As a veteran of the road, it’s often easy to convince myself that I’m the one in control when travelling and that I make the decisions that culminate to a specific outcome or experience. But when I take a step back and look at the beautiful chaos of travel, I can’t help but appreciate, or at the very least leave room for, a small margin of magic.
“Travel, and the people you meet along the way, really are incredible.”
Enter Barry Strick; a jovial gentleman who was on a road trip from New York to the Florida Keys, and who just so happened to also be staying at The Ritz Carlton Amelia Island while I was there for the Amelia Island Cookout last October. Upon hearing him speak, I instantly recognized him to be from South Africa and after exchanging the typical pleasantries, I told him that I was headed to Cape Town in a couple of months. He mentioned he had a tour company, Restio Travel, and would happily give me a list of recommendations.
We continued chatting as we meandered the halls and made our way to the oceanside fireplace where he regaled me with stories of The Mother City’s infamous dining scene, and while Barry was gushing over his favorite vineyards in Franschhoek, I could feel my excitement for this trip growing by the second. When he paused and asked me, “Have you booked a safari?” I admitted that I had succumbed to decision fatigue, as there were multiple regions and countless lodges to choose from. He said he knew just the place and that he would make a call in the morning to see if they had any availability during my dates.
By the time I awoke the next day, Barry was likely halfway to the Keys, and as my excitement slowly faded into a hangover, I feared that our interaction may have been another booze-fueled conversation that would smolder and eventually extinguish like the embers of the previous night’s fire. I didn’t know it at the time, but the safari lodge Barry had in mind was called The Royal Malewane – a group of five-star safari lodges adjacent to Greater Kruger National Park and part of the Royal Portfolio, which has produced some of South Africa’s most well-known and highly regarded hotels and restaurants including the Silo in Cape Town, the Birkenhead House in Hermanus, and La Residence in Franschhoek.
A few days after our meeting, I was relieved to receive an email from Barry saying he had managed to secure me a villa at The Royal Malewane’s Waterside Lodge, which is where I now sit as I write this – parked under the African stars next to another glowing fire, over eight thousand miles away from where we met several months ago. Travel, and the people you meet along the way, really are incredible.
After several gloriously gluttonous days eating and drinking our way through Franschhoek, my partner and I jumped on a regional flight from Cape Town to Hoedspruit, approximately 450 miles from Johannesburg as the crow flies, to begin our safari adventure. The expanse of the landscape was immediately noticeable on approach to the rural airport. The ground below boasted seemingly unlimited shades of green, scarred by reddish dirt roads sprawling chaotically in every direction and resembling cracks in the surface of an enormous green vase.
At the arrival gate we were greeted by Nik; a burly, dark-haired fellow with a neatly trimmed beard that I took an instant liking to, and who would turn out to be our lead bush guide for the next few days. Raised in Johannesburg, Nik spent his youth exploring the bushveld (the sub-tropical, savanna woodland ecoregion in Southern Africa) with his family on weekends. He eventually studied Nature Conservation in Pretoria before being selected as the first intake for the Royal Malewane’s apprenticeship program nineteen years ago, and he has been employed with them ever since. We climbed into his Land Cruiser and comfortably made our way to the lodge, curiously probing him for tales of the unbridled African wilderness.
As we made our way east from the airport, the paved motorway soon turned into a wide dirt road. Shortly after, we entered the Thornybush Nature Reserve, and any semblance of a road quickly disappeared into tire-track trails, winding this way and that, through the low-lying vegetation peppered with baobab and marula trees. I had (incorrectly) assumed that once we reached the lodge we would be taken to some ‘other location’ to try and spot the wildlife that we had travelled so far to witness, but I quickly realized that we were already immersed in the bush. It wasn’t long before we came upon a herd of buffalo resting in a field accompanied by a few zebras and a sounder of warthogs with their newborn piglets. We hadn’t even completed the transfer from the airport, and we had encountered one of the ‘Big Five’ species. I was elated and trying to get as many pictures as I could when Nik assured me that we would see plenty more that afternoon on our first game drive. Nevertheless, my eyes remained peeled and my camera at the ready for the rest of the journey to the lodge.
“I had told the team that I wanted to try as many local game meats during our stay as possible, and they delivered.”
We arrived at our destination in the late afternoon and as we pulled up to the entrance we were greeted by the entire hospitality team, each offering a welcoming wave and an even bigger smile. The Waterside Lodge, so named as it sits on the bank of a dammed reservoir, is one of seven luxury lodges and villas that make up the Royal Malewane. It is comprised of multiple, detached, single story, open-air buildings featuring lofty ceilings with exposed wooden beams and thick reeded roofs. The lobby, as it were, featured an indoor dining room with retractable glass panels and a beautiful water view, as well as a covered outdoor bar that overlooked the alfresco dining area shaded by towering fever trees. We were invited to enjoy a drink at the bar while our bags were escorted to our villa, and I relished the opportunity to have my new favorite cocktail since arriving in South Africa – a brandy Old Fashioned.
