In May Roar Africa took a trip to Paradise Island. The tiny island where Bob Dylan composed his song Mozambique is one of five islands making up the Bazaruto Archipelago which at the time of writing you won't even find on GOOGLE maps. No, you'll have to switch to satellite view to see them, but they were very much on the map years ago and they will be again soon. They are glorious.

For Deborah and I it was a first visit to Paradise Island and for the Graham and Tish it was the first time back in 29 years. And that visit 29 years ago was also a first visit - they were the first intrepid "tourists" to arrive in 1980 after the Independence war (and still during the civil war).

Graham Keth tells the story:

Exploring Paradise Island.

Santa Carolina (Paradise Island), 2 miles by 0.3 miles in size, is a true rock island with deep channels, three beautiful beaches, and coral reefs close to the shore. In the 1950's Joaquim Alves, a flamboyant Portuguese businessman, controlled the coast line from Beira to Vilankulos (roughly 160 miles) and married a Mozambique local called Donna Anna. He gave her the first hotel in Vilankulos which was named after her and then focused his efforts on the tiny Santa Carolina where he built a grand 250 room hotel that was very popular with honeymooners and others for 20 years. This man was a legend in the area.

Before the air strip was built on Santa Carolina one would fly to Vilankulos and transfer to Santa Carolina by ferry - a distance of about 50 miles which took up to 4.5 hours (light Aircraft +/- 15minutes). After the air strip was built in the mid 60’s pilots would clear into the country at Beira or Lourenco Marques (Maputo) before continuing to the Island.

The very first of many trips to the island was round about 1959. The hotel was in its heyday and filled with people. However Mozambique was in the middle of an independence war and Joaquim Alves abandoned the hotel in 1973 towards the end of that war. Santa Carolina became a “no go area" occupied by FRELIMO - The Liberation Front of Mozambique. After independence in 1975 the Civil war ensued (1975 to 1992) but under the new government the FRELIMO personnel were moved to the main land. So it was that in 1980, shortly after Zimbabwe also gained independence, a colleague (also a pilot) and myself decided on a trip to the Island.

We flew from Zimbabwe in two aircraft for safety and were the first two aircraft to land on the island after Mozambique’s independence . We were unaware of the condition of the airstrip and landed after several low level inspection approaches. The friendly Mozambiquan staff, all dressed in their threadbare old uniforms, welcomed us to the island and gave us the best rooms available. Most of the rooms had been vandalised by the troops that occupied the island.

Exploring the old hotel.

Fortunately we brought our own essentials of tinned food, tea, milk and sugar. At our first meal we were offered fish which included Crayfish cooked over an open fire. Tish and I ordered one each and we could not believe their size, they weighed 11.7 lbs each! We were also given “Chicken casserole” which clearly was not a fowl at all and could only have been seagull, by the taste and the size and colour of the bones.

This is fishing paradise and so I hired one of the remaining old fishing boats (no life jackets and no radio communications) - we left at sunrise. As we were departing, I was aware of the captain’s assistant bailing water out of the boat with a 5 liter can. Initially I was not concerned as I thought it was water that had seeped in after standing overnight. We fished for about 3 hours on the high sea beyond Bazaruta island. All this time the chap never stopped bailing out water, however the fishing was good and after landing several barracuda, king fish and several sharks we returned. Other problems included blocked fuel filter stoppage of the engine and a horrible vibration of the prop shaft presumably from worn bearings or bent prop shaft.

On arrival I was met by a rather concerned Tish; unbeknown to me the other aircraft had left as one of their children had taken ill. Tish was concerned because although also the holder of a pilot's license she had no experience on the twin engine aircraft.

Another good memory of that trip was standing waist deep in the sea with a screw driver and eating oysters straight from the rocks. At the end of the trip we paid our bill with clothes and tackies (sneakers) as they insisted that money of any denomination was of no use.

The present hotel is still derelict, as is the Donna Anna in Vilankulos. The Paradise Island concession was previously owned by Ecco Delta Ltd. Rani Resorts has recently entered an agreement to purchase the concession and hopes to start building soon.

