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A Wilderness Experience to Soothe the Soul

By Binwe Adebayo

In the world of remote work, with back-to-back video calls and constant messages from multiple apps, it’s difficult to imagine that total calm can exist in the age of the screenager. As a serial tweeter who often ends up working during a holiday, my stay at the Mhondoro Lodge and Villa, within the broader Welgevonden Game Reserve, was almost a spiritual turning point.

Tranquil, luxurious, and wonderfully intimate, it sets the gold standard for unwinding in the great outdoors. Located just three hours from Johannesburg, our little piece of bush heaven was the ideal place to finally take the plunge and unplug — the kind of place you can’t leave and that doesn’t leave you.

The new Reception & Welcome Lounge near the Welgevonden entrance gate sets the stage for the adventure that awaits. Unique features at the lodge include an underground hide for day and night photography, a custom-built stardeck, heated pools, and a gym with an infrared sauna. The Spa offers a range of treatments on a private deck overlooking the reserve.

As one of the only lodges in the area operating entirely on solar energy, it embodies a future forward approach to luxury wildlife travel at the heart of its experience. This is not the Out of Africa offering local and international visitors are used to. Instead of the generic safari scenes of the past, this experience is masterfully curated, from the engagements with the team who run its various operations to the architectural layout that ensures privacy.

I felt both excited by the proximity to nature and grounded by the quiet, aside from the warthogs who served as my daily alarm and the zebras and elephants who congregated at the doorstep waterhole. Up until now, the outdoor experience has often had to be rugged to feel authentic, but nothing could be further from the truth at Mhondoro. Sophisticated here doesn’t mean stuck up.

The property relies on its community, local produce, and experienced guides to provide a stylish ‘safari chic’ experience. After all, what could be better than a hot Amarula coffee on a morning game drive or a delicious spread of appetisers and fine wines as you take in the sunset? Whether it was spotting a huge herd of buffalo surrounding our vehicle or enjoying my private outdoor shower with a spa just a few steps from my room, I kept thinking, “Now this is living.”

Amongst Mhondoro’s greatest assets is its culinary team. Drawing from their technical prowess as well as the authentic cuisines of South Africa, the chefs are unparalleled in their ability to drop an extra dose of love and style into every dish. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a feast, much of it drawn from our pickings from the local vegetable garden greenhouse. After mentioning my Durban origins and love of spicy food, and another guest reminiscing about his childhood love of bobotie, we were amazed to find these dishes presented at lunch — a symphony of seamless gastronomy. But it wasn’t all a ‘down to earth’ approach.

A roasted cauliflower soup I’ll never forget, perfectly seared salmon and a range of options for each guest ensured smiles after every meal. There is no doubt that the Mhondoro team embody the quiet luxury of their offering. Happy to tour the shop stocked with one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces (and no I couldn’t resist), or the chance to catch up over a drink and dinner in the boma, a sizzling fire burning in the centre, it’s hard to believe we’d not been there much longer than our two-night stay, and impossible to imagine leaving.

Leaving the lodge, I didn’t just come away with a game reserve and villa experience but some unforgettable memories and a stack of Polaroids to prove it. For everyone glued to screens, and in search of some clean air and re-appreciation for the outdoors, Welgevonden and Mhondoro are unparalleled in the art of the luxury slow living experience.

www.mhondoro.com

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november 2024

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