Watch Out For The Monkey Poo In The Morning

Maybe not the best way to introduce readers to our latest stop, but definitely the best line of the night from the night watchman. More on that in a bit. We checked in after another day of cars and planes at what is now known as the Dulini River Lodge in the private Sabi Sands game reserve. Sabi Sands itself is large and it abuts Kreuger National Park, the second oldest national park in the world. (Yellowstone was the first.) But from an animal standpoint it is all contiguous, so you name it, it is likely roaming about here. Kreuger in terms of size could fit the UK and Ireland within its borders.

As for the lodgings themselves, we admit that we shot the lights out for our 30th anniversary. To reach this place you travel down a dirt road for a good 15 miles until you reach a checkpoint; if you aren’t expected at one of the lodges in the preserve, you don’t get in. After that it was another 10 miles of more dirt road to reach the lodge. Now you start to feel a bit like you are in the bush. Then you arrive at the lodge and OMG, is this place nice.

Obviously, it is very secluded. Look out the back window beyond the deck and it is just the African bush, with the usual complement of impalas hanging about. A member of the antelope family, they basically act like the deer back home. They eat and stare at you. A few baboons in the trees added some liveliness, but they are crafty buggers. We were told to keep our windows shut at night because they were likely to figure out how to get in. We are in one of 8 separate units. Each has a small private pool, amenities like a well stocked bar that is included at no extra charge (my head hurts thinking about the possibilities), indoor and outdoor showers, the works. We even have a butler named Difference, though he takes care of other guests. Still, it is kind of cool and he is a very nice man. The accommodations are outstanding. Zulu Nyala was nice, but this place is a huge step up.

Which brings me in a roundabout way to the night watchman. In short, once it gets dark you need to be escorted from your bungalow to the dining area and back. Daytime it’s no problem, any animal that might be on the grounds is more fearful of humans, but at night you could bump into a leopard, possibly a lion, so the guard leads you to and fro. At times they may carry a rifle but our guy just swiped a flashlight back and forth to frighten off any stray cat. But during the brief walk he warned us to steer clear of the monkey droppings in the morning as the smell is really bad. Point noted.

Here are some views of our room and our our deck. We have to keep pinching ourselves that we are in Africa.