*****

Although the hotel on Santa Carolina is in ruins it makes a wonderful day trip from one of the neighboring islands where there are beautiful lodges to choose from. Our day trip to the island was taken with Indigo Bay (Rani Resorts) with wom we had a wonderful stay on the neighboring Bazaruto Island (More on that in a seperate post). Take a day trip for a picnic, snorkeling, exploration, or just for some private beach time. It's also happens to be great kiteboarding spot but I took my own kite and borrowed a board from a very accomodating Indigo Bay staff member. Until recently the piano which Bob Dylan apparently used was still in the hotel ruins. It is now safely on the neighboring island but I hear it will be returned when Rani Resorts rebuilds on the Santa Carolina.

Wind + private beach = Kiteboarding Paradise

Just two nights ago 9 lions attacked a large buffalo bull right at the lodge. This image was taken by Lee Dicks (lodge GM) from the lodge deck where I enjoyed a more peaceful cocktail just a week ago. The lions took on the largest male buffalo in the herd in an attempted kill. Their offensive lasted about an hour of wave after wave of attacks.

Battle from lodge deck, Lee Dicks, Tintswalo lodge

"Eventually the big boy managed to drag himself into the waterhole - the Lion’s obviously didn’t want an evening swim and accepted their defeat." Tintswalo

Here is a photograph of the more tranquil deck. It's a good reminder that you are not so much "on safari" as "in safari". Amazing wildlife experiences, both large and small, happen all around you.

The Tintswalo Deck looking tranquil

Tintswalo Safari Lodge is located within the Manyeleti Private Game reserve which borders Kruger National Park. With only two commercially operated lodges, a maximum of 8 safari vehicles traverse the reserve. Each vehicle therefore has the equivalent of 2937 hectares to itself. Tintswalo Safari suites and lodge are all situated along a beautiful seasonal river bed among an ancient sycamore tree grove.

In just 29 days time, on August 17th, privately owned South African airline Airlink will start connecting two sought after destinations. You will be able to fly directly from Nelspruit (which is close to Kruger National Park, South Africa) to Livingstone (which is at Victoria Falls in Zambia).

Here's the schedule (Day, Flight#, Route, Departure, Arrival)
Mon, Wed, Fri SA8870 Nelspruit to Livingstone 11h35 13h50
Mon, Wed, Fri SA8871 Livingstone to Nelspruit 14h20 16h45

Mugabe and The White African; an intimate and moving feature-length documentary, charting one family's extraordinary courage in the face of a relentless campaign of state-sanctioned terror.
Directed by Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson



WINNER of the SilverDocs documentary film festival's Sterling 'World Feature' Grand Jury Prize
This is the astonishing story of Michael and Angela Campbell and their daughter and son-in-law Laura and Ben Freeth trying to hold onto their farms in Zimbabwe. In fact the Campbells and Freeths are family friends farming right next door to where my brother and my sister-in-law used to farm (and where she grew up) before their farm was taken from them a few years ago.

Here are the screening times in New York for the film in August at IFC Doucweeks.

MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN

• Fri 8/7 4:30 PM 9:45 PM
• Sat 8/8 12:00 PM 6:10 PM
• Sun 8/9 1:40 PM 8:00 PM
• Mon 8/10 12:00 PM 9:45 PM
• Tue 8/11 12:00 PM 6:10 PM
• Wed 8/12 1:40 PM 8:00 PM
• Thu 8/13 7:40 PM 9:45 PM

ADDRESS: 323 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10014
Ph (212) 924-7771
DIRECTIONS: West 3rd & 6th Avenue
Online tickets

If you are interested and live in New York or nearby please try to attend and tell your friends. The more people who see it the better the ultimate distribution will be.

Also showing in LOS ANGELES at the Laemmle's Town Center in Encino Aug. 14th -20th

Website: Mugabe and The White African

That's tricky and very personal. Here's a short and simple take on binoculars:

Trade-offs are basically between: size, weight, magnification and light. So it depends what you want them for.

