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Personal Impression
It is difficult to describe the beauty, luxury and excitement of
Singita. It is the type of place that must be experienced to be
understood. Sumptuous accommodations, incredible food with included
wines and spirits, even complimentary 24-hour laundry and the thrill
and quality of the game drives and guides make this a place that
everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime. It is an
expensive property but after visiting many different properties and
comparing the facilities and the cost I feel Singita it is worth
every penny spent.
Accommodations
Suite is an inappropriate name for the thatched roof cottages with a
large sitting room, complete with a log burning fireplace, large
bedroom with king size beds draped in netting like a wedding veil,
luxurious bathrooms with a trendy four-footed large bathtub, indoor
and out door showers, huge deck with a private plunge pool. This
entire cottage is luxuriously appointed in modern zebra, dark wood
floors and the full glass windows make the bush part of every room.
In fact this is among the most luxurious accommodations I have ever
experienced. Each cottage has complete privacy with the windows
facing into the bush. You cannot see the cottage next to you once
you are indoors. The cottages are arranged on each side of the main
lodge so even the most remote cottage is in comfortable walking
distance.
Two lodges, Boulders and Ebony are about 3
minutes apart by land rover both with 9 cottages, a spa, full
service lodge and restaurants. Boulders is more contemporary and
Ebony is more colonial. Visiting both I would say you cannot go
wrong staying at either property and they both offer the same layout
and quality of accommodations.
EBONY ACCOMMODATIONS
BOULDERS ACCOMMODATIONS
Game Drives
The topography around the private reserve of Singita is so diverse
and makes every game drive a delightful experience. Game viewing
here is special. It doesn’t creep into your soul it hits you head
on. Animals are everywhere. Since the fence came down in 1991
between Kruger National park and the Sabi Sands reserve 800
elephants have moved into Sabi Sands Reserve. As Singita lands is
open to the vast Kruger National Park the animals are free to roam
in and out of the reserve. You are seeing nature at its finest here
not penned in a small area for the tourists to see. Couple this with
the peaceful atmosphere of the bush with a low density of visitors
to a vast expanse of private land with just six guests, the guide
and tracker in each land rover and you have a remarkable combination
for the perfect African experience Each game drive you experience
will be a truly remarkable few hours that will be burned into your
memory forever. Each game drive holds new adventures. On one game
drive a herd of Elephants crossed around our jeep. The elephants
were in front and back of us almost too close to photograph. You
will get so close to lions that at first it is disconcerting. Then
you realize they don’t even care that you are there and go about
their normal behavior totally ignoring us for intruding on their
day. Singita is animal rich with rhino, hippos, giraffes, leopards,
and numerous types of antelope, monkeys and baboons. The game
viewing will not disappoint of this I am 100% certain. The pictures
below are personal pictures from our last game drive in Singita. I
have selected these to show you how close you really are to the
animals. It is not all done with telephoto lenses. You are very
close.
The guides
Singita has incredible guides, they are among the best I have found
and actually spend more time with you than in a normal game park.
They stop at sundown and cook little appetizers and mix you your
favorite drink in the bush. You enjoy this while watching a herd of
elephants cross or the monkeys at play. After your game drive they
act as your personal bartender, and fix your pre-dinner drink. They
get to know you, your likes and dislikes. They will join you at
dinner when you wish and share tales of the bush and the lifestyles
of the South African people. They are well educated, speak excellent
English and have a true love of the African bush and the animals.
Dining and wines
Dinner is a great event at
Singita. After a exhilarating game drive, a quick freshen up you are
ready for your pre-dinner drink and a satisfying dinner. Your guide
will mix you drinks at the bar outside of the restaurant and when
you are ready you head in for dinner. There are multiple choices on
the menu and the staff are happy to accommodate your every whim.
Want the steak with Béarnaise, no problem. Want the pasta without
the tomatoes, no problem. Want both the steak and the pasta, no
problem. So any preferences for a particular way of eating or
particular foods can be accommodated. They have exotic items such as
game meats but also offer standard fare that all American guests are
used to eating. Wines and spirits are included complimentary with
the only additional charges being for selected premium wines for
purchase. The Boma dinners at Singita are truly something very
special.
Local Village tour
Singita offers a visit to a local
village at around $45.00 per person. You will visit a local Shangann
village, Justicia. Visit a family home and the pre-school children
will entertain you with singing What makes this visit special is
that all the money paid for this excursion goes to assist the 16
local villages bordering the game reserve. This money is donated in
a way so as to not make the villages reliant on this assistance.
Described to me by a Singita employee “we don’t give the villagers
fish we give them a fishing rod to catch the fish”. All assistance
is based on making each village more self reliant and independent.
Normal day at Singita
Morning.
At 5.30am you will get the wake up
call to get ready for your morning drive. Yes it is early but the
anticipation of seeing the animals makes this easier than you would
anticipate. After breakfast you head out on your morning game
drive. The game drives can last for about two to three hours
depending on the passengers in the vehicle, what you see and how
long you wish to stay out.
Lunch and the afternoon.
These are lazy times after lunch with normally a little nap in the
afternoon, or a splash in your private splash pool or a visit to the
spa.
Afternoon tea at 4.00 pm
Meet in the lodge and enjoy an English Tea complete with the
necessary snacks before heading out with your guide and jeep
companions for the afternoon drive.
Dinner
After freshening up you call and a guide comes to escort you from
your cottage to the lodge for dinner. Although it is safe to walk
around during the day the animals are more active at night and they
will not allow you walk around after dark without a guide. A dinner
in the restaurant, or under the stars in the BOMA you will be
treated to a delectable relaxed dinner before retiring to look
forward to the next days adventures.
I predict that your time at
Singita will be one of the greatest travel memories.
Web Page:
www.singita.com
CLICK HERE FOR MORE
DETAILS ON SINGITA LODGES
CLICK HERE FOR A MAP
OF SINGITA PROPERTIES
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