HOW TO STAY FIT IN THE AFRICAN BUSH: SABI SABI'S GYM WITH A VIEW

SABI SANDS, SOUTH AFRICA (10/13) – Animals are everywhere in the African bush, making exercise a formidable task. Staying in shape just got a whole lot easier for everyone at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve with the opening of Earth Lodge’s Gym – our vote for bestgym with a view.

Keep your adrenaline flowing after a game drive as you hop on a training bike and pretend you’re out back in the bush. In response to guest interest, Sabi Sabi built an intimate glass-fronted gym where you can hope to see animals pass in front of you as your burn off those calories. Though it can hold a few people at a time, it is equipped with a state of the art rowing machine, treadmills, a training bike, mats, weights and exercise balls. Not to mention the one thing that will make the time fly by: the view. 

Sweat towels and bottles of ice cold water are provided; while back at your suite, there’s a private plunge pool and outdoor shower to make you feel clean and refreshed.Earth Lodge’s unique design and philosophy of being totally at one with Nature lends itself to a healthy lifestyle. In addition to the gym, highly trained therapists take a holistic approach to treatments in the Amani Spa, and the chefs use the freshest seasonal and local ingredients.

Rates for Sabi Sabi’s Earth Lodge start at $1,023* per person sharing, depending on the season, and include game drives, environmental awareness walking safaris, all meals, a house selection of beverages and transfers to the Sabi Sabi airstrip. For reservations, contact res@sabisabi.com, email warren@warrengreenandassociates.com, or call (804) 767-8770. For more information, visit www.sabisabi.com.

*Based on the exchange rate between USD and South African Rand on 10/07/13.

SAFARI GOERS GET AN EDUCATION IN BUSH MEDICINE

Johannesburg, South Africa (06/13) – “For everything from headaches to ringworm, the bush has a cure,” said Jacques Smit, marketing director at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve. “The biodiversity of plant life in the Sabi Sabi area is so diverse it’s like a ‘medicine chest’, supplying the people with precious natural remedies.”

Safari guides at Sabi Sabi offer guests more than a look at the Big Five, they offer a unique learning experience centered on ancient healing traditions of the Shangaan people. During safaris, guides and trackers will identify and discuss the age-old uses of various plants found in the African landscape.

While Selati Camp, Bush Lodge, Little Bush Camp and Earth Lodge all have a fully stocked first aid kit on hand and a 24-hour medical team on call, it is remarkable to experience and understand the centuries-old natural medicine still used in local village communities. Long before modern medicine, extremely skilled and knowledgeable indigenous healers developed cures for various illnesses using the trees, plants and shrubs that grew in their surroundings. Some of these plants and remedies are being scientifically studied with the goal of one day incorporating them into modern medicine.

On safari, study the extraordinary trees that produce these cures. The Magic Guarri bush is said to have supernatural powers. The wood of the bush is considered to be so sacred that it is never to be burned for fuel and twigs and pieces of the branches are carried by the people for good luck. Many traditional healers use Magic Guarri to help abdominal pains during pregnancy and to prevent miscarriage, but the bush has even simpler uses, like curing toothache, preventing tooth decay and cleaning your teeth, similar to a toothbrush.

The Leadwood tree, a protected species that lives to be more than a thousand years old, can be seen around the reserve. Due to their protected status, Leadwood trees cannot be cut for medicinal purposes, but elephants don’t fall under these restrictions. Once an elephant breaks down a branch and enjoys a snack on the leaves, the branches are free for the taking. Inhaling the smoke from the burning wood is a remedy for coughs and colds. The bark is used as a cure for bilharzia, a parasitic disease.

For more insight into the uses of the Magic Guarri bush, Leadwood tree, Fever tree, Jackalberry tree, Weeping Wattle tree and the intriguing Sausage Tree, visit the traditional healer on a Sabi Sabi community tour. Tours are offered daily from 10:30am to 1:00pm.

For more information on ‘bush medicine’ or to book your safari with Sabi Sabi, visit www.sabisabi.com. All proceeds from the village tour benefit the local community.

A WALK IN YOUR SAFARI GUIDE’S SHOES: SHANGAAN CLAN TOUR

SOUTH AFRICA (04/2013) – Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve now offers the Shangaan Clan Tour, an opportunity to explore the folklore and traditions of the local tribe from where the majority of Sabi Sabi’s employees hail. In exchange for opening a door to their lives, to their homes, schools and community centers, community members will receive proceeds from a donation given by guests.

En-route to the first stop, Sabi Sabi community liaison officer Lodrick Manyathele speaks on architecture of the area, rural agriculture with all its challenges, traditional art and preparation of ethnic food. On the way, guests will be able to admire the crafts of the talented bead-workers, grass weavers and wood carvers, and to listen to both the harmonies of the local choir and the heart-thumping beat of the local drummers.

A favorite stop on the tour is the local sangoma (traditional healer) who enjoys special stature and is much revered in the community. The sangoma is regularly called upon to give advice, healing and blessings.

There are three varying itineraries with the first stop dependent upon the day of the week: Mazinyane Pre-school, a local shop or a local church. At each stop on the tour, guests are welcome to take photographs to cement their memories of an enriching and enlightening visit. A conversation with a safari guide on his life is one thing; to see the community from where he derives is another.

The tour is available for a minimum of four guests and can accommodate up to 32 guests. Rates for the tour start at $45* per person, and can be booked at the lodge.

For reservations, contact res@sabisabi.com, email warren@warrengreenandassociates.com, or call (804) 767-8770. For more information, visit www.sabisabi.com.

*Based on the exchange rate between USD and South African Rand on 04/30/13.

SABI SABI’S SELATI CAMP OPENS NEWLY REBUILT IVORY SUITE

MPUMALANGA, SOUTH AFRICA (11/12/10) – Following four months of construction, Selati Camp’s Ivory Presidential Suite at Sabi Sabi, an internationally renowned private game reserve in the greater Kruger National Park area, South Africa, is open and ready for guests. The suite has been closed because of an accidental fire in July of this year.

Upgrades at the newly redesigned Ivory Suite include an even larger bathroom, complete with a magnificent chaise lounge, oversized stone bath and large walk-in shower. Huge sliding glass doors lead to an outdoor shower, accompanied by an intimate patio and private plunge pool, all of which enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding bushveld.

Renowned South African designer Stephen Rich was recruited to recreate the beauty and sense of history for which the original suite was famous. Rich used antiques, Persian rugs and decadent fabrics in the suite, complemented by authentic railway memorabilia, to create an old world ambiance. The heart of the suite is the carved-wood bed covered in heavy linen and draped with sheer netting.

Guests staying in the Ivory Suite are treated to their own ranger and private Land Rover for safaris.

Intimate, exclusive and wildly romantic, Selati Camp is ideal for couples looking to escape back in time to an era of colonial elegance and safari adventures. Named after the historical Selati Railway line that ran through the eastern section of the private reserve and a legendary female chief of the ancient Tebula tribe, the camp’s old world charm, design and spirit strikes a contrast to the modern game lodges found in the area today.

The Ivory Suite at Selati Camp starts at $1,179 per person per night. For more information please visit the website at www.sabisabi.com, or call Warren Green at (804) 767- 8770 or email warren@warrengreenandassociates.com.