Specifications look like this: (leaving out the more technical specs)

• 7 x 30
• 8 x 42
• 10 x 40 ....

The first number is magnification.
If it's too high you'll probably have trouble with keeping the view steady. You will probably not be using a tripod - they will be hand-held in a land rover. Go for minimum 7 and max 10. For safari 8 x 42 is great. For something like boating (due to movement) you might stick with 7x magnification. Got a steady hand? Try 10x.

The second number is lens diameter.
This translates into the amount of light the lens farthest from you lets in and thus the clarity of image. For safari specifically you are best off with a larger number here because much of your game viewing is in low light conditions: early and late in the day. That means that for safari the small compact binocs are not ideal. However you don't go on safari every day so don't get too hung up on this. You might use a small pair more often because you will be more inclined to take them with you.

Lenses:
There are two systems for binocs:

1. Double lenses: first lens magnifies, second re-inverts the image.
2. Prism. lens magnifies, prisms re-inverts image. Prisms are generally better. The image quality should be preferable.

Brands of choice:
Top three: Leica, Zeiss and Swarovski. (and the prices unfortunately match!) Leica might be more robust. Nikon, Bushnell and Steiner are good as are some others though purists will tell you that there are no "good" binocs, there are only excellent ones and "bad" ones and the first three brands are certainly excellent.

Other things to consider:
Durability, waterproofing, fog-proofing, magnifying, nitrogen-filled, field of view..... don't get too hung up on this stuff unless your needs are very specific.

Conclusion:
Decide what you want them for and consider "lugability" - weight & size. I like small compact binocs and am fine with some loss of image clarity. In fact I carry a tiny 6x16 monocular. I think it cost me about $40. Great for hiking and climbing trips. Not great for safari but then I tend to have it with me 10x as often as others have their binocs so that makes up for it. :)

• Consider those top three brands first
• Magnification: 7 to 10
• Lens diameter: as large as possible. 42 is great but you'll sacrifice that if you are going for compact ones.
• Prism system. Again- a sacrifice if you go ultra-compact

And remember: you don't have to have your own binoculars. The lodges usually provide a pair to share. Roar Africa guides do as well.

Real life Dangermouse was a dirty rat!

This didn't happen in southern Africa but it does involve an African leopard and it is an amusing story. It was captured on film by photography student Casey Gutteridge shortly after feeding time at the Santago Rare Leopard Project in Hertfordshire, England.

The Daily Mail recites the events as follows:

The little rat - thought to be only two to three months old - was spotted scampering into the leopard's enclosure shortly after feeding time at the Santago Rare Leopard Project, in Hertfordshire. So intent was the plucky rodent on its mission to snatch a tasty snack, that it seemed not to notice that its path was taking it within a whisker's breadth of 12-year-old Sheena.

Clutching a corner of raw meat with its tiny paws, the rat busily tucked in, until it sensed one of those whiskers moving in. Sheena, bemused by the interloper coming between her and the remains of dinner, padded over on paws big enough to wreak vengeance with a single swipe. But rather than giving the thief at very least the hearty set down it deserved, she gingerly lowered her nose for an exploratory sniff. Rattus paused, lifted its dainty pink claws in submission, then - obviously deciding on a nothing-ventured-nothing-gained approach - continued to tuck in. And after another tentative investigation, Sheena gave the leopard equivalent of a shrug and turned away.


Mr Gutteridge, 19, from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, thought the rodent was a mouse. Mr Gutteridge said: 'I have no idea where it came from - he just appeared in the enclosure after the keeper had dropped in the meat for the leopard. 'He didn't take any notice of the leopard, just went straight over to the meat and started feeding himself. 'But the leopard was pretty surprised - she bent down and sniffed at it and flinched a bit like she was scared. 'It was amazing, even the keeper who had thrown the meat into the enclosure was shocked - he said he'd never seen anything like it before.'

An expert at the Wildlife Trust said the creature was in fact a young and 'inexperienced rat', identifiable by its big paws and ears and more importantly its bald, scaly tail with a thick base.