Each luxury villa was uniquely presented in vibrant colors inspired by the rich history of Africa, blending modern amenities and design, juxtaposed with Victorian-era furniture and hand-carved wooden cabinetry.
The doors and their frames, also carved by hand, looked as if they had been reclaimed from a time long ago and given a new life out of respect of the lost artisans who crafted them. The entrance opened into a cozy living room with a fireplace and the opposite wall, which was composed almost entirely of full-length sliding glass panels, revealing a private deck and plunge pool that looked out over the untamed wilderness. The master bedroom was beautifully appointed with more handmade furniture and a bed that looked as if it had been woven from threads made of clouds. The His-and-Her’s bathrooms were virtually mirror-image, save for the free-standing bathtub in Hers that was perched in front of double glass doors that opened onto the deck, so that one could soak in the tub with a glass of Cap Classique, while also soaking up the views of the expansive horizon.
Hungry from our travels, we finished our welcome cocktails and sat at a table next to the water where we were presented with individual menus tailored to our dining preferences, adorned with our names and the day’s date. Three times a day, every day for the remainder of our stay, we were given a new menu with a dozen new dishes to choose from, each sounding better than the next. The hardest part of every meal was choosing what to eat, since you knew that next time you sat down, these items would all be swapped out with a new barrage of choices to contend with.
I had told the team that I wanted to try as many local game meats during our stay as possible, and they delivered. Seared loin of kudu, springbok and impala were staples on my menus, as well as warthog and crocodile carpaccio, springbok tartare and a bountiful array of vegetable and seafood dishes. Freshly baked bread and house whipped butter were standard starters, offered alongside a selection of local wines to help set the stage for the deliciousness ahead. The Chef and culinary team would frequently visit our table throughout our stay to discuss how we enjoyed the food and inquire if we had any specific desires for the next meal.
‘We spent several hours tracking elephants, impala, hyenas and wild dogs, all the while Nik was pointing out every species of bird within a three-mile radius.”
The front of house team likewise was the epitome of hospitality. The service was formal and intentional, but warm and with plenty of personality, if you initiated conversation. We were always greeted by name and truly felt that every staff member was going out of their way to say hello, and ensure we felt like so much more than just another guest passing through their doors.
Despite the array of options we kept our first lunch light, opting for venison tataki, kingklip ceviche, cauliflower Badji and a Greek salad – all elegantly prepared and neatly woven together by a bottle of rose Cap Classique. After lunch we met Nik back at the lodge entrance where he introduced us to the other half of our dynamic driving duo, Jon. As an expert wildlife tracker, Jon knew this area like the back of his hand. He was a man of few words, but after one quick flash of his smile, you knew he had a heart warmer than the African sun. We mounted the Land Cruiser and hit the trails with Nik behind the wheel and Jon perched in a spotter seat elevated above the truck’s hood. They immediately locked-in to tracking mode and you could tell right away that they were an experienced team.
The Thornybush Private Nature Reserve, where Royal Malewane is located, isn’t a single park, but rather a fifteen-thousand-hectare area comprised of multiple landowners and lodges that runs adjacent to Greater Kruger National Park. The members of this consortium have together to pool their resources and land access, creating a concession that is guided by a conservation-first ethos and has a deep commitment to preserving their ecosystem that goes far beyond wildlife viewing. Their combined focus is to protect the native plants, animals and natural ecological process of the Lowveld bushveld and ensure its survival and protection from poachers and overdevelopment. The lodges within this concession have mutual access to the combined reserve land without fences or other impediments, which allows for longer game drives, which in turn renders more fruitful wildlife sightings and bush experiences as animals are free to traverse the landscape as they were meant to.
Historically, ‘fortress conservation’ was a popular method of controlling areas of land in this region. Private and hunting reserves would use fences and armed enforcement to police the land and control wildlife under the belief that humans and nature were unable to coexist. These days however, many landowners are joining forces and lobbying for the de-fortification of the Kruger to Canyon Biosphere Region, which spans over 2.5 million hectares from Kruger National Park in the East, to the Blyde River Canyon and the Drakensberg Mountain range in the West. Recognized as one of the top biosphere regions globally by UNESCO, concessions like Thornybush Nature Reserve are playing a significant role in the efforts to ensure that future growth in the region is balanced with continued ecological conservation, so that protected areas, private reserves and rural communities can continue to grow and thrive in harmony. While there is still a way to go, every year more land is being bought back with the explicit intent of conservation, meaning the fortress-fences of old are slowly being torn down across some of South Africa’s most iconic landscapes and ecosystems.
