Singita Safari Lodges
Five locations in Mpumalanga Province (Sabi Sands region), and the Kruger National Park | Map
Accommodation type: Fully-catered game lodges
Number of stars: 5
Rooms starting from (per person sharing): R7140.00
SA Blog recommends? Enthusiastically, given a cooperative bank balance.
Snippet
Since this review comprises part of SA Blog’s “Fair Trade” series, we’ll leave further (and fully-justified) raptures to the outfit’s website, and concentrate on what makes Singita special from a social responsibility perspective.
(See full review below.)
Low season specials? No
Breakfast included? Yes, and lunch and supper, and all drinks (except French champagne.)
Dedicated non-smoking rooms? No
Staff friendliness (out of 10): Not reviewed
Staff competence (out of 10): Not reviewed
Room options: Suite
Room comfort level (out of 10): 9 or 10, I’m guessing!
Noisy? No
Does the TV remote work? Why on Earth would you want to watch TV?
Fan or A/C? A/C throughout
Pool? Yes
Concierge? Yes
Conference facilities? No
Three ink blot adjective strings: Trip of a lifetime, extreme luxury, you’ll never want to leave.
Value for money? Yes, if you consider that comparably luxurious hotels charge double or triple Singita’s price for their top suites.
Booking information
Singita Safari Lodges
PO Box 23367
Claremont 7700
Tel: +27 (0) 21 683 3424, Fax: +27 (0) 12 683 3502
Review
Singita (”the place of miracles” in Shangaan) offers an unparalleled experience of luxury in the great African bushveld. The five inidivual lodges - spread out between the Kruger National Park and various private game reserves that border it - represent top-of-the-range accommodation in every respect. It goes without saying that they also benefit from the added glory of having the vasts of “Africa” at their doorsteps.
Since this review comprises part of SA Blog’s “Fair Trade” series, we’ll leave further (and fully-justified) raptures to the outfit’s website, and concentrate on what makes Singita special from a social responsibility perspective, which led to it’s Fair Trade-certified status.
In brief, Singita works in several ways to empower its neighbouring Shangaan and Venda communities, through preferential employment and procurement, social investment and the facilitation of a special community tour, run by an enterprising former employee, which opens the global economy to local craftsmen and women.
Singita also supports nature conservation initiatives in and outside of the Kruger Park, and has adopted its own internal environmental codes, including practicing separated collection of glass, paper, and organic waste, building with environmentally friendly building materials, using bio-degradable cleaning products, and ensuring efficient water and electricity use.
The last time Your Correspondent spent a week at Singita, he met Brad Pitt at the safari bar, and had a splendid time discussing the day’s “shoots”. (He bagged the complete Big Five with his Nikon, but I bested him with a Canon memory card full of birdlife.)
Actually, the entire preceding paragraph is utterly untrue, but should give SA Blog readers some indication of the kind of experience one can look forward to at Singita. (And Brad Pitt was once a guest of theirs.)
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