Leopard project owner Jackie James added: 'My son threw meat in for the photographers and it just appeared. Sheena batted it away but it just came back. The determined little thing took no notice and just carried on.' Sheena was brought in to the Santago Rare Leopard Project from a UK zoo when she was just four months old. She is one of 14 big cats in the private collection started by Jackie's late husband Peter in 1989.

*****

The African leopard can be found in the continent's forests, grasslands, savannas, and rainforests. The leopard is the most elusive of all the big cats. They are solitary animals and are primarily nocturnal - preferring to hunt at night. The species is also a strong climber and is capable of killing prey larger than itself. The leopard's prey ranges from fish, reptiles and birds to smaller mammals such as hares and monkeys. A stealthy hunter, leopards are known to stalk close to their prey and run a relatively short distance on the hunt. They kill by grabbing their prey by the throat and biting down with their jaws, and store their larger kills in trees - out of the reach of prowling lions and hyenas.

The most visited part of the Cape Wine lands, other than the wine farms in Cape Town itself, is the triangle formed by the towns of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl. It's not surprising- Fine wines, spectacular scenery, and culinary delights abound and they are all steeped in history. Naturally the beauty and history doesn't end abruptly at the edge of this triangle. Some of my favorite areas are just beyond this artificial boundary.

Take Elgin/Grabouw. I first explored the area during kloofing* expeditions in my university days and then later when my brother lived and farmed there in the early 90's. The drive to Elgin is amazing from whichever direction you approach. You can drive over the spectacular pass from Franschhoek valley where legend has it that during 1836, the last elephants of the area, a mother and calf, were seen leaving the valley on what came to be the Franschhoek pass. Equally spectacular but busier is the approach over Sir Lowry's pass where False bay stretches out behind you. This is a fruit farming area of astounding beauty.

You'll find mostly Apples in Elgin but there's plenty of diversity. Food & Wine magazine has just featured a story 'Best Tomato Recipes from Andreas Viestad'. Andreas Viestad is a food writer and TV host from Norway who unexpectedly found himself becoming a tomato farmer in Elgin. After a visit to South Africa to research his second book he started a project called the Garden of Elgin in collaboration with Dr. Paul Clüver on his family’s vineyard.

“I want to be able to make the same tomato salad every day, and have it taste different...” says Andreas Viestad

You'll find the article here. He shares his cooking philosophy and his very best tomato recipes

You won't see any elephants in Elgin today however you can find some not too far from Elgin at Aquila Private Game Reserve and Sanbona Wildlife Reserve where you'll also find the rare white lions.

Other favorite areas to visit are the Hex River valley just beyond Paarl (and over another incredible pass), Ceres (home of the fantastic Ceres fruit juices) and Montagu.

Watch out if you visit. You might just find yourself farming in Elgin.

* Kloofing, also known as canyoning, is the art of following a mountain stream down its course by floating, jumping and swimming. Kloofing takes place in a river gorge deep in the mountains. Some of the most spectacular kloofs including Suicide gorge are in the Western cape mountains near Elgin.

From: Stephanie
Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 5:19 PM
To: 'Deborah Calmeyer'
Subject: AWESOME trip!

Deborah,

Thanks so much for setting up such a wonderful trip for Anthony and me. We enjoyed every minute. The trip to the township was amazing. Anthony commented on how upbeat the people were. It was a wonderful experience for us both. Your dad was such a knowledgeable guide, adding tremendous richness and depth to our visit.

The people at Londolozi were absolutely fabulous! Accommodations were beautiful and we ended up with one of their best guides (Alfred). Every time we named something we wanted to see, he’d find it. I’ve attached some of our safari pictures. It was pretty cool to be sitting just a few feet from lions, etc.—far better than we had even imagined!

This was a trip we will always remember. Thanks again!

Stephanie & Anthony

In Travel + Leisure's 14th annual poll, they once again asked their readers to rate the best hotels, cruises, airlines, outfitters, cities, islands, and more.

