Photo by Grant Pitcher

I could probably make a much longer list about Nambiti Hills and everything I love about it. I’m sure you could too. I’m not sure about you, but I’m a serial list maker. There is a strange satisfaction attached to it. Not half as satisfying, of course, as crossing things off the list. Like the dreadful tourist habit of ticking off wild animals and birds that have been seen, as if a page full of ticks is more of an accomplishment than the glory of simply being in the presence of wild creatures who, without ego, connect with nature and live by their instincts.

Anyway, this is not a tick-off list. It’s a list of reasons to keep going back to Nambiti Hills Private Game Lodge and to spend as much time as possible in Nambiti Private Game Reserve. It’s a list to which I hope you will add many more reasons of your own. It’s in no particular order of importance.

1. Being picked up by one of the Nambiti Hills game guides from the parking area near the gate. It
gives you a chance to get to know your guide right off the bat.
2. Seeing a whole lot of wildlife before you even get to your destination. Everything from impala to
elephants right by the roadside.
3. The warm greeting you get when you arrive. (Steaming hot towels and a fruit cocktail or glass of
Amarula go down well, too.)
4. Freshly baked cookies in your room.
5. The big stone bath in the centre of the bedroom, overlooking the reserve.
6. All the great books in the lounge.
7. The fires in winter.
8. The amazing African-Asian-whatever fusion food. Two thumbs up to the chefs!
9. The unique mix of friendliness and privacy.
10. Going to sleep to the sound of wild animals nearby.

Okay, the above is just a warm-up. I will have to continue this list at a later time.

- Siobhan, writer, wildlife enthusiast, unstoppable list-maker

Think about it. Luxury executive suites. Attentive but discreet service. Beautiful views across the whole Nambiti Private Game Reserve. Game drives in the most comfortable game drive vehicles I have ever been in (not to mention the super thick and soft blankets to coddle yourself in during a winter’s evening game drive or pre-dawn drive). There’s the massive open plan lounge with expansive ultra-comfortable upholstered chairs and couches as well as plenty of fires for those cold Ladysmith evenings. A huge deck that instructs you to relax and enjoy yourself the minute you walk out on it. A pool to give you the cool reprieve you need on a sweltering summer’s day. And then there’s the food. Oh, the food! A kind of Afro-Asian splendour full of texture and interesting flavours. Certainly not what you’d expect in the middle of a game reserve. And to round off that five-star cuisine, some of the best wines that have ever stirred your palate. Follow that with a soak in an elliptical stone bath that overlooks your own private view of the reserve, and the word “heaven” rises off your tongue.

Now, if you want to take luxury to the next level, make an arrangement with the Nambiti Hills in-house therapist. No, not THAT kind of therapist – just spending time connecting with nature will do you more good, with all due respect to the many good shrinks out there. I’m talking about a massage and spa therapist. I’ve just been looking through the treatment menu and now have even more reasons to get back to Nambiti Hills. There’s a one-hour facial treatment which looks great but I admit is not really thing. But there are five body treatments, ranging from a relaxing scalp massage to a foot treatment to stone or aromatherapy full body treatments. Plus a Swedish body treatment. Anyone called Helga there? It says it will relax the body and calm the mind. Well, that’s not my personal association with a Swedish massage but maybe I’ve watched one too many Bond movies.

Whatever the case, what a great way to enhance your stay at Nambiti Hills! Especially if you stay a few extra days or decide to skip one of the game drives (I think you’re nuts but some people prefer to lie in!). Just go along for a two-hour full body treatment and then laze around the lodge all day. Have brunch with the game drive crowd on their return, read through the many beautiful books on Africa that are strewn through the lounge, and then ease yourself into an outdoors lounger for the afternoon, listening to the noises of the lions, jackals and buffalo below.

Ahhh.

- Siobhan, writer and wildlife enthusiast amongst other things

Photo by Grant Pitcher

A major drawcard to going to Nambiti Hills Private Game Lodge is its exclusivity. It’s in a fairly remote spot, away from crowds and daily busyness, in the prime spot of Nambiti Private Game Reserve, with very private executive suites which, in turn, each have their private verandahs and exclusive views. You can even dine in the privacy of your suite if you so request it, looking out into the wilderness with only the grunts and calls of wild animals to “disturb” you.

Photo by Grant Pitcher

The exclusivity of Nambiti Hills is to be found in the tasteful aesthetic of its interior design that extends from shared public spaces like the open plan dining area and lounge to the bathrooms. Everything has been carefully considered, from the big comfortable couches to the extraordinary wildlife photographs on the wall, the huge amount of reading material scattered around the lounge, the lavish bowls, contemporary sculptures of animal horns, luxury bedding and generously large cookie jar in each suite. Exclusivity is also in the wonderful fusion food menu of the restaurant and the personal attention bestowed upon you by the ever-smiling chefs. It is in the gift shop, with its magnificent assortment of handmade jewellery from all over Africa. And in the game drives themselves, where every effort is made to ensure your comfort and also show you as varied a range of animals and birds as possible, often accompanied by a fascinating narrative from either the game guide or tracker.

Yet, for all the exclusivity and much-deserved 5 stars, there is no snobbery here. You won’t find a more friendly, down-to-earth group of people as those that work at Nambiti Hills Private Game Lodge. I’ve stayed over several times and have always been made to feel extremely welcome. It is the kind of place where you can arrive unaccompanied, as I have done, and be assured of friendly but unobtrusive company for dinner and brunch. One of my favourite times is coming back from an evening game drive and congregating with other guests around the bar for a couple of drinks before heading off for dinner. Even if you know no-one else upon arrival, you’re sure to be on first-name terms with many of the other guests, game guides, management and the chefs before the evening’s out.

Photo by Grant Pitcher

By the same token, if, like the stylish and mysterious late actress Greta Garbo, you just want to be alone, you can do that too. Just settle yourself into one of the plush couches or chairs and devour a few books on Africa, or find a spot on the vast verandah that extends from the dining area and lounge of Nambiti Hills. Cool off in the splash pool next to the large wooden crocodile. Or soak in the stone tub in the middle of your executive suite and stare out into the wilderness. Few things can be more meditative than this.

Forgive me if in any way this is sounding like a sales brochure. It’s just that this is genuinely how I feel about Nambiti Hills and, every time I go there, I come away with a memorable experience. I also feel rejuvenated. Any work issues or other worries I leave at the main Nambiti Private Game Reserve gate on my arrival, and deliberately omit to pick up on my way out. Even the drive home is enjoyable. I preload my iPod with some great music and then head back to Durban in a kind of happy trance, the scent of the wild still on and around me, and my brain gently revisiting everything I have done, seen and learned. The truth is, you never quite leave Nambiti Hills or the reserve. In fact, if you’re anything like me, you get downright possessive about it. Pretty soon you start believing that Nambiti Hills is exclusively yours.

- Siobhan Gunning, writer and fan of Nambiti