Gym's Ramblings: Singita Lebombo

Micato, our tour company, booked us into Singita Lebombo as the second and last safari resort that we are visiting on this trip and we would stay here for two nights. We could have used some more time here because they have a great pool deck, wine cellar and spa area and we were not really able to use them on this trip. We will have to come back!

When I told you that Londolozi was the best accommodation that I had ever stayed in, I now have changed my mind. The accommodations at Singita are equally as nice as those at Londolozi and because of the more spectacular mountain scenery in these Lebombo Mountains, the views from the lodge and the bungalows that we stayed in might put it up just a notch above Londolozi.

The main lodge here and the bungalows are really top notch. They are perched high up on a ridge that looks towards Mozambique, and below the buildings is a beatiful green river valley that is full of wildlife. This morning we viewed a perfect African sunrise from our bungalow as the sun rose over the eastern ridge of the river valley.

The view from our bungalow in the late afternoon

The eastern sky at 5 AM before the last game drive

We could not fly into Singita because our bush plane was grounded due to the intense cloud cover over Londolozi, so we transferred to this resort by road across Kruger National Park. That was cool though, because we spotted many animals as we drove in from the west, to the easternmost side of the park. We arrived a bit late because we drove, and therefore we missed the evening game drive on the first afternoon. Luckily though, we had arrived on on a special night at Singita! We were treated to a traditional Braai, which is Afrikaans for BBQ. The event was set up in an open air enclosure behind the main complex, on the top of the ridge. There was lots of meat on the grill, including some Kudu which I chose to dine upon. It was excellent, tasting like top grade Alberta beef, except better. Later we were treated to some traditional singing and dancing by staff members, who were for the most part descendants of the Zulus. I'm sorry I did not get any pictures of this because the staff members, many of whom we came to know, pored their hearts into this spectacle, dressed in traditional Zulu clothing over their staff uniforms. We retired early to our bungalow because the morning game drives start at 5:30 AM just as they did at Londolozi.

All the guests stay in the coolest little bungalows. They are glass rectangular boxes perched on the cliffs and have a Malibou beach house feel, except they all sport African hardwood floors and accents. They have floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river that also wrap around the sides and back of the house and thus when in the bathroom you feel a bit exposed except there is a wooden screen outside that gives you some protection from prying eyes. The fixtures and furniture are ultra modern and the door has a magnetic lock which was something I had never seen before.

Following are some pictures, first of our bungalow and ten of the main complex:

Our bedroom

front entrance

living area

bath with glass walled shower overlooking the valley

outdoor sleeping option - we did not try this out because I for one did not want to wake up with a baboon beside me

The main building was really cool too:

The Long Bar in the lodge

Pool deck

Dining Room

looking over the pool to the dining area

looking over the pool from the dining area into the valley

We met our guide on the first night and ate dinner with him at the Braai. Ian is a white guide that knew the answer to every question we threw at him and believe me we asked plenty of questions over the three game drives that he guided for us, the Dr. and Dr. Browne and a young couple from Sarasota, Florida who joined us in the Land Rover. Our tracker was Daniel from a village not too far from Londolozi and he of course sat in what Ian referred to as the 'bait seat'.