Cape Town came in at number 2 in the Top 10 cities overall. We think there's a mistake but #2 in the world is still pretty good. Udaipur (India) was number one.

Some of Roar Africa's preferred accommodations featured very well in the Top 100 Hotels Overall. 11 of the top 100 in the world, including number 1, are in South Africa and 5 are in Botswana:

#1 Bushmans Kloof, South Africa
#3 Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve (Earth Lodge), South Africa
#6 Singita Lodge, Sabi Sand, South Africa
#10 Jack's Camp, Kalahari, Botswana
#13 Eagle Island Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana
#15 Twelve Apostles, Cape Town, South Africa
#24 Lion Sands Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sand, South Africa
#29 The Saxon, Johannesburg, South Africa
#29 Singita Reserve, Kruger Park, South Africa
#34 Londolozi Private reserve, Sabi Sand, South Africa
#44 Khwai River lodge, Okavango Delta, Botswana
#58 Cape Grace, Cape Town, South Africa
#60 Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek Valley, South Africa
#69 Mombo and Little Mombo, Okavango Delta, Botswana
#75 Savuti Elephant Camp, Chobe National park, Botswana
#77 Mala Mala Game reserve, Sabi Sand, South Africa

For more on Travel + Leisure's website click here.

Bushman's Kloof, South Africa: #1

Douglas Rogers talking to David Asman on FOX Business about his book The Last Resort, the current situation in Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe's blood diamonds.

Watch the interview from 7/9/2009 below or here.
Read a previous post about Doug's book here.

There's an interesting article on the BBC news website 'Speedy cheetahs put through their paces' (10 July 2009). Scientists at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) are using a running track, cameras and some chicken on a string to examine cheetahs running and compare the results to other species.

Cheetahs can accelerate to a top speed of over 104 km/h (64 mph) or more within just a few paces. That's over 40 km/h faster than a greyhound. It's difficult to understand how they can accomplish this but research is pointing to a few differences between them and other species such as their asymmetric gait and flexible spines. Research is still in progress. For more click here.

Cheetah on running track (BBC News)

There's a fun article in Travel + Leisure about some of the most outrageous concierge requests received. Many of the surprising requests were met. One request submitted by Roar Africa was a little tricky to fulfill:

Douglas Rogers writes:
Not every outrageous demand can be met. Deborah Calmeyer of the New York–based Roar Africa travel company recalls an American client at Lions Sands safari lodge in South Africa. “He wanted the staff to place an engagement ring on a string around the neck of a male lion and parade the animal into the lodge towards his future wife. They had to explain to him that perhaps this wasn’t a very good idea.”

It seems there are people who don't realize that their safari is not in Disney World.

Click here for the article online in Travel + Leisure.

South African Airways (SAA) is currently advertising very inexpensive fares to South Africa between August 11th and September 11th 2009. $1,034 for a round trip from New York or Washington DC to Johannesburg is a price we haven't seen in years. They call it the Sizzling Summer Special and you can link to it here.

It's a great time of year for safari and you won't have to pay peak rates at the hotels. You do have to book by July 15th.

Peggy Healy Parker writes about her lunch with Pat Cavendish O'Neill, author of A Lion in the Bedroom: The Fabulous High-life of the Heiress Who Couldn't Say No. Peggy was hosted by Roar Africa and accompanied by Geoff Calmeyer who, like Pat, had a lion as a pet many years ago.

The article is online at Vogue here and pasted below.

Postcard From Cape Town: A One-On-One With The One And Only Pat Cavendish O’Neill

July 8, 2009 12:20 pm

I had a feast in Africa. No ordinary feast, mind you—I was the luncheon guest of Pat Cavendish O’Neill, heiress and author of A Lion in the Bedroom, a charmingly written and juicy chronicle of the lavish life she led as daughter of one of Britain’s most famous beauties, Enid Lindeman. Pat’s half brother was equally famous—Roderick (Rory) Cameron authored a number of books and designed the iconic mansion of the Côte d’Azur, La Fiorentina (later owned by Harding and Mary Wells Lawrence). So artistic was Rory that the interior walls of La Fiorentina had to perfectly match the color of the back side of the olive leaf. Pat called him “the most wonderful brother”—she clearly adored him. Other guests included Geoff Calmeyer, co-owner of the prestigious bespoke tour company Roar Africa, as well as former neighbors of Pat and three young volunteers working at an AIDS orphanage. Some 15 dogs trotted up the long, tree-lined drive to greet us.