As we ventured away from the lodge, the bush thickened, the trails narrowed and I was on high alert for the buffalo herd we saw earlier. We spent several hours tracking elephants, impala, hyenas and wild dogs, all the while Nik was pointing out every species of bird within a three-mile radius. It was fascinating to watch Jon and Nik identify various wildlife tracks and listen to them converse in Tsonga as they discussed on the fly which direction to take, somehow differentiating one ubiquitous dirt road from the next.
The speed and accuracy at which Jon could spot tracks while mounted to the front of the truck like a clairvoyant hood ornament was astounding. However, my admiration was quickly overcome by adrenaline when he noticed something on the ground and signaled Nik to take an abrupt right. Continuing in Tsonga, they kept saying “nghala, nghala” to each other, pointing to tracks on the ground. An immediate silence fell over the rest of us as their voices lowered in volume but quickened in pace, the word “nghala” punctuating every sentence.
” We spent several hours tracking elephants, impala, hyenas and wild dogs, all the while Nik was pointing out every species of bird within a three-mile radius.”
We hustled down several switchback routes, seemingly losing the trail and picking it up again as we followed tracks that darted through the expansive bush. My heart was racing and my eyes were glued to the sides of the road, trying to catch a glimpse of something, anything, despite not knowing what we were looking for. As we turned the next corner we were met by two female lions and four male cubs, sprawled across the road like a bunch of holiday sunbathers, and it clicked—nghala was the Tsonga word for lion, and there they were before us in all their glory.
The lions had had a kill that morning, Nik said, and now they were enjoying an afternoon lounge-around while they digested. We managed to get remarkably close, almost uncomfortably so, but the lions were entirely unfazed as they looked up at us lazily with huge eyes and full bellies. We were ecstatic, as one might expect, but what I did not expect to see was how excited Nik and Jon were. The two of them grinning like kids on Christmas. I suppose witnessing such majestic creatures in the wild never gets old. As Nik backed up the Land Rover and we headed towards the lodge, he turned around to us and asked if he could radio the bar with our drink order so that our preferred beverages would be ready upon our return to the lobby. “I’ll have a brandy Old Fashioned,” I said. “Thanks Nik.”
Over the next few days, we zig-zagged the trails twice a day, mornings and afternoons, in search of all manner of wildlife. We saw herds of buffalo and wildebeests, small tortoises and massive hippos. We saw a crocodile that looked as it was cast in a shimmering bronze as well as multiple encounters with giraffes and elephants so close that they could have taken the hat off my head with their trunks. There were zebras, impala, and kudu en masse, lizards, vultures and my personal favorite, rhinoceros. Every drive was a new opportunity to experience Mother Nature in all her glory, and she was putting on a show.
On our last day, we awoke to find out that a weather system had come in overnight and the trails were too wet to drive, so we opted for a day lounging around the lodge. We indulged in a late breakfast before making our way to the in-house spa for some pampering in the open-air treatment rooms. Afterwards, we ventured to the main pool which overhung the waterside and provided a great lookout spot for any animals that happened to stop by the reservoir for respite and refreshments. A bit of residual drizzle from the heavens above didn’t deter us, as the water in the pool was warm and we floated, basking in the diffused late-morning light, watching monkeys dart along the tree branches. After an unnecessarily large and entirely self-inflicted lunch, we spent much of the afternoon in the library reading by the fire while I enjoyed a cigar.
When I looked up from my book to extinguish what was left of my Epicure No.2, I saw Nik approaching from the far side of the library. The weather was clearing and he asked if we wanted one last drive before we departed the following morning, so we jumped to our feet and scrambled to the villa to grab our safari gear. We met Nik and Jon by the Land Cruiser, loaded up for one last drive, and headed into the bush. We were graced with what seemed like a procession of large game, as if they had all come to bid us a final farewell, but the icing on the cake was a gorgeous female leopard, appropriately perched in a thorny bush just a few feet off the ground, relaxing in the cool breeze as the occasional raindrop continued to fall on the lush landscape around us.
“I couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate where I was, consider the scale of my surroundings and acknowledge my own inconsequentiality”
As we headed back to the lodge, the sun began poking through the clouds as it set behind the Drakensberg Mountain range far off in the distance. I couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate where I was, consider the scale of my surroundings and acknowledge my own inconsequentiality. Then, just as my thoughts were about to whisk me far away, Nik turned around and I snapped back to the present moment. He looked directly at me as if to ask a question, but we both already knew the answer.
“I’ll have the usual, thanks Nik.”
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