Singita Private Game Reserve

Cape Town, South Africa

Singita Private Game Reserve PO Box 23367 Claremont 7735 Cape Town South Africa

Local #: +27 21 683 3424 Fax #: +27 21 683 3502 $800.00-$2,400.00 http://www.singita.com/

The Singita Private Game Reserve lies in the heart of the Sabi Sand Reserve, a world-renowned wildlife Mecca on South Africa's glorious eastern escarpment, in the Province of Mpumulanga. Sabi lies adjacent to the Kruger National Park, though no fences exist between the two, allowing the animals free roam across the wild expanses.

Originally a game farm belonging to James Fawcett Bailles, the decision was made to open this magnificent piece of Africa to discerning visitors in 1994. Singita Ebony Lodge and Singita Boulders Lodge were conceived late that year, the brainchild of Luke Bailles, James Bailles' grandson. Singita means "the place of miracles" in Shangaan, and no name could be more fitting.

No expense was spared in the development of Singita Ebony and Singita Boulders, each lodge was created as a tribute to the unique splendour of the African wilderness around it. Ebony and Boulders soon distinguished themselves on the international resorts' stage having since won every major award globally. Both remain unmatched in Africa and among exclusive resorts the world over. The vision for both resorts is to continually reinvent and improve on the experience, so as to make each consecutive visit that much more magical and memorable for guests returning to this wonderful place.

Wildlife in the Sabi Sand Reserve lives up to its international reputation. Abundant in the Big Five and myriad smaller creatures, the reserve is bisected by the Sand River, an important source of water and a consistent place of refuge on the animals' endless migration. The lie of the land is perfectly suited to game viewing. Groves of acacia thornveld, Marula trees and flatcrowns give way to open expanses of grassland, where zebra, antelope and wildebeest graze, ever wary of the threat of the large cats. Drainage lines and dry river beds are leopard territory, these majestic cats are often spotted poised in the fork of a tree with a good vantage of the ground below.

The days at Singita start early, just as the sun begins to lighten the sky in the east. Your personal ranger and tracker, who accompany you on your wildlife expeditions for the duration of your stay, greet you in the main lodge with a warm beverage and light snack before you head out into the wonder of the African bush. Most of the trackers have an uncanny sixth sense about the wild, their intuition borders on the supernatural.

Shortly before the turn of the millennium, Singita were granted the rights to a twenty-year concession in the southeast corner of the Kruger National Park. It was against some of the most dramatic scenery and pristine wilderness that Africa has to offer that Singita Lebombo and Singita Sweni Lodges were envisaged. Developed on the vision 'to touch the earth lightly', both lodges were built on stilted decks above the ground, a transient witness to this breathtaking piece of Africa.

High above the confluence of the Sweni and N'wanetsi Rivers, the lofts at Lebombo mimic the nests and dens of the creatures that reside in the rocky cliff-side. With 180º views that stretch for miles over the plains, towards the Lebombo Range, the sparse suites are quiet and meditative spaces, devoid of excess and unnecessary adornment.

Sweni Lodge is the smallest and most diminutive of the Singita family. Set low on the banks of the Sweni River in the shade of the riverine forest, Sweni shares the quiet spaces of this beautiful African waterway. Decks of dark timber lifted with bright flashes of green, the mood is calm and contemplative. Featuring six exceptional hides scattered among the groves, Sweni is a place that has a lasting effect on the spirit.

The Lebombo concession is one of the most picturesque and pristine regions in Kruger Park. Rangers here testify that it holds some of the highest concentrations of game they've seen on the continent. From the large pride of lion to abundant herds of buffalo and solitary rhino, set against a backdrop of perennial rivers, cliffsides and an incredible diversity of flora.

As you touch down at the private airstrip in the Sabi Sand or Kruger Reserve, you'll have a sense of arrival. Not just at one of the world's most desirable destinations, but to a place that speaks to the soul. Wildest Africa is a place of savage beauty, where discovery extends beyond the senses and directly to oneself. We look forward to welcoming you to Singita.