At 84, Pat is still young, still interested in everything, and still a beauty in her own right—no one has such wide-set pale blue eyes. “I’ve had a wonderful life,” she said, ushering us to the shaded pool-side terrace. Thirty years ago Pat and her mother moved from Kenya’s Happy Valley to Broadlands, a stud farm outside of Cape Town, for her mother’s health and at the behest of Beryl Markham, aviatrix, horse trainer, and a reputed lover of Denys Finch Hatton—yes, Karen Blixen’s Finch Hatton. Beryl told Pat: “Broadlands has a wonderful paddock and horses, white fencing, and trees everywhere.” Like Beryl, Pat and her mother raised champion thoroughbreds and eventually Pat fell in love with South Africa. And why not? Cape Town is one of the most beautiful and welcoming cities in the world. Though there is still disparity between blacks and whites, it’s changing and you can feel the thaw. Here, hospitality has been raised to a fine art at such fabulous venues as the Steenberg Hotel, the Constantia Guest House, and the Delaire Graff Estate, the new über-luxurious hotel, winery, and restaurant conceived by diamond king Laurence Graff and designed by the brilliant David Collins.

After a surfeit of lunch, we toured the grounds of Broadlands to see Pat’s menagerie (and I don’t mean the glass kind)—four baboons, assorted goats, donkeys, pigs, cattle, 14 cats, 60 vervet monkeys, and another 20-odd canines. Pat rescued every last animal except for one magnificent dog, Cash, so named because it’s the only creature she paid money for. The walls of the drawing room are hung to the rafters with oils and watercolors surrounding a portrait of Pat and Tana, her beloved pet lioness who, she said, “taught me the beauty of Africa.” There are photographs of Fred Astaire, Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and many other family friends. There are paintings of her mother and paintings by her mother, of whom she said, “Men just adored her. Once they fell, they fell for the rest of their lives. She was also a brilliant painter.”

Best of all, Pat told us she’s writing a sequel to A Lion in the Bedroom. (If you haven’t read part one of her autobiography, beg, borrow, or steal to get your hands on a copy of the hard-to-find book.) I can’t wait to find out what happened next in her exciting, extraordinary, and eccentric life.

—Peggy Healy Parker

Jill Demling, Entertainment Editor at Vogue writes about her Yoga Safari to Londolozi Reserve in South Africa with Roar Africa.

Read it below or the find the original online here:
Style.com, Beauty, Health, and Fitness Monday June 29, 2009

from Vogue: Style.com

Travel Diary: Londolozi Yoga Safari in South Africa

In my wildest dreams (and despite a genuine yearning) I never thought I would get to see South Africa, and I never thought I would get to see South Africa for the following reasons:

1. I am pretty unpredictable on airplanes, and the thought of a sixteen-hour journey across the ocean didn’t exactly seem like the best way to bookend any fantastic getaway.

2. I work a full-time job, and escaping my office for a two-week vacation usually proves to be impossible. OK, not usually. Always.

3. I can be a finicky traveler. I like to lie by the pool with a good book and a cocktail as much as the next weary worker, but I also have an active streak and shudder at the thought of spending even one hour in a hotel gym.

4. I assumed it would be wildly (and prohibitively) expensive.

So, I thought, I may never make it to South Africa. That was fine. I was perfectly content lolling along the beach in Amagansett, visiting family up in Boston, and taking an annual jaunt to somewhere cool (and closer) like Europe or Costa Rica. I was fine with it. Really. That is, until a friend introduced me to Deb Calmeyer, and I started thinking that maybe it was finally time to make one of my big-time travel fantasies come true.

