CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE WILD KIND
Zodwa Kumalo gets the perfect #poolellie — that’s a selfie with an elephant — at a luxury lodge in Limpopo
There is no shortage of five-star game lodges in South Africa. Locals treat themselves to luxurious sho’t lefts at the whiff of a long weekend. International visitors make pilgrimages to stay at some of the best game lodges this country has to offer. When you’re so spoilt for choice, applying the Big Five filter is probably the quickest way to narrow down your options. And Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa, situated in the Welgevonden Game Reserve in Limpopo, has all five — and more.
“So, which is your favourite from the Big Five?” game ranger Ryan Smart asks after picking me up from the main gate.
It’s a pleasantly hot day in January. I feel he really wants to ask me which one I most want to see and I really want to answer: “A lion killing something.” But instead I say “elephant” to be polite. It’s not a lie. These magnificent, intelligent creatures are so graceful and appear so gentle in their lumbering movements that you imagine you could reach out and touch them.
As we approach the lodge we are greeted by staff singing warmly, holding out cool, damp cloths to freshen up with and a glass of chilled fruit juice. All thatch and light wood and hanging woven baskets, the lodge perfectly blends into its surroundings.
Dial back to 2013, a fire destroyed the main lodge, stalling operations for two years after Dutch couple Frank and Myriam Vogel had acquired it in 2008. Fortunately, no one was harmed and it also gave them the opportunity to rethink the lodge offering and do a big overhaul of the look and feel of the place.
Fast-forward to me sipping on a cocktail in the game-viewing hide/bar/eating area while snapping images of a rhino and her young calf, which are sipping from the water hole a few hundred metres away. Being in such close proximity to the wild animals is quite surreal.
From the poolside and suites you can see all the game approaching the hole. And when one of the big five manifests, all the guests rush from their rooms or abandon their dining or swimming to head to the service station, which takes you to a flight of stairs leading to the underground tunnel and the hide.
As you head through the dark, 65m-long tunnel, sensors automatically illuminate the way, revealing walls decorated with framed images of the game the
Vogel family, professionals and guests have photographed. Essentially, it’s a cleverly thoughtout passageway, which connects the main lodge to the watering hole — undoubtedly Mhondoro’s trump card.
The lodge itself, with its distinctive African artefacts, also infuses the classic, pared-down Dutch interior design style and touches of a vintage nature. Earthy tones create an inviting and warm energy in the suites and main areas, such as the dining, reception and swimming areas.
The piéce de resistance is the three-bedroom luxury villa. Complete with its own kitchen and private chef, private game ranger, gym, yoga room and heated pool, it’s a short stroll from the main lodge but feels completely separate.