Discovering themselves extraordinarily lucky to spend seven nights within the Botswana bush at Feline Fields, Peter and Eileen Leopold discovered a quiet place to take a seat, loosen up and recalibrate their senses.Â
Feline Fields is a family-owned enterprise whose house owners take satisfaction in delivering a personalised expertise tailor-made to their company’ wants.
Their first lodging choice is a luxurious boutique safari lodge within the Kalahari. In-built 2012 and taking up 4 years to finish, it’s the most distant lodge in Botswana. The second is the Khwai River cell campsite, consisting of eight double tents, which affords an genuine out-of-Africa safari expertise within the Okavango Delta.
Our journey started after we left Johannesburg and drove 1 150 km to Maun, an extended however simple drive on truthful highways. (There are additionally a number of industrial flights out there, if price range permits). We crossed on the Groblersbrug border put up, which was environment friendly, spent our first evening at Serowe after which carried on to Maun.
Khwai River campsite
The next morning, we took a chartered flight to the touchdown strip that serves the camps within the Khwai River concession. When you have a 4×4, you may drive for about 2.5 hours on reasonably bumpy roads.The flight, nevertheless, has breathtaking views of the Delta, plus sightings of herds of animals from above. We have been met by our wonderful ranger and charming host, Tebo, and our Bushman tracker, Kannetjies.Rounding a nook, we hit lovely white, smooth, billowing tents floating out of the thick bush. And furnishings and décor that transport you to a bygone period of class however with all of the mod cons, similar to sizzling showers, cellphone chargers and Grasp Chef delicacies. Undoubtedly glamping on steroids!We have been most concerned with savouring the bush and studying about native folklore reasonably than chasing the Large 5. However Tebo and Kannetjies actually delivered on each! We noticed leopards, rhinos and buffalo and spent a number of peaceable hours watching elephant breeding herds. A brand new expertise was a soothing guided Mokoro journey previous our camp and studying about The Little 5.
READ: How a lot have you learnt about South Africa’s Little 5? Â
What struck us most about Khwai Camp was the sense of complete peace – one thing the Celts name a skinny place, the place the barrier between now and past is thinner as is the boundary between nature and people. A spot to take a seat quietly and let your senses loosen up.
After three days, we bid farewell to the fantastic workers and flew again to Maun, this time by way of the scenic route. It was additionally Kannetjies’s first flight. He vehemently declared, ‘By no means once more!’
Feline Fields Kalahari Lodge
Tebo then drove us to Feline Fields Kalahari Lodge, a simple 4×4 journey of about 3.5 hours. We arrived late within the night as we needed to decelerate for a pair of honey badgers, after which a porcupine, who made it fairly clear that he owned the highway! (You can too drive your self or take a helicopter flight).
It was fairly a sight as we drove as much as the lodge, our pleasure rapidly turning to marvel. We have now stayed in motels world wide, however they’re all surpassed by the structure and elegance of the lodge, together with a 25 m lap pool, all fantastically lit up and rising as if from nowhere.
There are eight chalets of assorted kinds and lodging for as much as 20 company, all elegant and opulent. Our suite was a double-storey with a luxurious rest room, a rooftop deck with an enclosed tent and a snug double mattress – in case you need to sleep below the celebs – and a non-public swimming pool overlooking the good Kalahari.
We may wax lyrical concerning the meals based mostly on fashionable French eating. Recent produce is important, and most of the herbs and greens are grown at Feline Fields’ premises in Maun. It’s exhausting to consider that we have been in the course of nowhere consuming salmon, strawberries, kiwis, souffle, superior salads and decadent desserts, all ready by an in-house chef.
The lodge has gone to nice lengths to supply numerous different actions distinctive to the Kalahari. We spent an academic 2.5-hour stroll with Kannetjies and his buddy studying concerning the Bushman way of life, from monitoring to looking, ingesting bulbs from crops, making fireplace and setting hen traps. Above all, we skilled the intense endurance and reverence that the Bushmen have for his or her habitat. We actually can’t experience horses however went driving with Mandela, referred to as the cowboy, who regaled us with tales of driving to highschool and looking buffalo on horseback together with his grandfather. There are additionally bush bikes, a health club and tennis courts for many who have to work off all that meals, however we selected the lazier choice!Â
Particular point out should be fabricated from all of the workers at each websites, none of whom may very well be faulted. Each particular person confirmed real curiosity, enthusiasm and meticulous consideration to element.
There was a real enjoyment of creating shock occasions for company. When workers discovered it was our forty third wedding ceremony anniversary, we returned one night to champagne and a candle-lit bubble bathtub, adopted by a non-public dinner on our deck, an impressive cake and serenading workers.
This was one other instance of making an sudden private ingredient of shock.
A protracted however not arduous journey again to actual life in Johannesburg adopted. It’s going to, nevertheless, take us fairly a while to course of all of it. Feline Fields is open year-round, combining the lodge and campsite and numerous actions for all seasons. It’s all about going again to fundamentals, a slower tempo of life and discovering your fact.
Photos: Equipped
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