Deb and her father, Geoff, both natives of South Africa, launched their travel company, Roar Africa, in 2005 with a very simple mission: a perfectly personalized South African vacation. How personalized? If you love bird-watching, they will hire a guide to point out the indigenous species. Certified oenophile? A wine expert will take you to all the local wineries—even the ones way off the beaten path. Is a vacation not a vacation unless you end up lugging shopping bags through customs? The Calmeyer’s will pair you up with a personal shopper who will stroll Cape Town and haggle on your behalf. So it stood to reason they could figure out what to do with an exercise enthusiast who longed to see the African bush and was short on time and money—and they did: the Londolozi Yoga Safari.

After landing in Johannesburg after a remarkably pleasant flight (if you make this trip, I suggest South African Airlines), I was greeted by Geoff who was clearly the age of my grandfather, but had the spunk and swagger of a teenager. After a few cups of strong African coffee at the airport hotel, our group (there were four of us) hopped on a very small (repeat, very small) airplane for a one-hour flight that landed us in the middle of nowhere. After deplaning, I climbed wearily in the safari truck for a five-minute drive to my destination: Tree Camp at Londolozi. All weariness immediately deserted me.

Situated in the heart of the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Londolozi is named for a Zulu word meaning “protector of all living things,” which is also the mantra of this family-owned and-operated business. Unloading my bags off the truck, I quickly found a protector of my own in our dashing game ranger, Boyd Varty, who was part Hugh Jackman, part Harrison Ford, and exactly what you not-so-secretly hope the man who will gallantly lead you through the wilderness will look like. The city started seeming very far away.

Our four-day stay at Londolozi would be tailored around a new program called, simply, Yoga Safari. Led by Sally Flanagan, who is recognized in South Africa as a pioneer of Bikram Yoga, each day would consist of two yoga sessions and two up-close-and-personal game drives. When we weren’t doing our sun salutations or marveling at spotting the big five (lions, tigers, zebras) roaming around the bush, we were relaxing in our rooms: luxurious suites built high in the branches and giving an entirely new meaning to the idea of a tree house. My own room had a private pool and a deck from which I stood and watched baboons swing from the trees and elephants and giraffes roam the ground below. It was completely surreal, and the only thing that brought me back to Earth (figuratively) was the security guard who would accompany us around the camp. Turns out those friendly baboons had mastered the art of unlocking doors, and to remedy the problem all the doors had more locks than Fort Knox.

The first morning, we woke up at five for a yoga class on a deck nestled high in the trees—a vantage point that allowed for a stunning view of the sun rising over the land. I practice a lot of yoga in the city, and I must say that meditation takes on a whole new meaning when you can’t hear car alarms and the raging wheels of trucks. After class, we would have breakfast and then head out for a game drive. The second yoga session of the day would also take place in the tree house, but it was slightly more daunting: It was on a deck over a crocodile-filled water hole—one false move and you were lunch. The second game drive was in the evening as the sun was setting and the predators were readying to find dinner. Along the way we’d stop for snacks consisting of dried game meat. I went to South Africa a vegetarian and came back with bags of dried impala in my suitcase. Who would’ve thought?

Our nights at the camp were spent around a campfire drinking wine from South African vineyards, eating dinner prepared by a local chef, and telling stories over dessert plates of delicious local cheeses. On our last night we were serenaded by the Londolozi choir, who sang traditional hymns to us—and as I leaned back to take it all in, I couldn’t believe it was almost time to go home.

Details:
For a trip organized around your interests and budget, visit www.roarafrica.com or e-mail Deb Calmeyer at deb@roarafrica.com

Photo gallery courtesy of Jill Demling. Click to enlarge:

Travel Weekly contributor Ben Roussel traveled to South Africa with Roar Africa. He sat down with Roar Africa co-owner and tour guide Geoff Calmeyer, who discussed misperceptions about tourism in southern Africa and how his company differs from other tour operators.

Here follows a copy of Ben Roussel's interview with Geoff as published in the latest issue of Travel Weekly here or below.

(Click to enlarge)