heart
of the South African Lowveld. The fence between the two
reserves that had blocked wildlife movement for thirty
years was finally taken down in 1990. The uninhibited
movement of buffalo, elephant, zebra, leopard, buffalo,
white rhino and other species became a reality.
Sabi Sand is now part of a huge conservation area and
one of the richest wildlife regions on the continent.
The "big five", especially leopard, are relaxed
when approached by vehicles, allowing for unsurpassed
photographic opportunities.
Londolozi has become known for its far-sighted methods
of land and wildlife rehabilitation as well as community
involvement programmes. For example, the intense erosion
and bush encroachment evident in the early days was effectively
managed, leading to the restoration of the area's historic
open grasslands. This in turn encouraged the return of
plains game that had largely disappeared. Bush clearing
has many spin-off benefits.
Londolozi strives to be ecologically sustainable in every
aspect of its operation - from tourism activities to project
management |
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